20 Things You Didn't Know About Aerosmith
So THAT's who that song was about.
Formed in 1970, Aerosmith has been recording and performing rock for forty years; that's a long time for anybody, let alone a band, where you're at constant risk of falling out with your bandmates over the pettiest of quabbles.
Indeed, these things have happened to Aerosmith. The band has seen their share of highs and lows throughout their career, with drug problems and differences of opinion frequently putting its members at loggerheads.
Yet, remarkably, the five current members - Steve Tyler, Tom Hamilton, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer - were all present at the band's inception. Though Perry and Whitford both said their goodbyes in 1979 and 81 respectively, they eventually returned to their rightful place in one of the most successful rock bands in history.
Almost everybody who has ever heard music will know at least one, whether it's their collaboration with Run DMC, Walk This Way, or Dream On from their eponymous album. And yet despite their remarkable success and history over the last four decades, many people know little more about them than their biggest hits.
20. Their Name
The origin of band's names are often a mystery to the average listener, and many are rather esoteric. Fall Out Boy, for instance, is a reference to a minor comic strip character in The Simpsons.
Aerosmith, meanwhile, dates back to drummer Joey Kramer's childhood; while bored at school he would scribble the word "Aerosmith" repeatedly on his notebooks, inspired by the cover art of Aerial Ballet, Harry Nilsson's third studio album. Disappointingly, the album depicted a man jumping from a biplane, not manufacturing bubbly mint chocolate bars.
The rest of the band were unimpressed initially, but thank goodness they came around to the idea- alternative ideas included "The Hookers" and "The Spike Jones". Imagine telling your mother you were going to see The Hookers play at the weekend...