20 Things You Didn't Know About Aerosmith

7. They Purportedly Gave Van Halen Recognition

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While artists often cite others as their musical influences, in the case of Eddie Van Halen, Aerosmith had a more substantial impact than their sound alone. According to Joe Perry's recollections, Van Halen made his name by touring Las Vegas clubs with a setlist consisting of Aerosmith songs.

Of course, Perry may have fabricated this story to stroke his own ego; after all, these days Aerosmith and Van Halen are frequently compared and scrutinised by fans as to who is better.

It would, however, be poetic if this were true; an epic tale of a man who sets out on his own path before ultimately facing off against his former idol. It's like a musical Star Wars, only without George Lucas' meddling making everything worse.

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I'm perfectly sane, or so the voices tell me. British, sarcastic, president of the European Slinky Association, have a tendency to lie when listing things about myself. 100% guilty of being a massive geek obsessed with Doctor Who, Harry Potter and video games. If you can't find me on the internet, I'm probably locked in a room playing Spyro the Dragon on my old PlayStation, or blowing everything to smithereens with a concrete donkey on Worms: Armageddon.