{"id":47253,"date":"2014-12-01T22:06:28","date_gmt":"2014-12-02T03:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=47253"},"modified":"2015-01-05T08:42:33","modified_gmt":"2015-01-05T13:42:33","slug":"audio-interview-with-joe-perry-of-aerosmith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/audio-interview-with-joe-perry-of-aerosmith\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Perry of Aerosmith"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">by Steve Patrick<\/span><br \/>\n&#8211; Senior Columnist &#8212;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/jpsoz1.jpg\" alt=\"jpsoz1\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-47256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/jpsoz1.jpg 960w, https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/jpsoz1-350x196.jpg 350w, https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/jpsoz1-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/jpsoz1-580x326.jpg 580w, https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/jpsoz1-174x98.jpg 174w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Aerosmith\u2019s Joe Perry is the quintessential guitar hero. For millions across the globe, his riffs are the soundtrack of their lives. In the canon of classic rock songwriting, the (Steven) Tyler\/Perry pair up is second only to Lennon\/McCartney. You would think that constantly hearing statements like these would give Perry a huge ego, but, after chatting with him for a while about his new autobiography, it became clear that nothing could be further from the truth.<\/p>\n<p>While promoting his new book <em>Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith<\/em>, Perry took a moment to speak with Hardrock Haven about how and when he first got the idea to put his life down on paper. In the interview, Perry asserts that he already has some solo material completed for a future release of some kind. Also Perry also spoke at great lengths about his love of Peter Green\u2019s Fleetwood Mac, chatting with his guitar idols Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, getting to spend some quality time with Johnny Winter before passed away earlier this year, and why he hates the idea of \u201cpure blues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>::: Listen to the interview :::<\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><br \/>\n<audio controls><source src=\"http:\/\/www.hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/int14\/Joe Perry of Aerosmith.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\"\/>Your browser does not support this audio format.<\/audio><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>For more information, visit: <a href=\"http:\/\/joeperry.com\" target=\"_blank\">joeperry.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To read the transcript of the interview click the link below:<br \/>\n<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/JOE-PERRY-_-2014-GIBSON-ON-KNEE-_0928.jpg\" alt=\"JOE-PERRY-_-2014-GIBSON-ON-KNEE-_0928\" width=\"350\" height=\"588\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-47259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/JOE-PERRY-_-2014-GIBSON-ON-KNEE-_0928.jpg 350w, https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/JOE-PERRY-_-2014-GIBSON-ON-KNEE-_0928-208x350.jpg 208w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/>HRH: Hello!<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Hello Steve?<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Hey, is this Joe?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Hey, how are you doing?!<\/p>\n<p>Joe: I\u2019m doing good. How are you?<\/p>\n<p>HRH: I\u2019m doing just great. Well hey, congratulations on a fantastic book.<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Thank you. Thank you very much. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: How did you even begin the process of writing this?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Well, um, back when I was 12 I got a guitar in the mail from Sears &#038; Roebuck and that\u2019s when it started. Seriously, the thought of writing a book I probably had at some point lik e\u2026 I don\u2019t know \u2026 maybe 10 years ago \u2026 whatever. But I just didn\u2019t feel like it was time, but this year \u2026 well actually it was 3 years ago that we moved out here to L.A. and we were working on the last Aerosmith record \u2026 and my wife and I were talking and she asked, \u201cWhat do you think about getting into a book now?\u201d And it felt right with the 40th anniversary of the band on the public level and privately all my kids had graduated from college. The youngest graduated from BU, so dynamically our family was going through changes and it felt like it was time. It felt okay putting some of this out there and letting it fly, you know? That was it and then we started the process.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Well the memoir is called <em>Rocks<\/em> and that\u2019s my favorite Aerosmith album. <\/p>\n<p>Joe: Thanks.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: What was it about that title that stuck out to you and how does it sum up the book?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: It\u2019s funny but it was like one of the first titles that \u2026 and I think that the second half, <em>My Life In and Out of Aerosmith<\/em>, it had a different phrase in there and we changed that and then we just left it like that. It was kind of weird because usually you spend weeks trying to name an album and it was really unusual to come up with a title that was so appropriate especially since I remember naming that record <em>Rocks<\/em> was something that I \u2026 I can remember for sure that that was one of mine and the five diamonds on the front and the whole thing. So it was the right one and it just kinda stayed with every time we\u2019d get a galley or a working version of the book it would have \u201cRocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith\u201d and it just fit. After getting over the fact that it came kind of easy, it just worked and I still think it does because it does tie in with that record that I think was \u2026 that era was one of our most creative periods. It works for me and the book. Anyway, it just seems to work.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: You\u2019re in an enviable position where you were able to have met many of your musical heroes like Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Just thinking back to the part in your book where you describe seeing The Yardbirds in the movie <em>Blow-Up<\/em> for the first time and how important that was to you, have you ever shared that memory with them?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Uh, yeah. Actually I know I\u2019ve mentioned it to Jimmy and probably to Jeff. You know, Jeff isn\u2019t as talkative as Jimmy. He\u2019s a different cat, you know, as you might imagine. Yeah I mentioned it to both of them and they said that they had to change the lyrics to the song because of the publishing or whatever \u2026 because it\u2019s basically \u201cTrain Kept A Rollin\u2019\u201d. But just the sound of those two guitars. I mean, you know, two really amazing inventive guitar players. That was \u2026 I didn\u2019t know it then, like I said in the book \u2026 but that was proto-Aerosmith, you know, without knowing it back then. It didn\u2019t take much, I mean, to get inspired and to make an impression. And that shows because that stuck with me for my whole life. You know, I still get goose bumps when I hear that song. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: Another huge influence of yours \u2026 and I\u2019ve always appreciated that you\u2019ve flown the flag for this incarnation of the band \u2026 is Peter Green\u2019s Fleetwood Mac.<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Right.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: I mean, you\u2019ve done versions of \u201cStop Messin\u2019 \u2018Round,\u201d \u201cRattlesnake Shake,\u201d and even \u201cSomebody\u2019s Gonna Get (Their Head Kicked in Tonight)\u201d off your last solo record. Have you ever met Peter Green?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: No I haven\u2019t. He\u2019s the one guy I have not met yet. I have not had the pleasure, you know. The few times he\u2019s been out and around I haven\u2019t. Whenever I\u2019m in England I ask what he\u2019s up to, what he\u2019s doing, \u201cIs he out?\u201d Most of the time he\u2019s not around, so I\u2019ve never really had the chance to meet him unfortunately.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: What was it about that band that really spoke to you? Obviously there\u2019s a lot of proto-Aerosmith there too.<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Well, they were very \u2026 they weren\u2019t looking for any commercial success even though they had, you know, they obviously knew the value of it. It was a time when, you know, Jimi Hendrix could have a #1 single in England, you know what I mean? England, their whole thing was so different than in America. England seemed to like really appreciate their rock stars. I mean like the average middle-aged person knew who T. Rex was or knew who Jimi Hendrix was or knew who Fleetwood Mac was. I mean, they had songs on the radio. One of the things, Peter wasn\u2019t like this ego-driven frontman, you know. He would stand back and let Danny Kirwan take a solo and then they would play together and it was always like give-and-take when they played the jams. I must\u2019ve seen them \u2026 I don\u2019t know \u2026 7 or 8 times live. Maybe even more and I never saw the same show twice. You know, sometimes they would be so on the money and sometimes they would play all their hits and sometimes they\u2019d pull all the off the wall songs. They took up residence in Boston for a month or so and they made one of the best live recordings from that era here in Boston. So I had a chance to see them play, you know, and see how that worked, you know what I mean? I think between that and The Yardbirds, it was like those two bands \u2026 were like where I wanted to go and add something to that because I wasn\u2019t hearing any of that stuff in any of the American bands at the time, so I felt that I had something to add to the link in the chain, you know? You kinda have to be careful when you say, \u201cOh yeah, I\u2019m a big Fleetwood Mac fan\u201d and then you automatically think of the incarnation that\u2019s out now \u2026 which is a great fucking band, I mean a brilliant band, especially live \u2026 but they\u2019re not the down and dirty blues band that they were back in 1968.<\/p>\n<p>To continuing to read the transcript of the interview click the link below:<br \/>\n<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/joeperry9781476714547_ROCKS.jpg\" alt=\"joeperry9781476714547_ROCKS\" width=\"350\" height=\"528\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-47261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/joeperry9781476714547_ROCKS.jpg 350w, https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/joeperry9781476714547_ROCKS-232x350.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/>HRH: A few years back Tom Petty reactivated his old band Mudcrutch. Any hopes for a Jam Band album?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: I doubt it. I don\u2019t think that we did anything that was like \u2026 I mean, we were still learning how to play at that point. I think that it\u2019s just a period of our lives when we were learning how to play, really. And it was \u2026 we had a great time. That part of it, we still carry with us when we play live. I mean \u201cRattlesnake Shake,\u201d again, that\u2019s the song that Steven heard us play and said, \u201cJoe has got what I\u2019m missing\u201d and that\u2019s what went through his mind. I mean he\u2019s told me that in so many words and when I heard his bands I knew that he had what I didn\u2019t have, you know? That song is kind of a \u2026 that and \u201cTrain Kept A Rollin\u2019\u201d\u2026 were the two songs where we met in the middle without having to talk. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: Do you recall the reaction from the rest of the band when you and Steven debuted \u201cMovin\u2019 Out\u201d to them?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Um, I think they were excited to have \u2026 to see a pattern of original songs. I mean, it started off that way and then the dam burst, you know, and we started writing. We were still doing cover songs, we were still doing songs that Steven had left over from his other bands. I mean he had 4 or 5 other bands by the point that I met him. He even said that he was thinking of quitting the business because he wasn\u2019t getting anywhere with those other bands. But he did have a pocket full of songs and it just needed us to get together and put in that rock and roll edginess that his bands never really had. But that was it, so I think the band was pretty happy to see that we were moving along, you know, moving from being kind of an esoteric cover band to developing our own sound.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Well aside from the fact that it\u2019s a great song, was \u201cLet the Music Do the Talking\u201d recorded by Aerosmith as kind of a sign of solidarity when you returned to the band?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: You know, I\u2019m not sure. I think it\u2019s just one of those riffs that Steven wished that he\u2019d had a shot at earlier on, you know, because probably a third \u2026 or half of those songs on that record I had when I left the band at least in some form or other. Even Jack (Douglas) said, you know if \u2026 anyway, that\u2019s another thing, but obviously he really liked it, but he didn\u2019t like the lyrics. He had to change the lyrics so that they would, I dunno\u2026he\u2019s got kind of a way of using lyrics as kind of a percussive kind of thing, so he wanted to change them. If that\u2019s what it took to get him to completely give into the song, I was fine with it, you know, at that point because I write lyrics from a different point of view. So the fact that the basic song turned out to be the first one on the new Aerosmith record\u2026that was a proud moment for me.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Absolutely. I saw that Steven has been saying in the press that early next year he\u2019s going to be working on solo material in Nashville. Do you have any interest in doing any new solo material or a Joe Perry Project album?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Well, I\u2019m always writing. I\u2019ve already got 5 or 6 songs done that I\u2019ve been working on. It\u2019s just a matter of time and then I\u2019ll get back in the studio. I mean, I love to write and I love to record. I\u2019m not sure what form it\u2019s gonna take or when it\u2019ll come out with the business being what it is, but all I know is I have to be in the studio a certain amount of time or else I start to feel like I\u2019m gonna explode. This book tour is kind of \u2026 it\u2019s finished me off. This last four years was tough and then doing the book tour\u2026I need a little time off, but I\u2019ll be in the studio. You can count on it, but I\u2019m not sure how long it\u2019s gonna take. The way the business is now I really don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t even know if doing an album is \u2026 especially for a band like ours, artists like us that have been around for so long \u2026 if that\u2019s the right way to go. Steven\u2019s been talking about doing it for a long time, so I\u2019m happy for him that he\u2019s gonna have a chance to do it and, you know, we\u2019ll see how it goes \u2026 but I\u2019ll definitely be in the studio.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: A favorite part of the book for me was when you talked about Aerosmith opening up for Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer when Johnny Winter also showed up and you got to see him play. What was it like working with him on his final album Step Back on the song \u201cMojo Hand\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: It was typical like a lot of music is done today. I mean, they sent me the files and I was working with Bruce Watkins who\u2019s a really good friend of mine out here. He\u2019s a great engineer and great bass player and good friend \u2026 anyway they sent the files out. Johnny had said, \u201cIt\u2019d be great if Joe would play on it\u201d and I was flattered because I hadn\u2019t really seen or talked to Johnny for I don\u2019t know \u2026 probably that time \u2026 I can\u2019t recall running into him, you know, in recent memory and the fact that he knew who I was and wanted me to play on his record \u2026 that was great because he\u2019s a big influence on my playing. I used to see him at the Tea Party back in like \u201967, \u201968, you know? Anyway, the best part was when he was out on tour a couple of months later I was able to spend a couple of hours in his dressing room with him and talked to him. He was just the nicest guy \u2026 still playing. He was clean. You know, he wasn\u2019t fucked up. He was \u2026 you know, it was just amazing to see him still doing it. Meeting him and talking to him and getting to hold that Firebird \u2026 that was the same Firebird that he played when I saw him play back in \u201967 and \u201968. He even had the same slide. He said, \u201cYep, that\u2019s the same slide. The same Firebird.\u201d And it sure looked like it, I\u2019ll tell ya, there was nothing like it. He was one of the nicest guys you\u2019d ever want to meet and a few months later he passed away. It was like one of those things\u2026I was just blessed, you know? <\/p>\n<p>HRH: In the book, you say that Clapton has a concept of there being a \u201cpure blues\u201d and that you didn\u2019t really agree with that and that you think the blues is more plastic than that. Can you elaborate on that a little bit?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Um, yeah. I\u2019m not really sure what \u201cpure blues\u201d is, you know? Is it like only playing those specific notes in that pentatonic scale? Is it wearing a certain kind of fedora? You know what I mean? It\u2019s like blues is a thing that\u2019s always changing and you can hear it in so many different forms of music. So I think that Eric was trying to find the answer to that, you know, playing in those early days. You know when they did Cream \u2026 that was a form of a blues and there are people that would say, \u201cWell, that\u2019s not pure blues.\u201d You know? \u201cThat doesn\u2019t come under the heading of pure blues.\u201d Well, I think it\u2019s blues. I think it\u2019s just a different take on it. You know what I mean? I think that some of his most brilliant playing under the heading of blues was some of the stuff they did in Cream, you know, because it all comes from that same source. It\u2019s like the same tree, you know, every apple doesn\u2019t have to taste exactly the same. So, I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s a matter of semantics almost or what people think. Like my friend who was so into calling it \u201cpure blues\u201d and walking around in baggy jeans and not wearing shoes and a funky t-shirt \u2026 and being a blues purist. I don\u2019t know what that really is \u2026 I haven\u2019t found out yet, but I don\u2019t spend too much time worrying about it.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: I think you\u2019ve done alright without worrying about it. (laughs)<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Last question for you Joe. What message do you hope people get out of reading <em>Rocks<\/em>, your book?<\/p>\n<p>Joe: I think that a lot of the experiences that I went through as a kid and into actually making a career out of something that way back then a lot of people said wouldn\u2019t last more than two years kind of thing\u2026 but I think a lot of the same dynamics that you run into with other people in such a close relationship, you don\u2019t have to be a rock n\u2019 roller to learn something about how to deal with other people and get along \u2026 and accept certain things \u2026 and get through life. I\u2019ve managed to raise four kids and have a beautiful wife \u2026 our marriage is going on thirty years. You know, it\u2019s like we have this suburban idyllic lifestyle, you know what I mean, when we\u2019re not on the road \u2026 but it\u2019s a rock n\u2019 roll lifestyle, you know? A lot of times we\u2019re like gypsies out there, but it just shows that it can be done. I hope that people can maybe pick the book up and learn from some of my mistakes and make life a little easier.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Well Joe, I really appreciate your time. It\u2019s been an honor talking to you. I\u2019ve been a fan my whole life, so thanks for taking the time.<\/p>\n<p>Joe: Great, well thanks a lot man. I really appreciate it.<\/p>\n<p>Fans can purchase ROCKS: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith here:<br \/>\nAmazon.com &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/WiG3qm\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/amzn.to\/WiG3qm<\/a><br \/>\nBarnes &#038; Noble &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/1twTeSY\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/1twTeSY<\/a><br \/>\nBAM &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/1Belzi2\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/1Belzi2<\/a><br \/>\nIndie Bound &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/Yfg4ln\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/Yfg4ln<\/a><br \/>\nAudible.com &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/1xgPRSx\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/1xgPRSx<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>For more information, visit: <a href=\"http:\/\/joeperry.com\" target=\"_blank\">joeperry.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">by Steve Patrick &#8211; Senior Columnist &#8212; Aerosmith\u2019s Joe Perry is the quintessential guitar hero. For millions across the globe, his riffs are the soundtrack of their lives. In the canon of classic rock songwriting, <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/audio-interview-with-joe-perry-of-aerosmith\/\" title=\"Joe Perry of Aerosmith\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":47257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10850],"tags":[9797,9214,203,6411,10364],"class_list":{"0":"post-47253","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcint2014","8":"tag-aerosmith","9":"tag-audio","10":"tag-interview","11":"tag-joe-perry","12":"tag-rocks-my-life-in-and-out-of-aerosmith"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}