When It All Went to Hell: Inside Aerosmith’s Brutal Early ’80s Collapse
By January 1980, Aerosmith were already a shadow of the powerhouse that had dominated American rock music just a few years earlier. Following the multi-platinum success of Toys in the Attic and Rocks, the band’s first era had peaked, and a devastating downward spiral of addiction and ego was taking hold.
The Maine Collapse and Joe Perry’s Exit
During a sold-out show at the Civic Centre in Maine, frontman Steven Tyler grew frustrated by a lack of cocaine to counter the heavy drinking that preceded the gig. Having consumed two double martinis shortly before taking the stage, Tyler gave up and faked a seizure, throwing himself to the floor and twitching his leg to mimic authenticity. It was a desperate bid to avoid the indignity of performing plain old-fashioned drunk.
With guitarist Joe Perry already out of the band—having left midway through recording A Night in the Ruts—Aerosmith relied on replacement Jimmy Crespo. Shows often featured a visibly unsteady Tyler forgetting lyrics or sitting out entire songs on the drum riser. Following the fake seizure in Maine, the band canceled a week of dates before limping to the end of the tour.
Poverty, Debt, and Band Departures
Things were hardly better for Joe Perry, who was touring with the Joe Perry Project while battling his own heroin and alcohol addictions. His debut solo album, Let The Music Do The Talking, suffered from poor promotion by Columbia and missed the charts. Facing a massive $180,000 room service debt ordered by co-manager David Krebs, Perry pushed forward.
Back in the Aerosmith camp, progress on new material ground to a halt after Tyler suffered a severe motorcycle crash. Soon, financial ruin caught up with the remaining members. Bassist Tom Hamilton and his wife sold their house for a condo, drummer Joey Kramer lost everything, and guitarist Brad Whitford eventually sold his guitars and house before quitting the band.
While Perry released the second Project album, I’ve Got The Rock’N’Rolls Again, in 1981, and Whitford teamed up with Ted Nugent’s singer Derek St Holmes, Aerosmith recruited guitarist Rick Dufay. Though later remembered by a now-sober Tyler as entirely out of his mind, the band pressed on into an uncertain decade.
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