Joe Perry Shares Very Early Relationship Stories With Steven Tyler

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry shared his first encounter with then-future bandmate Steven Tyler.

In a recent interview, Perry recalled his six-decade relationship with the Aerosmith singer and how they were dubbed the ‘Toxic Twins.’ He explained:

“The first time I met him, I didn’t really meet him, so to speak.
“I was working in a hamburger joint in the lake area, and I did everything from cooking the french fries to sweeping the floor and taking out the trash.”

Perry mentioned that Tyler’s family had a place in Boston. He said:

“A bed and breakfast kind of thing, and every summer he’d come up from New York with one of his bands. I remember them rolling in and basically behaving like what they thought rock stars should do, which was throw food at each other. So they left and I had to clean up after them.”

He added:

“This is no bullshit, man, he’s probably my best friend through all of it. We just know we’re different people. Even through the ‘70s, we were the ones that would go off on a scuba diving trip together. In the ’80s and ’90s, [my wife] Billie and I bought a bus so we could go out and have our kids and bring a dog with us. I remember we went out to the desert in Las Vegas with Steven. They had this truck on the big, flat desert with a parachute thing, and we all took turns going up in this thing.”

In 2010, Tyler and the rest of Aerosmith went in different directions but eventually worked it out. Perry expressed his regrets during that time saying:

“There was a lot going on, so I filled it with writing, that’s why I’ve got seven or eight solo albums,” he explained. “I just wish some of those songs had been … I played most of that stuff to Steven.”

Meanwhile, Aerosmith is set to go back on the road for their Peace Out farewell tour.