By 1980, Aerosmith was unraveling. Their once-unshakable lineup was already fractured, with Joe Perry gone and a replacement filling his spot. Onstage, the cracks were undeniable—forgotten lyrics, slurred performances, and a frontman barely able to stand. The energy that once electrified their shows was fading fast.
Steven Tyler’s infamous staged collapse in Maine was more than just rockstar theatrics—it was a desperate act fueled by addiction. With alcohol clouding his mind and no cocaine to balance it out, he chose to fake a seizure rather than stumble through another sloppy performance. It was a moment that summed up just how deep the band had sunk.
Somehow, they managed to keep going, but just barely. The decade ahead would be a brutal mix of failure and redemption, marked by loss, struggle, and one of rock’s greatest comebacks. But before they could rise again, they had to fall—and it would be a long way down.
The Band Struggles of 1980
By early 1980, Aerosmith’s downfall is undeniable. One night, things reach a breaking point—Tyler collapses mid-performance and is carried offstage, a casualty of his own demons. His actions reflect the deepening dysfunction within the band, as addiction and poor decision-making threaten to derail everything they’ve built. The crowd is left with nothing but disappointment.
Across town, Joe Perry is attempting a fresh start. He’s out on the road with his new band, the Joe Perry Project, free from the toxic atmosphere that drove him to leave Aerosmith. But that freedom quickly becomes its own nightmare. His new lead singer, Ralph Morman, spirals into a destructive drinking habit, forcing Perry to take matters into his own hands. In one moment of frustration, he punches Morman after the singer shows up visibly drunk.
Despite the turmoil, Perry’s struggles with addiction mirror Morman’s. The Joe Perry Project’s debut album, Let the Music Do the Talking, earns praise, but the band’s efforts go unnoticed in the mainstream. Poor promotion and small gigs hinder their progress, leaving Perry with mounting financial troubles. His co-manager, David Krebs, points out a $180,000 debt and suggests a solo album to help pay the bills—little knowing that things for both Perry and Aerosmith are about to get worse before they can get better.
The Breakup and New Beginnings
The pressure eventually became too much for Brad Whitford, and he quit Aerosmith, leaving just three original members: Tyler, Hamilton, and Kramer. The band’s lineup had shrunk, but the internal turmoil was far from over.
Meanwhile, Perry’s marriage to fellow addict Elyssa was falling apart, and financial struggles were mounting. In 1981, he released I’ve Got The Rock’N’Rolls Again with his band, the Joe Perry Project, featuring new vocalist Charlie Farren. Whitford, on the other hand, teamed up with Ted Nugent’s singer, Derek St Holmes, to release Whitford-St Holmes, but the album didn’t sell.
Aerosmith decided to add Rick Dufay to fill Whitford’s spot, a decision recommended by producer Jack Douglas. Though Dufay’s background—boasting about escaping a psychiatric hospital after jumping out of a window—was alarming, the band took him on. Tyler, now sober, later reflected that Dufay was “out of his mind,” but back then, Tyler barely cared.
Tyler’s Descent and Struggles for Recovery
As Aerosmith’s tour came to an end, Tyler plunged deeper into addiction, spending time with his friend Richie Supa, scoring heroin. Despite being stoned and hallucinating, he somehow managed to write enough lyrics to finish Rock In A Hard Place. The album, released in August 1982, was decent but far from the band’s peak. It didn’t justify the extensive time spent on it, earning only a Gold certification and peaking at No.32 on the Billboard charts.
In 1983, Tyler realized he needed help. He tried detoxing at the Good Samaritan Hospital in New York, hoping to be a “guinea pig” for their heroin research, as he later admitted in his autobiography. The detox didn’t work, but it marked a turning point in his struggle for recovery.
At the same time, Aerosmith’s manager, David Krebs, brought in psychiatrists to assess Tyler’s state. His personal life was equally chaotic. His relationship with his wife, Cyrinda, had become physically violent, and in one outburst, Tyler smashed her car’s windshield during a heated argument. The conflict escalated quickly into a violent, uncontrollable fight.
Perry’s Struggles and Turning Point
Perry’s home life was just as troubled as Tyler’s. Elyssa continued to spend money recklessly, living as if Perry were still a member of the 70s Aerosmith. He recalled, “I was on the verge of losing my house. I was fucked up from drinking.” He felt trapped in a never-ending downward spiral, convinced he had hit rock bottom. But every day, it seemed, the bottom dropped even further.
However, as often happens, rock bottom can provide a foundation for change. Perry’s situation seemed hopeless, but it was the beginning of what he later described as his “second career.” It would take time, but his redemption was just around the corner.
Desperate to earn money, Perry took any gig he could find, sometimes opening for bands like Heart and the J Geils Band. He traveled in a van, staying in cheap motels to keep expenses down. At home, he made the tough decision to leave Elyssa after six-and-a-half years together. This came with a high emotional cost, as he fought for custody of their infant son, Adrian.
Perry’s Fresh Start and Financial Rebuilding
Despite enjoying his time with The Project, Perry’s financial troubles persisted. However, things began to turn around when he connected with a new manager, Tim Collins. Collins quickly became a stabilizing force in Perry’s chaotic life. The bond was formed when Perry tested Collins by handing over a pile of unopened bills, IRS claims, foreclosure notices, and even death threats. A week later, Collins returned, offering to pay off a significant portion of the debts with no strings attached.
Collins explained his actions simply: “I believe in your talent. I believe your best years are ahead of you.” This gesture was enough to earn Perry’s trust, and soon Collins was making moves to help him recover. One of his first successes was negotiating Perry out of his contract with Columbia and securing a new one with MCA.
Perry then disbanded the original Joe Perry Project and formed a new group with singer Cowboy Mach Bell. They recorded the album Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker in 1983, but it didn’t reach the heights of their earlier work. While they managed to open for ZZ Top on their Eliminator tour, Perry admits that their own headlining gigs were becoming smaller and smaller.
A New Beginning for Perry, but Trouble for Aerosmith
Perry successfully convinced Whitford to join the Project for a brief stint, with Whitford staying for about a month. Kramer also played a few dates on drums. However, the most significant moment came when Perry found his soulmate while preparing for the Project’s last shot at a hit, “Black Velvet Pants.” Collins had sent over books from talent agencies, and one picture caught Perry’s eye—a headshot of Billie Montgomery, a beautiful blonde with a look that immediately captivated him.
Perry was so taken with her that he had to meet her. When they did meet, it was love at first sight, and their relationship would last long after the video shoot was over. It was a rare bright spot for Perry amidst the chaos, but things weren’t going well for Aerosmith.
Meanwhile, Aerosmith was struggling. They were playing bigger venues than Perry’s band, but Tyler admitted that the Rock In A Hard Place tour was a disaster. Reflecting on his descent, Tyler confessed, “By 1983 I had no money and no future except getting further into the pit.” In the end, he blew $20 million, far surpassing the million-dollar losses he once thought were impossible.
The Reunion That Almost Wasn’t
Tyler eventually admitted that he missed his old bandmate. “During the years that Joe and I were broken up, I realized I wasn’t half the musician I thought I was without him,” he confessed. Despite their separation, the two stayed in contact, often exchanging lies about how things were going.
Perry recalled their conversations: “I’d occasionally call Steven, or he’d call me… ‘How’re things going?’ Great, I’d lie. How about you? ‘Great!’ he’d lie…” The mutual deceit continued when Tyler attended a Joe Perry Project show in New York and Perry later visited an Aerosmith concert. They even shared a few lines of heroin backstage—just like old times.
The heroin took a toll on Tyler. He collapsed on stage in front of 14,000 people. Although it was his wife Cyrinda who supplied the drug, Perry took the blame. Bassist Tom Hamilton confronted him, saying, “It’s just like the old days, Joe. You’re no good for this band. Look what you did! Why don’t you just stay the fuck away from us?” Despite the tension, the idea of a reunion still lingered.
The Turning Point for Aerosmith
In early 1984, Tyler and Perry met with their manager, Tim Collins. Despite initial tension, Tyler—living in a hotel on just $20 a day—agreed that the original Aerosmith lineup should meet at Tom Hamilton’s house. The location was the only option available, but it marked the beginning of a pivotal decision for the band.
Perry shared that Hamilton had always been more financially conservative, noting that he hadn’t gone through a divorce like some of the others. “He’s the one who’s been married the longest among us,” Perry said, acknowledging the impact of personal turmoil on their finances. The toll of divorce, especially when making large sums of money, can be devastating, as Perry experienced firsthand.
It became clear that Joe Perry would only rejoin the band if they severed ties with their current management, Leber-Krebs, and teamed up with Tim Collins. The band members agreed on a way forward, deciding to make David Krebs the scapegoat for all their past problems. The stage was set for a dramatic shift in their career.
Perry Reflects on Aerosmith’s Financial Woes
Perry explained that the excessive partying during their peak years blinded them to their financial situation. He admitted, “We didn’t notice the kind of money we were spending or take care of the decisions we were making.” Despite their lavish lifestyle, which included nice cars and one house each, they never had an extravagant collection of properties or cars.
Looking back, Perry felt they had been taken advantage of, noting the huge amount of money they had made from sold-out arenas, yet their band’s finances seemed empty. While he couldn’t prove anything illegal was done, he did feel something immoral occurred. “Was it immoral? Yeah!” he stated, reflecting on the lack of financial oversight.
Perry also acknowledged his own naivety, admitting that he should have been more diligent in managing their finances. There was plenty of money on the table, but others took advantage of the situation. Despite repeatedly asking for financial reports, it was difficult to get the rest of the band on the same page.
A Turning Point
While Aerosmith’s reunion idea hung in limbo, Alice Cooper’s manager, Shep Gordon, played a pivotal role in the band’s future. He reached out to Joe Perry’s manager, Tim Collins, about a guitar gig for Perry. Seeing no future with the Joe Perry Project, Perry eagerly met Cooper and jammed with him. The next day, he called Tyler to gloat, which, though Tyler pretended indifference, secretly enraged him.
Tyler later confronted Perry, calling him out for considering the gig with Cooper. He questioned Perry’s decision, urging him to return to Aerosmith. Perry, sensing Tyler’s genuine plea, couldn’t resist and agreed to come back.
Rehearsals were initially tense, but the band eventually found their groove. They revisited old hits and uncovered forgotten songs. Despite ongoing drug use, the Back In The Saddle Tour launched with mixed results—some nights were great, others disastrous. Still, fans were thrilled, and ticket sales soared. Meanwhile, Collins began courting record labels, with Geffen showing strong interest, led by A&R rep John Kalodner.
Geffen and the Band’s New Beginning
At first, the band was wary of John Kalodner, seeing him as just another record executive—though his white suit and long hair gave him a guru-like appearance. They were financially strained and emotionally vulnerable, making it hard for them to trust outsiders. But Kalodner kept showing up, determined to see if Aerosmith still had a place in the 80s music scene.
The breakthrough came during a show at LA’s Greek Theatre. While Kalodner was chatting with Brad Whitford’s wife, Karen, she showed him the gun she carried. In return, Kalodner proudly revealed his .357 Magnum, which he carried in an ankle holster. His display of confidence worked, and the band quickly warmed up to him once they learned about his “dynamite” attitude.
A deal with Geffen followed, and the next step was finding a producer. Tim Collins pushed for Ted Templeman, known for his success with Van Halen. The band, however, admired him more for his work on Montrose’s debut. In Somerville, Massachusetts, the band recorded “17 new songs in just four weeks.” However, only eight made the cut for their album Done With Mirrors, a title referencing both magic and their cocaine use. Most of the tracks came from the first-day recordings, with minimal rework.
An Unexpected Breakthrough
Two weeks before Done With Mirrors was set to be mastered, Tyler was struggling to write lyrics in his hotel room, signaling trouble. Perry admitted, “We were still doing everything like we had before…dabbling. We thought we could continue the same way.” But, despite the effort, Done With Mirrors came across as incomplete, lacking the finishing touches that would have showcased the band’s personality.
Kalodner, deeply disappointed, recognized the problem: “When I realized the only good song was Let The Music Do The Talking, I knew we were in trouble.” Fans of the band enjoyed the album, but it failed to generate hits beyond the rock charts. A new direction was needed.
The breakthrough came with an unexpected call from Rick Rubin of Def Jam. He suggested a collaboration with hip-hop group Run-DMC, leading to a revamped version of their 1975 hit Walk This Way. The track was recorded in a day and the iconic video was shot shortly after. Though further work with Rubin didn’t materialize, the crossover hit reached No.4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and introduced Aerosmith to a new generation, both in the U.S. and Europe.
Struggling With Addiction and Management Challenges
During the Done With Mirrors tour, old management tried to sue the band, and their former label released compilation albums, including Classics Live!, featuring the Crespo/Dufay lineup. Despite the turmoil, the tour ran out of steam, and the album failed to make a significant impact. The band’s struggles continued to escalate.
Tyler’s battles with addiction persisted, despite his attempts at rehab, encouraged by his bandmates who believed they could keep functioning as long as he stayed sober. But Tyler resisted, rebelling and falling back into old habits. His personal struggles were mirrored by the band’s own turbulence.
In the fall of 1986, Tim Collins took matters into his own hands and hired a therapist to intervene with Tyler. Initially, Tyler objected, feeling singled out as the “designated patient” while aware that the rest of the band shared some responsibility. Eventually, Tyler entered rehab again, this time emerging determined to get his bandmates to do the same. This time, it led to success.
Another New Beginning
Starting in October 1986, with Joe Perry going into rehab after the birth of his son, the rest of Aerosmith followed suit. For some, the recovery lasted only a couple of years, but they never returned to their old destructive ways. For Tyler, it lasted a remarkable 12 years, helping the band thrive through the late ’80s with a healthier lifestyle.
Perry reflected on the band’s shift after Done With Mirrors, realizing they had to leave old habits behind. The band stopped partying excessively, which allowed creativity to flow again. They proved they could still sell out shows, even without new music, relying on their legendary status and the return of the original lineup.
The turning point came in 1987 with Permanent Vacation. Tyler called it the band’s best album in a decade, marking their first sober recording. It also saw the band collaborate with outside writers, bringing fresh ideas and solidifying their comeback.
A New Approach to Aerosmith’s Sound
After Done With Mirrors failed to make an impact, A&R man Kalodner took charge of the band’s next album, insisting they bring in fresh talent. He convinced Aerosmith they needed to write hits while still staying true to their hard-rock roots. Kalodner initially reached out to Jim Steinman, but when Steinman declined, the search continued. Plans to bring back Ted Templeman also fell through when Kalodner pushed for more control in the studio.
Kalodner’s solution was to send the band to Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, where producer Bruce Fairbairn had worked on Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet. Fairbairn’s team included Jim Vallance, known for co-writing every track on Bryan Adams’ Reckless.
Perry reflected on the experience in Vancouver, where the city’s creativity and Fairbairn’s tight-knit group of musicians created a positive atmosphere. He described Vallance as one of the nicest people to work with, making the collaboration both fun and productive.
The Key to Aerosmith’s Creative Evolution
Jim Vallance was a talented musician, skilled in both keyboards and guitar, and even dabbled with drums. He was also ahead of his time, using computers to create drum patterns, which eventually became a point of friction between him and the band. For Perry, drums were the heartbeat of the band, and he drew inspiration from Steven Tyler’s unique drumming style. Tyler’s ability to add depth and creativity to the beat was something Perry truly admired.
For Tyler, the standout figure in their team was Desmond Child. A Cuban-born songwriter, Child had already made a name for himself, penning hits for Kiss, Cher, and Bon Jovi, among others. His success included co-writing “Livin’ On a Prayer” and “You Give Love a Bad Name,” both of which became massive hits for Bon Jovi.
Child’s musical background and success in crafting chart-topping songs brought a fresh influence to Aerosmith. He quickly became an integral part of the band’s creative process, contributing to their evolving sound and helping them break into new territories with their music.
Tension and Creativity with Desmond Child
Tyler had written with various collaborators, but his relationship with Desmond Child was different. The two immediately clicked, although not always in a harmonious way. Tyler recalls Child walking in with a moustache and a dapper appearance, setting the stage for their complex partnership.
Despite their differences, Tyler enjoyed writing with Child. The arguments they had were intense but productive, even if it took Tyler a while to express his objections clearly. As he admits, there were moments when Child would throw out ideas that Tyler wasn’t sure about, but he slowly learned how to voice his disagreements.
One of their early collaborations was “Dude (Looks Like a Lady).” Tyler had most of the lyrics but struggled with the first verse. Child contributed the line, “Pull into a bar by the shore,” which Tyler loved. However, when Child suggested the line “I threw my money down on the stage,” their creative tension flared up.
A Major Turning Point in Aerosmith’s Creative Journey
Tyler initially didn’t like Child’s suggestion for a lyric in “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” calling it “fey.” Instead of pushing back too hard, he tactfully fixed it himself, changing it to, “Baby maybe you’re wrong / But you know it’s all right.” The rest of the song’s success, as they say, is rock history.
“Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” was released as the first single from Permanent Vacation in October 1987. It hit No. 14 on the Billboard chart and gained further fame with its MTV video. The title, inspired by Mötley Crüe’s overuse of the word “dude,” and its later appearances in Mrs. Doubtfire and Wayne’s World 2, cemented its place in rock culture.
However, the real success came with “Angel,” a power ballad co-written by Tyler and Child. Perry saw the song as a turning point in his relationship with Tyler. While they had always written together, Perry felt “Angel” marked a shift, signaling a change in their musical dynamic. Their tight partnership would never quite be the same again.
A New Chapter
Perry was shocked when Tyler went ahead and wrote the song “Angel” without involving him. They had always operated as a team, and Perry felt blindsided when Tyler didn’t reach out to work on the song together. For Perry, it felt like a betrayal of their close songwriting partnership.
While Perry didn’t have an issue with the song itself, he understood that Aerosmith’s softer ballads, like “Dream On” and “Seasons of Wither,” were part of their identity. Even he had explored this side with his solo project. Aerosmith’s hard rock reputation had always been balanced with their AOR moments, so “Angel” wasn’t out of character for them.
The release of Permanent Vacation in August 1987 marked the beginning of Aerosmith’s resurgence. By October, their American tour had them reclaiming their past glory. The album was certified double platinum, and “Angel” reached No. 3, surpassing even the success of “Dream On,” cementing the band’s place at the top once again.
Aerosmith Reaches New Heights
In February 1989, after a short break, Aerosmith reunited with producer Bruce Fairbairn to create Pump. Released just before the decade ended, the album skyrocketed the band to their greatest success yet, marking a sharp contrast to their lowest point just a few years earlier.
Perry describes Pump as feeling like the band’s heyday in the ’70s, comparing it to Rocks. Both albums marked high points in their careers. Pump surpassed Permanent Vacation with six singles, hitting No. 5 on the Billboard chart and No. 3 in the UK. Their success was amplified by a 12-month global tour, making Aerosmith a worldwide phenomenon.
Tyler emphasizes that successful tours rely on hit singles to propel them, comparing the ride to catching a massive wave. Against all odds, Aerosmith not only stayed sober but thrived. Perry reflects on how they beat the odds, achieving more success than ever, a testament to their unexpected resurgence.