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Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith
by
Aerosmith
,
Stephen Davis
Hang on, it's a hell of a ride!
From the band that lived by the motto "Anything worth doing was worth overdoing" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford, and Joey Kramer comes a quarter century of rock godhood: the life, the music, the truth, the hell, the lost years, and the raunchy, unsafe sex.
And, of course, the drugs.
But after crashing in a suffocati
...more
Paperback
,
528 pages
Published
February 18th 2003
by Dey Street Books
(first published January 1st 1997)
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Community Reviews
(showing
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3,000)
I really enjoyed this book. Aerosmith has quite a remarkable story.
I am re-reading this. It's extremely fascinating. But dating a 14 year old girl when you are 27 IS GROSS.
view all 3 comments
I tried, I really tried to like this book and to finish it but at the end of 4-5 months, give or take I had to accept that I did not like this at all. I'm a big fan of music bios because I love to read the debauchery but this did not cut it for me. Perhaps I don't know about Aerosmith but neither did I know about Motley Crue or Dave Mustaine and I found the latter more interesting. From the start I thought Aerosmiths history was long, granted I became very impressed by Steven Tyler but overall I
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Aerosmith, one of the greatest and most recognizable bands of all time reveal their journey as a band as well as personal struggles during their careers as rock stars. An autobiography of the band takes us into depth of unrevealed secrets that have been obscure for decades.
One of these secrets would most definitely not be drug abuse. Like many other hard rock bands of the classic rock era, Aerosmith had a reputation for drug and alcohol abuse. I find it incredible that the band is still around t ...more
One of these secrets would most definitely not be drug abuse. Like many other hard rock bands of the classic rock era, Aerosmith had a reputation for drug and alcohol abuse. I find it incredible that the band is still around t ...more
A fascinating, inspiring, and entertaining story for sure. I have way more respect for Aerosmith after reading this and I've gone back into their catalog and dug out their early albums.
My only complaint is that the editing isn't that great. The stories can be disjointed at times.
Obviously I have to compare this book to The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band . The Dirt is a book about degenerate rockstars who got lucky and did some crazy stuff. And the storytelling was amazi ...more
My only complaint is that the editing isn't that great. The stories can be disjointed at times.
Obviously I have to compare this book to The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band . The Dirt is a book about degenerate rockstars who got lucky and did some crazy stuff. And the storytelling was amazi ...more
This is one of those rock and roll books you will find yourself reading more than once, I can almost guarantee it. The story of Aerosmith, in their own words and the words of those who have known and loved them. Details their early musical endeavors pre-Aerosmith, the early formative years of the band while they struggled in Boston, their slow rise to national recognition and their eventual meteoric rise to the position as one of the biggest rock and roll bands on the planet. It's also the story
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I was expecting to enjoy this at lot more than a did. Coming off reading Motley Crue’s biography, I was, however, disappointed. Though I am sure the rock and roll tales of drugs and women were just as decadent, the stories just didn’t compare to that of Vince, Neil and Tommy. The snippets from band members in “Walk This Way” were exactly that, just snippets at a time and the resulting disjointedness was distracting. Not only band members but all range of people were given voice in this way, whic
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this book was really great, even thogh it has some really colorful language, i still liked it, ia gave it five stars, this book was about hoe the band Aerosmith was going throgh a rough time, especially the singer or frontman steven tyler were the whole band was suffering a major drug addiction in the early 70's, but manged to get steven to get clean, and after he did, so did the rest of the band and have been clean and sober to this day and that's what i liked about this whole book.
This book blew me away. It isn't just a biography... but an AUTObiography of the band. It is amazing that these guys lived through the 1970s. It looks long when you first see it... 500+ pages... but once you get started it is like you are sitting in a room with the guys listening to them shoot the shit about themselves, each other, and the industry.
Fantastic stuff.
Fantastic stuff.
The narrative bounces back and forth between all five band members, as well as their wives, girlfriends, and other people close to them. This gives it the flow and ease of a casual conversation. As with a lot of rock music biographies/ tales of excess, this one left me wondering, "How are they all still alive?"
This book is unique because each member of Aerosmith (plus others) contributes to the story. Their names appear with their narrative, and it's nice to get the different views on things.
The story starts off a little slow, with everyone talking about their roots and their early days as musicians. Interesting, yes, but not what we REALLY want to read.
Things start to get interesting when Aerosmith starts to come together. They worked very hard to get where they are today. The stories about their w ...more
The story starts off a little slow, with everyone talking about their roots and their early days as musicians. Interesting, yes, but not what we REALLY want to read.
Things start to get interesting when Aerosmith starts to come together. They worked very hard to get where they are today. The stories about their w ...more
Since Aerosmith is my favorite band of all time I loved this book. This book talks about the group got stared, how they struggled for a long time playing in bars and dives before they hit the big time. They are very muscial and they paly a number of different types of music on thier records. They fight and they make up. They have won many awards, including an Oscar nomination. They were one of the first bands to put on a concert for the victims of 911. They continue to tour to this day.
They were told how to walk, how to dress, how to style their hair, how to rock...and they defied the odds. This is the autobiography of Aerosmith told from the perspective of every member of the band in addition to producers and other important persons in the band's history. As in every rock biography, it covers your basics of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. However, Aerosmith isn't your typical band of misfits...they were a true gang of underdogs that fought their way to the top of the charts and
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Skidding across the surface of the history of Aerosmith, Stephen Davis' book rarely goes deep, rarely offers insight or many interesting notes. Davis mentions that Tyler wrote Sweet Emotion about Perry's first wife, no analysis is offered, no explanation of lyrics, surface. The writing is a hockey puck skittered across the ice that is the history of Aerosmith. Why did Joe Perry get into drugs so heavily, What did Steve Tyler's parents think of his drug use and success--look away to find answers.
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I liked it. When Steven Tyler's book came out a couple of months ago, I remember thinking I might like to read it - but after reading this, I'm positive that I don't want to read his book. This was 500 pages by and about the whole band, but a good 50% of it is Tyler, and there's only so much of his ego that I can stand. I really like Joe Perry, though. I've never been a HUGE Aerosmith fan - I'm pretty sure I've never owned a single album - but I've always liked them and enjoyed their stuff, and
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I love Aerosmith, so I enjoyed this. These guys loved drugs & p*ssy - not necessarily in that order.
Although someone should have taught these guys the "Bro's Before Ho's" motto to avoid so much drama.
Although someone should have taught these guys the "Bro's Before Ho's" motto to avoid so much drama.
Growing up in Los Angeles, and having briefly practiced entertainment law, I've spent a pretty fair amount of time around rock musicians. But every time I think I have a handle on how self-indulgent and twisted the rock & roll lifestyle can be, along comes a book like this (or an article in
Rolling Stone
, perhaps) that exposes a level of debauchery I couldn't imagine other people can imagine, let alone experience.
If your sensibilities are delicate, avoid this biography. But it's actually fai ...more
If your sensibilities are delicate, avoid this biography. But it's actually fai ...more
Davis' Hammer of the Gods is the best rock bio ever written; he followed it up with one of the best rock "oral histories" ever put to print.
Sep 21, 2007
Budds Purugganan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all those who wanna know why drugs and rock are LETHAL!
Ahhh...Aerosmith---sex,drugs,Liv or die, what more can I say? This book definitely is collector's STUFF! When Zeppelin had doses of excess and hedonism in 'Hammer of the Gods'--Aerosmith almost went to overkill levels---BUT EVERY MEMBER SURVIVED! ( John Bonham of Zep died at age 31). The story when drummer Joey Kramer visited J. Bonham's grave was a spectacular segment of this bestseller---drummer visits late drummer for a tribute. ( Robert Plant did see Aerosmith in one chapter....). Aerosmith
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My favorite band ever. Great details of each and every member from childhood to stardom and addiction in between. I highly recommend.
TOO LONG. Honestly, I am more disappointed in myself for not being blown away by this book as it seems some reviewers were more generous. Also, it being a book about Aerosmith, narrated by the members, I thought it would have been more engaging. Not sure if I blame this my short attention span, or the book. I just felt it was waaaaaaayyyyyyy too long. There was a lot of details regarding the politics between the managers, the band members, record labels that just was not interesting after awhile
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That in spite of the drivel they've released over the last 10 years, Aerosmith is the greatest motherfucking American Rock Band of all time. That's all you need to know! I SAID THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO MOTHERFUCKIN' KNOW!
I have no IDEA what I learned from this book, because I got a contact high from simply turning the pages and reading the text. THAT'S how much motherfucking drugs this band took while still producing the greatest 70s arena rock the world will ever see!
We are critical mass
I have no IDEA what I learned from this book, because I got a contact high from simply turning the pages and reading the text. THAT'S how much motherfucking drugs this band took while still producing the greatest 70s arena rock the world will ever see!
We are critical mass
Tell all book that will send shivers down your swine. The fact that these folks are still alive is the miracle. This is definitely a slice of life from the music scene during the 70s and 80s when everyone was on dope and cocaine including agents, managers, and producers. Most interesting sections are told by Steven Tyler who although flamboyant was a musical prodigy and really has a good "Don't do drugs" message unlike Joe Perry. Steven's daughter, Liv Tyler, who learned who her father was in he
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I think I need to take a break on the rock bios...they are all the same. Great highs, then they get high, wreck some cars, downward spiral, cheating, fights, arrests, divorce, band breaks up, no money, lots of kids with different mamas, then rehab 10 times and finally they are cured (or in the some cases die). Ah who am I kidding, I will read the next one that comes out. Dream On Aerosmith!
It's amazing that these fellas are still alive! This book is a fascinating ride through the majority of Aerosmith's career. It's actually been a catalyst for me to go and revisit some of their back catalog, and it's been huge.
It's a long book...not for the number of pages, but just in the pop-in pop-out style of interviews with band members and those associated with the group. Some sections of the book are a bit of a slog, but definitely worth the investment. Great stuff, and great insight into ...more
It's a long book...not for the number of pages, but just in the pop-in pop-out style of interviews with band members and those associated with the group. Some sections of the book are a bit of a slog, but definitely worth the investment. Great stuff, and great insight into ...more
Wow. It's amazing how some people are still alive. A whole lot of truth.
I started listening Aerosmith in 1976. It was music I enjoyed but mostly just songs. When I read the book layers and layers of background was added. I learned about the people and circumstances behind the albums that had been a soundtrack to my high school days.
It was sort of disturbing how off-center these guys got after they became rich and famous. The good part was that they were over to make great strides in overcoming the toxic lifestyles. Part of me would have preferred not to know about ...more
It was sort of disturbing how off-center these guys got after they became rich and famous. The good part was that they were over to make great strides in overcoming the toxic lifestyles. Part of me would have preferred not to know about ...more
A friend of mine here originally posted a comment about this book: how the hell are these guys still alive. That was the impetus for me reading this book in the first place. At about the halfway point of this entertaining book, I have two theories so far: they have an inexhaustible surplus of karma from a past life, or they just happen to be the statistical anomaly, the rock band that just happens to survive all the drugs, fights, and rotten management that their contemporaries also experienced.
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Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "the Bad Boys from Boston"and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band."
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