Its cool when I meet young guys from other bands who say how much an impact Aerosmith has had on them and how much they like me.I'll give 'em that 'C'mon you don't mean that' routine, but in my heart I know where they're coming from. If I had grown up in the '70's and was into rock n' roll, I know the kind of impact Aerosmith would have had on me. I know the kind of impact that Elvis and Jagger had on me, and while I'm not comparing myself to those guys, I can relate.
Steven TylerI like the idea all memory is fiction, that we have queued a couple of things in the back of our minds and when we call forth those memories, we are essentially filling in the blanks. We're basically telling ourselves a story, but that story changes based on how old we are, and what mood we're in, and if we've seen photographs recently. We trust other people to tell us the story of our lives before we can remember it, and usually that's our parents and usually it works, but obviously not always. And everybody's interpretation is going to be different.
Steven TylerIf you take all that I've learned from Joe and all that Joe has learned from me, and you throw all that into a song, not only are you using the gifts that God gave you, but also all the experiences you've had.
Steven TylerI've seen whales calving in the waters off Maui, and I've watched my children being born. But music is the most beautiful thing of all.
Steven TylerThe main thing you worry about is just coming up with songs at all. I don't sit down and write stuff like certain writers do. They think about what they are going to write first and then they write it. I just get what comes in at me. It's like I'm a musician and if I can keep my mitt on, I can catch the balls that come at me.
Steven TylerI said the same things to Axl [Rose] that everyone said to me when me and Joe Perry were fighting.
Steven TylerThe secret to enlightenment is to lighten up. Whether you are talking rock or women, all there.
Steven TylerThe things that come to those that wait may be the things left by those that got there first.
Steven TylerI hate it when people say that they don't like 'MMMBop.' Everyone likes 'MMMBop.' Whether they like it or not, the song rocks.
Steven TylerWhy not share with the world the way it is and tell them my feelings about my cat, and how I played with my kids, and how addicted to Christmas time I am, and the smell of pine needles and hearing my kids laugh.
Steven TylerBack then it was nothing like today. So you'd go to the bowling alley. We bowled and you could be in the back and you could make out, you know? And you know how hot it was to make out.
Steven TylerI realized when I was taking care of my problems that the band is all I really care about.
Steven TylerI mean, as long as it doesn't have a bra attached, guys can take a risk and wear stylish things that went out of style 30 years ago. As things go around, they come around.
Steven TylerYou should have felt the buzz the moment all five of us got together in the same room for the first time again. We all started laughin'—it was like the five years had never passed. We knew we'd made the right move.
Steven TylerWhen people think of Aerosmith, I want them to think of the music we've made and nothing else. I don't want the responsibility of some young kid trying to live his life like I did back in the '70's.
Steven TylerI heard that your brain stops growing when you start doing drugs. Let's see, I guess that makes me 19.
Steven TylerWhen you start a rock n' roll band, you've gotta fake it till you make it. You begin by doin' what you love- and what you love is usually what some other people have already done. It just depends on how much of a fool you make of yourself along the way to finding your own sound, assuming you find it.
Steven TylerA lot of bands have managed to borrow parts of our style for their music. That's fine with me, because we've borrowed from people like the Stones. But we don't want to sound like we're copying anyone, including ourselves, so we're moving on.
Steven TylerThrough song you learn, and I think school systems need to learn that. Through the rhythm you can learn better, through melody, with something you need to learn, it's a vehicle for it.
Steven TylerWe may need to change the way we think. As in Israel, I think there should be a mandatory draft, where you go away for the service of your country for three years.
Steven TylerWhat makes me feel good is that after all these years, the ideas that Joe Perry came up with worked and all the kids loved it.
Steven Tyler