Toxic Twins
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The Toxic Twins is a nickname given to lead singer Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry of American hard rock band Aerosmith. They were given that name in the 1970s, due to their rampant use of drugs & alcohol both on and off stage, which was a "toxic" combination that almost ended their lives and their careers.
To this day, they are still commonly referred to by this nickname, despite coming clean and maintaining sobriety for the past 20 years. The two have a chemistry both in the studio and onstage that is nearly unmatched in rock and roll. Despite Steven Tyler being a workaholic and more expressive and Joe Perry being more relaxed and more dedicated to his family life, their differences have proven to be vital to the success of the band. This can be reflected very well in the band's video The Making of Pump.
The two are longtime friends and in the early 1980s Steven Tyler came close to crying in a television interview when discussing the pain he felt since Joe Perry left the band. Both Tyler and Perry team up for the majority of Aerosmith's songwriting (they share songwriting credits on over 80 songs) and leadership responsibilities, and are the most recognized members of the band. Because of this, the three remaining members of Aerosmith, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer are known jokingly within the band as the "LI3" or "Less interesting three".
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[edit] Collaborations
Oftentimes, the Toxic Twins will appear for special performances, appearances, and collaborations, without the other members of Aerosmith. Notable times when this has happened, include:
- A 1986 collaboration with Run-DMC for a remake of the Aerosmith song "Walk This Way", which revolutionized rock and roll, pushed hip hop music into the mainstream, and jumpstarted Aerosmith's career again.
- The recording of the remake of the song and filming of the video for "Wild Thing" with other rock stars and comedian Sam Kinison in 1988.
- An appearance at a Bon Jovi concert in 1989 in Milton Keynes, where Steven and Joe joined Bon Jovi for a performance of "Walk This Way".
- An appearance at a Guns N' Roses concert in 1992 in Paris where Steven and Joe performed Mama Kin and Train Kept A-Rollin' with Guns N' Roses.
- A 1997 appearance in a television commercial for The Gap, in which the two perform a bluesy number, with Steven on harmonica and Joe on guitar.
- An appearance at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards in which Steven and Joe performed with Kid Rock and Run-DMC for a collaboration of "Walk This Way".
- A performance with the Boston Pops Orchestra of the band's hits "Dream On", "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and "Walk This Way" for the orchestra's annual Fourth of July celebration in Boston, MA.
Additionally, Steven and Joe are part of the "Boneyard Boys", a group which formed circa late 1990s to include Steven, Joe, and friends Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson, among others, who help spearhead the songwriting, production, and much of the creative process in Aerosmith.
[edit] Business
The two also co-owned a restaurant in Norwell, MA called Mount Blue, of which they have since sold their share.
[edit] Personal
- In the mid-1990s, between the albums Get a Grip and Nine Lives, Steven and Joe and their families vacationed together in Florida.
- The Toxic Twins were also notably featured in Ted Nugent's book God, Guns, and Rock 'n' Roll, in which Ted praises the duo for coming clean and talks about how they came to his ranch in the 1990s to shoot firearms and spend time with him and his family.
[edit] Similar Musical Duos
The name "Toxic Twins" may have been inspired by the one of the duo's main influences, the "Glimmer Twins", the nickname for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. Additionally, it may have inspired other musical nicknames, like the "Terror Twins" of Def Leppard.
[edit] References
- Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith by Stephen Douglas and Aerosmith
- The Making of Pump
- Aerosmith: Behind the Music
