by Joe Perry
Thanks to everyone at Simon & Schuster: Jonathan Karp, Cary Goldstein, Erin Reback, Richard Rhorer, Anne Tate Pearce, Dana Trocker, Ed Winstead, and the rest of the team there were great to work with, and they pretty much gave me the run of the joint. And a very special thanks to my editor, Jofie Ferrari-Adler, whose advice, experience, and guidance proved to be invaluable in helping me through the final process of delivering my book which was, up until now, foreign to me.
I’ve got to thank all the friends who helped me on the journey this book is about, especially my four comrades, bonded together through thick and thin, spanning a forty-year-plus journey none of us counted on, by the power of the music on this undefinable but inevitable leap of faith: Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford, and Steven Tyler. And, on the other side of the footlights, the fans, our Blue Army, who were incredible when it came to supporting the band. I count myself one of you, and have all these years.
Thank you to Howard Kaufman and Trudy Green for doing such a great job managing Aerosmith all these years, and for helping me with my side projects. I only wish I had met the two of you years earlier. Thanks so much.
Thanks to John Bionelli, my true friend who has helped watch out for me and my family’s well-being all these years. Also for all of the work in assembling the appendix in Rocks. I can’t say enough to thank you, my man.
And much thanks to Johnny Depp. We became friends three years ago, but it’s not the length of time you know a person, it’s the experiences you share in that time. It started over our mutual love of the blues and guitars, and when you heard I was looking for a place to focus on this project in L.A., you generously gave us the use of a space, an incredibly calm and neutral space, where Billie and I could focus with Mr. Ritz. And thanks to Bruce Witkin, your longtime buddy and now my close friend as well, for the support, and for engineering my reading of the audiobook in your studio. Both you guys gave a lot of support, sometimes in ways you’ll never know.
But the people who I want to thank the most for their love, support, and understanding are our sons Aaron, Adrian, Tony, and Roman. Alongside your mom, bringing you guys up was an experience second to none. I love all of you. You make it all worth it. This book is the background, as close as I can get it, to the adventure of that experience.
And to Anne, my loving sister from the earliest days playing on Lake Sunapee to being by our mother’s side when she passed last autumn and I couldn’t be there. You have done more to help me indirectly on this journey than you will ever know. Thanks for being my “first” fan, Annie! I love you.
When I decided to write this book, I had no idea what it would take out of me. Yeah, it was cathartic, and I learned a lot more about myself, human nature, and life in general, but mostly I got a chance to get down on paper, as close as I could, what turned out to be an adventure I absolutely had no idea was in store for me.
Billie, again, thanks so much. David, it was incredible working with you. All best from the depths of my heart and soul to you all.
JOE PERRY is the cofounder of Aerosmith. He is the band’s lead guitarist and, along with Steven Tyler, its main songwriter. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
DAVID RITZ is the only four-time winner of the Gleason Music Book Award. He has collaborated with Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, B. B. King, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Smokey Robinson, and Don Rickles. He also cowrote, with Gaye, the song “Sexual Healing.”
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APPENDIX
GUITAR TECH INSIDE INFO
by John Bionelli
Back in 1975, when Aerosmith went out on their first big tours, arena rock was in its infancy. Sure, there were British groups like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Led Zeppelin all doing it, but for American bands coming out of the clubs and playing these massive venues it was still pretty new. To accomplish this mighty task, you had to assemble a crew of loyal soldiers who took pride in what they were doing and could endure the daily rigors of an entire tour, sharing a beat-up van with nine other fellow road soldiers, traveling from city to city, night after night. These crew guys had names like Rabbit, Nitebob, Henry the Horse, and Mad Dog. Since this is Joe’s book, I thought it would be cool to visit with the guys who helped make Joe’s sound a reality. After talking to his guitar techs I discovered a common thread, which was how loyal they were to Joe and how loyal Joe was and is to them.
I spoke to Rabbit first. Rabbit (real name: Dick Hansen) got his nickname from another crew member who found out Dick was a vegetarian. He came aboard in 1975 and started out working for Aerosmith’s sound company. He took care of the band’s monitors at first and then switched over to being Joe’s guitar tech, a position he would hold for two years, traveling the globe with the band. Rabbit’s job was pretty straightforward back then. He had to uncase Joe’s thirteen guitars and set up his back line (amps and speakers). While this sounds like a fairly simple job, wiring the rig to Joe’s exact specifications could take hours. Guitar techs weren’t required to know how to play guitar as 99 percent of them do today; they just had to make sure the guitarist’s rig was set up the exact way he wanted it every night. Joe was constantly changing his rig (he still does this), sometimes on a nightly basis, so you had to be ahead of the curve or you weren’t going to survive. To accomplish this, the crew was constantly trying to simplify the setup of the rig while staying true to Joe’s vision for his sound. Joe was always experimenting with sounds. To keep things from getting chaotic onstage, Rabbit, Henry, and crew chief Nick Spiegel made this change to the band’s back line. I’ll let Rabbit explain it:
Rabbit and me at a soundcheck.
Rabbit
Joe’s amp stack was four custom-built 4 × 12” cabinets mounted in two aluminum welded frames. The frames allowed the speakers to be tilted up and down. Between the speaker cabinets were custom-modified Music Man HD-130 amps. The front had black anodized plates with the Aerosmith logo engraved in silver. In addition, the front panel also had red LED level meters in a horizontal line. The amp had direct outs added to the back so we could feed the PA system and slave the amps. Next to the amp racks toward stage left was what we called the “toy rack,” which was an aluminum frame that held a Crown DC-300A with a custom Aerosmith logo. Half of the Crown was used for a wedge, through which Joe could listen to himself, which we would place in different positions. The other half of the Crown was used as a wedge through which Joe could listen to Brad; this way Joe did not have to rely on the monitor mixer. On the floor set into the toy rack was a Music Man 212-HD 2 × 12” amp. It was used to power the “voice bag,” which was an Electro-Voice driver with a plastic tube attached to it. Designed by Walter Lenk with input from Nick Spiegel, at the top of the rack sat the “toy box,” which contained all of Joe’s effects pedals. It also had a custom Aerosmith black anodized front plate. The toy box had a custom triple preset MXR digital delay and also contained a Colorsound overdrive, MXR graphic EQ, MXR phaser, and an MXR flanger. There were on/off switches with LED indicators on the front panel. Out of the toy box to the front of the stage was a multi-pin cable connected to the custom V-shaped mic stand. On the mic stand were eight on/off foot switches with small lightbulb indicators. On the same stand, we mounted a small black anodized box with the Aerosmith logo that had LED indicators. Also out on the mic stand was another multi-pin extension, which led to a straight-bar foot pedal; this was placed in the exact area where Joe took his solos. This also had a small lightbulb indicator. There were three places onstage from which the pedal effects could be controlled. I also had a foot switch to kill the feed to the amps so we could repatch the guitars without making noise during the guitar changes. I worked for Joe until spring of 19
78, and he was always using a guitar cable. At one point, we checked out the Schaffer-Vega wireless system but decided not to use it. In the tuning room we used a Music Man 212-HD. We modified it by taking one of the speakers out so we could put tuners in the cabinet. We started with the Conn strobe tuner, and then used a Telesis LED tuner and finally, a Yamaha tuner. The wood cover where the foot pedal for the tuner was stored had a small mirror glued to the inside.
This is the finished amp line in the late ’70s.
Homemade air bag that I’ve had since 1974.
Using my pedal board to activate the “air bag” during “Sweet Emotion” in the late ’70s.
At a soundcheck in the mid-’70s.
Back in those days, the band would tune all their own guitars before the show; most of the time the guitars would be out of tune by the time they were used. Joe’s collection of guitars grew steadily to twenty-six. One night close to Christmas, Joe asked Rabbit what he wanted for a holiday gift and he replied, “Someone to tune guitars.” Enter Neil Thompson.
Neil Thompson and me around 1978 or ’79.
Neil Thompson worked in a guitar shop (owned by legendary guitar player Danny Gatton) in Maryland. One night in 1976 he got a call asking if he could come down to an Aerosmith show in Landover, Maryland, to fix some guitars. He came down and helped out. Neil maintained a relationship with Rabbit, and then came George Shack, who by 1978 had taken over for his vegan friend.
Neil was asked to come out on the road for the Live Bootleg tour. He stayed for five years, setting up a tuning room in every venue the band played. His job included tuning, restringing, and polishing every instrument the guys had. By then, Aerosmith was traveling with almost thirty guitars. Neil’s days were spent making sure the band members’ guitars were in perfect running condition. According to Neil, his tuning room became a safe haven for Elyssa, Joe’s wife, who had trouble finding a comfortable place to hang when the guys were sound checking.
The B.C. Rich Bitch 10 String. One of the first off the line.
Joe had two guitars for every song and then a few more. It was during this time that he started playing his B.C. Rich Mockingbird and then later, the B.C. Rich Bitch. Neil would take the set list and start tuning guitars according to the order in which Joe used them. He would also tune the backup guitars and send them out to the stage, via a runner, to George. In the seventies, the band didn’t have the guitar coffins they now use. Every guitar had its own case and had to be accounted for, uncased and cased. Neil would spend all day in this room with a practice amp. If the door didn’t have a lock, he would have his meals brought in so nobody would fuck with the guitars. After the show, all the guitars would be cased up, put in the truck, and moved on to the next city. This was a real burn, as the crew, along with the band, had begun to break down.
Neil was also an accomplished musician and can be heard on the song “Mia” from the album Night in the Ruts. By 1983, Joe was gone, and Neil didn’t like the direction the band was going in, which was downward. After a canceled tour, he packed it in and moved on. Neil was an innovator and kept the Aerosmith guitar machine running through all the mayhem and chaos.
Three-pickup Black Beauty Les Paul; judging by the outfit, this was taken at Boston Garden.
A Note from Joe
After years of touring with Aerosmith and then a few years on the road with the Project, my custom backline of amplifiers was starting to fall apart. Right around this time, Peavey Amplifiers, who had a huge following in the country end of the business, was trying to make a mark with the rock and rollers and they offered to supply me a free backline of new amps. I was very thankful for their generosity and used them every night. But not being able to afford road cases, they quickly suffered from the rigors of the road and I used them until they literally fell apart. I’d like to give a big thankful shout-out to Peavey. They were a big help in keeping the Project on the road.
My first Les Paul in the early 1970s.
Elwood Francis
I came on board in the last year and a half of the Joe Perry Project. My brother, Toby Francis, was mixing front-of-house position and I would visit from time to time. I got to know Joe and we’d always talk guitars. Eventually he just asked me to handle his guitars on the road. It really was that simple. Once Aerosmith re-formed, the Joe Perry Project crew was absorbed into the Aerosmith crew along with a few of the old staples: FOH soundman Nitebob, lighting director John Broderick, production manager Joe Baptista, and Joey Kramer’s tech, Patrick O’Neil.
Most of the guitars had doubles, which were spares for live use. When I list new touring guitars, they are added to the list of previous touring guitars. So the number of guitars grew from year to year (as I’m sure you’ve noticed). Sometimes a touring guitar is retired for a while. For example, Joe retired the Tele-Rat by 1987, but I read recently that he brought it back out to use. When I started working with the band in 1983, Joe was still using the Aerosmith rack and “A” pedal board. All amps were Andy Topeka–modified Music Man 130 amps paired through 4 × 12"s, four heads and four cabs on Joe’s side, with another head and cab on stage right for his cross-stage delay. A Music Man 130 head was also used to power the “air bag” and two Leslie 147s.
Elwood and me.
“Modified” version of the first generation custom-built amp line, as of late 1978.
The Joe Perry Project touring guitars included:
The Tele-Rat: Left-handed Stratocaster body with left-handed maple Telecaster neck. The body was finished in solid black with the top sanded to natural. It had a black pick guard loaded with three Bill Lawrence pickups originally but those were swapped for Barcus Berry pickups around the Back in the Saddle tour.
Telecaster: Natural with black pick guard and Bill Lawrence pickups, one humbucker in the neck position. This Tele and the Tele-Rat were the main guitars Joe used at the time.
Me and my basement studio in my first house with a custom-made solid rosewood B.C. Rich Mockingbird they built to replace the one that was stolen.
The original Dan Armstrong that I use for open tuning on songs like “Draw the Line” and “Let the Music Do the Talking.”
Gibson Firebird. Custom Shop–built. I didn’t want to take the original on the road.
This guitar was the second B.C. Rich Mockingbird built. I got it through Nite Bob. He got the first one. This one was stolen within months of me getting it.
A one-off (as far as I know) double-neck B.C. Rich.
One of my first Strats, probably new. The shot was taken at our first sold-out Orpheum show in Boston.
Bill Lawrence prototype: Ash, neck through body.
B.C. Rich Mockingbird: Solid rosewood.
B.C. Rich 10-string Bich: Red.
2 Travis Bean guitars: One black, one silver.
2 Dan Armstrong clear-bodies: One with a Bill Lawrence pickup and the other stock.
Gibson Firebird 7: Sunburst.
I’m also aware of these, but they were not used for Joe Perry Project tours during my tenure with the group:
Fender Bass 6: Sunburst.
Gibson Les Paul Jr.: Refinished in black with custom vine/skull inlay.
Gibson EB-6: Cherry red.
Gibson ES-6: Tobacco burst.
B.C. Rich 6/12 double-neck.
Boogie Body Stratocaster.
Rickenbacker lap steel/amplifier, with motorized tremolo.
Music Man Sabre: Natural finish.
1956 Fender Stratocaster: Black with maple neck. This guitar pops back up in a couple of years. At this point in time it had three Bill Lawrence pickups, but otherwise it was stock.
2 Fender Telecasters: Each with Bill Lawrence pickups, humbucker, and Tele bridge. Dark red and silver, respectively.
Back in the Saddle tour:
The amp line consisted of a row of Marshall 4 × 12” cabs powered by various Marshall heads (JTM45, 1959, JCM800) and the Aero Music Man 130 amps. The “A” pedal board/rack was still being used along with the JPP touring guitars expe
ct for the Firebird and 10-string Bich.
The original six-string bass I wrote “Back in the Saddle” with. Very rare with the four switches.
The Strat I used until I left the band in 1979. I used it to record “Walk this Way,” and it has gone missing.
My first Tele in the mid ’70s.
My 6-string bass for “Back in the Saddle.”
On the road with the Mary Kay replica.
Playing one of my first Strats in the mid-’70s.
The Fender Bass 6 was brought out for the song “Back in the Saddle.”
New guitars included:
Bob Meltz–made lefty Stratocaster: Camo finish, maple Strat neck, Kahler tremolo, single humbucker in the bridge.
2 ESPs: Black, Stratocaster style, two humbuckers. One with rosewood neck, one with maple.
Kramer with a locking tail piece, captured here in 1985.
Hendrick Generator: Gumby green. It had an unusual shape, with a humbucker in the bridge and a Telecaster-style neck pickup.
Done with Mirrors tour: