AEROSMITH/JOEY KRAMER interview by Virginia Reed

Like the cryptic feline title of their current album implies, Nine Lives is another death-defying chapter in the mangled, tangled Aerosmith saga. While rawk's baddest boys started dodging liver spots, they also fired their management, temporarily lost a drummer, endured more rumors about Steven Tyler's Peruvian lint, nearly broke up (number six in a series), recorded Nine Lives once but chukked it in the dumpster, eventually managing to deliver the re-recorded kickass version as their initial return for Columbia Records' controversial $30-million long-term contract. It seems the older they get, the woollier conflicts grow. Those new to all of the hair pullin', ready-to-rumble, bust-ups may want to pick up a copy of Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith (Avon Books). Along with the groupies'n'drugs tell-all dirt in the thick, illustrated volume, there was also a time when the music mattered, as the band (along with friends, producers, and business associates) try to make some sense of the past 27 years. In a 7 a.m. phone call (the band was currently on tour in Liepzig, Germany), drummer Joey Kramer patiently answered some groggy questions.

Focus: What was the impetus behind the book?

Kramer: Well the real truth about it was that Stephen Davis (who is credited with co-authoring the book with Aerosmith) was going to write a book anyway, and we figured we would get on there with him and make it the real deal. That's basically how it happened. He did a lot of interviews with us and just about everyone associated with the band in about a two year period. It's actually pretty true to form.

Focus: There doesn't seem to be a lot of censored or dressed down material. It appears as if all of the band's disagreements and bad times were exposed. Was it difficult to bring all that back up again?

Kramer: I dunno. I don't really think so, because of the way things eventually turned out. I think if things had turned out negatively, it might have been a little harder. But considering the things the band has been through, and all the accomplishments in the last ten years, it wasn't really a problem.

Focus: The very first chapter recounts the band's 1986 confrontation with Steven Tyler's drug abuse (that eventually landed him a stint in rehab). In reading that, did it push a lot of buttons with the band, was it uncomfortable?

Kramer: It wasn't for me, but I can't speak for anybody else. I didn't have any difficulty with it. Obviously, everything was very tentative back then, but the result was so positive, that it wasn't that hard to bring up, again. But at the same time, Steven was just the first one. Basically, everybody in the band went through the same thing.

Focus: The book reminded me that before Toys In The Attic and the onslaught of '70s stadium rawk, you guys were just a ham Ôn' egger garage band slugging it out in the clubs. Was it nice to reflect on that again?

Kramer: Yeah, but at the same time, I don't know how anybody really relates to what it is that we are now anyway. I mean speaking for myself, I still often feel those humble beginnings-I don't really relate to how huge everybody tells me that we are. I just don't choose to be that way. That only seems to create a lot of negative feelings in people, when they get caught up in believing their own shit. I think it's really important to remember where you came from and try to remain in touch with that.

Focus: Are you happy about how the book turned out or are there some things you would have changed?

Kramer: I dunno. It's like any other project that you do, once it's done, you look back there's always things that you would have approached differently or done over again-it's like anything else. But for the most part, I think that it came out pretty good. It's fairly entertaining reading, and that's what a book is all about.

Focus: There doesn't seem to be too many unscrupulous quotes from you in this. Is that because you're the good guy or maybe the guy that likes to stand back and silently observe?

Kramer: I dunno. That's a good question. (laughs) Y'know, I'm the guy that relates to being as normal as possible. I'm not into living my life as some "rock'n'roll star." That's something that I went through and then grew out of. But it's also the way that Stephen Davis wrote the book. I mean, he just took the quotes that everyone gave him. I might have changed the way some of the stories were told to him, (pauses) but I can't really get into specifics.

Focus: Let's switch gears here and let me ask you about the circumstances when you left the band

Kramer: I never left the band.

Focus: Really?

Kramer: Oh yeah, well the band cut the original album in Florida once without me, but it didn't work. That's the period of time you're talking about?

Focus: Right

Kramer: Well what happened to me has, unfortunately, happened to a lot of people. I fell into a depression (Kramer's father had passed away), but it was to a point where I needed to get away and deal with it. Unfortunately, it was also the same period of time when the record needed to get done. We had just finished about six months of pre-production, but I was having a very difficult time functioning. So while I was dealing with my problems, the band decided they wanted to try to cut the basic tracks with someone else (actually, session man Steve Ferrone) and then I was going to come back and re-do them again. But that really didn't work out. We eventually ended up recording Nine Lives all over again with me playing.

Focus: I read where the original sessions were recorded in Miami with producer Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette). Did you get to hear any of those? What was your reaction to them?

Kramer: Oh, yeah. (long pause) Well it kinda sounded like... (laughs) well let's just say it didn't have the energy that it needed.

Focus: The rumor floating was that this was going to be a radical change of direction for Aerosmith, that the music was going to be layered with all sorts of tape loops and samples.

Kramer: That's true.

Focus: Would you have felt comfortable performing that kind of music?

Kramer: Oh, sure. You've got to feel assured in any change your band wants to make-if that's what we were gonna do, then let's do it.

Focus: But then that was scrapped, you returned to the drummer' stool, and Kevin Shirley (Silverchair) brought back that heavier side to the band.

Kramer: Yeah, we decided to get back to what once the band really sounded like. I mean, the first attempt (with Ballard) wasn't as strong as it is now-it had originally lacked a bit of spirit.

Focus: Did the second Nine Lives give you guys a new enthusiasm?

Kramer: Well, the first takes definitely would have been a new direction, but I think it was everyone's decision for a live in the studio approach-no one liked how the guitars were being recorded or the fact that I wasn't playing make it lack a certain energy. It's difficult because you always want a change in direction, but it's hard to tell if it would have been accepted. It was different. Some of it was even in a Steely Dan-ish direction.

Focus: Any chance that those tracks will surface?

Kramer: I'm sure a lot of those versions will end up seeing the light of day. We just released "Pink" and I think one of the alternate tracks is from those sessions in Miami.

Focus: Was it weird hearing the band with another drummer? Kramer: Yeah, it was pretty interesting. (pauses) You have to remember that it took me several months to get over my problems. I went through some major emotional turmoil. At the time, I took it in stride, but I mean I was devastated when they first told me that I wasn't going to be playing on the album. But I was able to deal with it after a while. I even began to wonder if staying with Aerosmith is what I needed to do with the rest of my life in order to make me happy. I had to dig deep down to make that decision if I wanted to go back into the studio. That was a pretty big challenge for me, and I've always been known to rise to a challenge.

Focus: Compared with Toys and Rocks, where does Nine Lives fit it?

Kramer: I think that we have a great record, but it's just sort of a strange time in radio, and the business in general-especially with what I'm seeing in Europe with all of this dance music.

Focus: Is there any of it you find interesting?

Kramer: Well I'll listen to anything and everything, but as far as my own tastes, not particularly.

Focus: Finally, how's the tour been overseas? How's the reaction to the new album?

Kramer: The tours going real well. We've sold a whole lot more copies here than in the States, so I guess its been pretty good.