Tyler: I spent $20M on drugs

[Pete]

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler went to desperate lengths to get high in the throes of his drug addiction and even hid cocaine in a drum on stage so he could take a fix during shows.

The singer spent years struggling with addiction and in 2009 he checked into rehab to address his dependence on painkillers, marking his eighth stint in treatment.

Tyler, who insists he is now clean and sober, has opened up about his struggles as he prepares to release a tell-all book about his life, and he's revealed he used to take drugs during Aerosmith shows.

He tells People.com, "I kept my medicine cabinet on stage, in a 14-inch drum head, the bottom of which contained... one Dixie cup (paper cup) with a straw and blow (cocaine) in it and the other with Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels in it. Left to my own devices I probably would have been dead several times over."

Tyler also estimates he wasted a staggering $20 million on drugs over the years, adding, "I blew 20 million. I snorted my Porsche, I snorted my plane, I snorted my house in that din of drugs and booze and being lost."

[Equinox]

May 3, 2011 11:35:09 GMT -5 Pete said:

Tyler, who insists he is now clean and sober, has opened up about his struggles as he prepares to release a tell-all book about his life, and he's revealed he used to take drugs during Aerosmith shows.

Big revelation there! I saw him pass out and fall off the stage when I saw in 1980. And i always thought he just had the flu really bad....

[bluecheer]

With his money and interest in drugs over the years, it would be pretty easy to go through 20 million on cocaine. Its not like he was getting bullshit either. He had the best connections in any city he toured in. Back in the 80's a gram of really high grade Coke was going for about $600 a gram. When you are going through ounces at a time, its not that hard to go through 20 million. Plus remember not only was he buying for himself, but also for the women that came around and also his close friends and the people that he wanted to party with him when the time called for it. So when you throw in all the factors contributing to his drug use, you understand that its not that hard to go through all that money on partying.

[kim]

May 3, 2011 11:35:09 GMT -5 Pete said:

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler went to desperate lengths to get high in the throes of his drug addiction and even hid cocaine in a drum on stage so he could take a fix during shows.

The singer spent years struggling with addiction and in 2009 he checked into rehab to address his dependence on painkillers, marking his eighth stint in treatment.

Tyler, who insists he is now clean and sober, has opened up about his struggles as he prepares to release a tell-all book about his life, and he's revealed he used to take drugs during Aerosmith shows.

He tells People.com, "I kept my medicine cabinet on stage, in a 14-inch drum head, the bottom of which contained... one Dixie cup (paper cup) with a straw and blow (cocaine) in it and the other with Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels in it. Left to my own devices I probably would have been dead several times over."

Tyler also estimates he wasted a staggering $20 million on drugs over the years, adding, "I blew 20 million. I snorted my Porsche, I snorted my plane, I snorted my house in that din of drugs and booze and being lost."

Good post Pete!

For what it's worth, I think Steve has pretty much had the
biscuit at this point...Will he go on to make some more music?...yeah, no doubt, in some way, shape or form, even with his original band....woooohooo...can't wait....wooooo...yeah...wooooo...
Will it be worthy to any degree?...hard to say.

We do have to consider the fact that the man is pretty much pooched however, and the stuff left in the so called "tank" is nothing less than fumes at this point.

Good on the guy I guess if the fans are okay with American Idol
and that sort of stuff. Really good on the guy if the record execs of the day, want to try and revive the his previous gusto...all the power to them...
I'm sure that someone, somewhere wil lap it up like kittens.

So, 20 million spent on drugs huh?...
Here's the kicker...........Steve could have saved about 12 million
of that price tag early on because it didn't make a big difference over the last 20 years in regards to the ilk that he's been a part of. It WAS a waste!...Because it didn't make a damn bit of difference!!!

The good news for Steve is this...considering that he has had
8 kicks at the rehab cat, so to speak, if he plays his cards right, and goes through 2 more stints...they'll punch his card on the
tenth gig and the "eleventh one" in rehab will be free.

I don't mean to make light of what Steve has been through, but there appears to be something deep down with the guy that just doesn't seem to quit when it comes to his "glam" "Rocker" image that he insists on shoving down the throats of respected classic rockers such as his fans go...and at the same time makes those that did respect their earlier output, look like fools...all because
of the continuing saga of the "Steven Tyler" show.

Falling off of a stage seems to be his credo and not something
that should be embraced as a rock hero in anyones mind...and is
something that should be frowned upon by anyone that loves
and appreciates rock and roll music.

To witness the fact that his mug appears on the cover
of a national magazine such as People shows just how
low the guy has lowered himself.....................
What's this?...a cry for help, or applause from a crowd
that has long left the building?

The least the man could do is to once and for all, get his collective shit back together and back it up with some decent
music............hasn't really happened though has it?

Buck up Steve. Put the needle down and get back to
where you once belonged.

Thanks
Kim

[DrJJones]

May 6, 2011 12:43:10 GMT -5 kim said:

So, 20 million spent on drugs huh?...
Here's the kicker...........Steve could have saved about 12 million
of that price tag early on because it didn't make a big difference over the last 20 years in regards to the ilk that he's been a part of. It WAS a waste!...Because it didn't make a damn bit of difference!!!

Falling off of a stage seems to be his credo and not something
that should be embraced as a rock hero in anyones mind...and is
something that should be frowned upon by anyone that loves
and appreciates rock and roll music.

The least the man could do is to once and for all, get his collective shit back together and back it up with some decent
music............hasn't really happened though has it?

Buck up Steve. Put the needle down and get back to
where you once belonged.

Thanks
Kim

Ok it is easy to take pot shots at Steven Tyler for what he has become. However he is not the only one is he? Take The Beatles, who for many on here seem to be criticism-free, mainly John Lennon.

In public this guy tried to make himself out to be a major peace activist, which I am sure he was. However, in private he was a vile human being.

1. He was a major drug abuser (not just pot either) In Playboy he is quoted as saying "I need drugs to survive, like Heroin". Apparently the song 'Cold Turkey', he admitted on BBC radio, was about his withdrawal from Heroin.

2. He was a woman beater & a frequent womanizer

3. He was a horrible father to Julian, not even leaving him his guitar (which Julian wanted) in his will. Sean however was a spoiled little rich-kid & worshiped by Lennon

4. He shopped McCartney to the Feds in Japan for possession of pot

5.Cynthia Lennon described her husband when married that he was a "Bigot with a hot temper"

So if Tyler should not be considered a "Rock Hero" for all his flaws how come Lennon & The Beatles should be (music aside)? How Lennon lived in private is far worse than what Tyler does in public.

Before you start slating someone else's idol, take a look at your own!

[kim]

May 6, 2011 18:10:47 GMT -5 DrJJones said:

May 6, 2011 12:43:10 GMT -5 kim said:

So, 20 million spent on drugs huh?...
Here's the kicker...........Steve could have saved about 12 million
of that price tag early on because it didn't make a big difference over the last 20 years in regards to the ilk that he's been a part of. It WAS a waste!...Because it didn't make a damn bit of difference!!!

Falling off of a stage seems to be his credo and not something
that should be embraced as a rock hero in anyones mind...and is
something that should be frowned upon by anyone that loves
and appreciates rock and roll music.

The least the man could do is to once and for all, get his collective shit back together and back it up with some decent
music............hasn't really happened though has it?

Buck up Steve. Put the needle down and get back to
where you once belonged.

Thanks
Kim

Ok it is easy to take pot shots at Steven Tyler for what he has become. However he is not the only one is he? Take The Beatles, who for many on here seem to be criticism-free, mainly John Lennon.

In public this guy tried to make himself out to be a major peace activist, which I am sure he was. However, in private he was a vile human being.

1. He was a major drug abuser (not just pot either) In Playboy he is quoted as saying "I need drugs to survive, like Heroin". Apparently the song 'Cold Turkey', he admitted on BBC radio, was about his withdrawal from Heroin.

2. He was a woman beater & a frequent womanizer

3. He was a horrible father to Julian, not even leaving him his guitar (which Julian wanted) in his will. Sean however was a spoiled little rich-kid & worshiped by Lennon

4. He shopped McCartney to the Feds in Japan for possession of pot

5.Cynthia Lennon described her husband when married that he was a "Bigot with a hot temper"

So if Tyler should not be considered a "Rock Hero" for all his flaws how come Lennon & The Beatles should be (music aside)? How Lennon lived in private is far worse than what Tyler does in public.

Before you start slating someone else's idol, take a look at your own!

Hey Doc!
Great to hear from ya my friend!

Sorry to see that my comments have touched a nerve there.
No harm meant.

As far as Lennon goes, the man is not my idol.

Yer right, and I agree, the guy was a monster for the most
part.

I, for one, however, loved what he did with that group he
was mixed up with for a few years. I thought that they
put out some "half decent" music over the time that they
were together. Sadly, the poor man was shot and killed, just when it appeared that he was coming around once again, and getting a grip on reality.

Sadder still, the world will never know just what might have
become of John Lennon to this day...who knows?

But you are correct in what you say. The troubled artist
had his downside...no doubt there.

I just finished reading "You Never Give Me Your Money" along with the latest Lennon, unauthorized bio "The Life" by Phillip Norman, and it's quite the read I must say.

Again, as Lennon is not my idol, I have to bow out on this
conversation, and simply stand by my thoughts regarding
Mr. Tyler in that, I still find the man to be a loser, and really
can't be compared to the likes and talents of the aforementioned
Beatle.

To me, Steven has been there, and done that to a much lesser degree than Lennon...and if he's trying to recapture that time in his life once again, he certainly won't succeed doing it in this manner by exposing himself to the point of being a celebrity prostitute.

Best case scenario for him at this point?......he'll be standing there on the red carpet, with a microphone in his hand, extolling the virtues of the next American Idol winner...

Maybe, just maybe, when Steven is dead and gone, and I get to hear more of what the man was really all about, including his personal life, then I will perhaps have a better understanding and take away something more to compare him with in regards
to John Lennon???....and even then, understand and respect the guy for what he went through in his life compared to Lennon.
(Let's face it, Lennon did not have an easy life).

At that point, I will then be able to fairly compare the 2 artists
for their worth, formulate it, tabulate it, and come up with a
conclusion as to who I liked better.

Maybe then, I can call one of them "my idol".

Thanks
Kim

[DrJJones]

Well both artists (Tyler & Lennon) have made many millions very happy with their respective bands. You did hit a little nerve perhaps in what you said. I mean my screen name is even taken from Aerosmith (Dr.J.Jones is apparently Joe Perry).

I know Tyler has continually shit on Aerosmith's legacy (from appointing John Kalodner as an ear to agreeing to Kalodner's insane idea of outside writers to becoming a celebrity whore), but I can kind of forgive him all that when I hear that opening scream of 'Back In The Saddle'. To me THAT is Steven Tyler.

Along with Status Quo, Sammy Hagar & Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith were the music of my youth. I never got a chance to see them in their drug-fueled days due to the fact they never came to England (apart from one tour in 1976 & an appearance at The Reading Festival in 1977).

Don't get me wrong though, Lennon solo wrote some brilliant music (ok so we will pass over the 'Two Virgins' album) & was an amazing visionary. I was just shocked when I read Cynthia Lennon's book. Of course she may have just been bitter but Yoko never came out to deny any of it.

However I still think Aerosmith's version of 'Come Together' slaughter's The Beatles version....Ha!Ha!