The internet whispers and cryptic tweets have swirled for days, and now dude looks like he’s leavin‘ — for real. So what is Aerosmith without Steven Tyler? And where does The Onion get its special psychic powers?
According to guitarist Joe Perry, the search for a new frontman is already on as of yesterday, Twittery misspellings be damned: “aerosmith is positivly looking for a new singer to work with. You just can’t take 40 years of expiriance and throwitinthebin!”
With Steven officially off to explore the possibilities of Brand Tyler, that leaves one serious scarf-bejangled mic stand to fill. Granted, it’s well-trod path; rock radio stalwarts from Queen and Van Halen to Journey and more recently, Velvet Revolver, have infamously replaced deceased or departed frontmen, with varying, but seldom peak-matching levels of success.
Barring any Rock Star: INXS style reality-show shenanigans, that leaves a selection of known-quantity candidates. Could Stone Temple Pilots’ Scott Weiland, already a quick study on Jim Morrison and Axl Rose, learn how to Walk This Way? Does the Extreme-ly available Gary Cherone, he of the ever-so-brief Van Halen run, Dream On of Aero-stints? Or is Axl’s raspy growl in fact exactly What It Takes?
So many emotions swirling, dear readers, not all of them Sweet. But does anyone out there have the goods? And even if they do, do true ‘Smith fans want them? Or is it as Steven first sang 36(!) years ago: The past gone / It went by like dust to dawn…
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)
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Comments (1-30) of 132 Add your comment
..they’ve put out nothing but garbage since PUMP.
Totally agree. After Pump and when Tyler stopped doing “blow”, he started to write songs that did blow.
Didn’t they stop writing their own songs about 20 years ago?
Who would pay to see an Aerosmith concert without Steven Tyler??
I’ve seen them three times. I would not see them again without Steven.
Who would pay to see an Aerosmith concert period?
Plenty of people – their concerts are always rockin’ and full.
I don’t think David Lee Roth could do it. Axl Rose is the only legitimate contender. With his history, it would be volitile be the band could control him. Weiland might be able to pull it off.
…Tyler will probably do a record with Timbaland and have that tool Justin Timberlake write songs for him.
He must be back on the smack again. He has no career outside of Aerosmith (See Mick Jagger’s solo career)!
I think he’s messed up on drugs again, what a shame! I hope Areosmith trives with a new (well-known) frontman!
Leah, did you run out of Aerosmith songs to work in to your post there? How about: Could Bret Michaels learn to be the ‘Last Child’ to take Steven’s place? Or how about this one: ‘Sammy Hagar could take the mike, and no one would be ‘Cryin’???? One last one: Ann Wilson could step in to save the day, and she could be Aerosmith’s new ‘Angel.’ THe laughs keep coming!!!!!!!!
This made me laugh…in a good way.
Ann Wilson would eat teh rest of teh band…a smell a South Park episode here!
Ann WIlson may be heavy but she can sing better than Axl Rose or David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar or BRet Michaels. Ann has Heart though so that would never happen.
“Could you fall in love with the idea of Iggy Pop (even if it’s hard on his knees)?”
There’s only one guy that should replace Steven Tyler. His name is KID ROCK. He’s played with Aerosmith before, and his dual vocals with Tyler were amazing. He could still do double duty between Aerosmith and his own solo career.
Exactly! Who else could possibly replace a rock legend like Tyler than a white-trash rap/rock idiot like Kid Rock? Are you mental Glen?
this is sarcasm, right? Kid Rock- seriously?
Elvis back from the dead could do it or heck like glory pointed out have Ann Wilson and Elvis there then the rest of the guys would get skinny as Steven cause Ann and E would eat everything in sight
Aerosmith without Steven Tyler is like The Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger or Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant. No Tyler, no band.
That said, my hunch is that the band is really over unless Tyler is back on board – they’ll learn real quick that substitutes won’t cut it.
Tragic, but then again, maybe they should have called it quits after Pump considering their recordings after that have been mostly weak (sparing Honkin’ On Bobo, but not by much).
Who cares they sucked anyway
No one could and should replace Steven. Just call it a day………
No! No! NO!!! Don’t break up Aerosmith!!!!!
Looks like it is time to fire up another season of who wants to be a rock star…..
As for the band itself, they ceasesd to exist for me after they recorded that horrible ‘I Don’t Want to Miss A thing.’ I heard Celine Dion turned down that song because she thought it sounded too wimpy…
Nobody should replace Tyler. The whole band should pack it up. This is not to say that ST is irreplaceable, but rather that the whole band/concept is expendable. They have done nothing relevant for well over a decade. Good riddance. Blah.
Two words: David Cook. He killed “Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” during his Idol season.
that is interesting. and kinda hot.
Aerosmith without Steven Tyler. (Dream on)
No Tyler, no Aerosmith. You just can’t change the lead singer in a band like Aerosmith. It just doesn’t work.
ADAM LAMBERT!
Kid ROck seriously?
Axl Rose won’t show up
I think Adam Lambert could fit with the vocal and stage presence. But it would never be the same without Tyler. For the most part when people think of aerosmith they picture in there mind Tyler or Perry or both. It’s a shame, if he is back on the junk, I hope he gets off of it… for himself.
I’d give thumbs down to Roth or Axel… I can’t imagine there personalities or voices with Aerosmith… Perhaps Hagar would do ok, but he’s already doing stuff?
I think Sammy just sold his Tequila company for 80 million. He’s probably alllll set.
I think Lambert, D Cook, and Daughtry would all do good jobs. Here’s the deal – I went to see Queen+Paul Rodgers. I loved it. Some hated it. But I KNEW I was going to see both Brian May AND Paul Rodgers for their own merits. I’ve seen Aerosmith before, and I would have no problem going to see Aerosmith+___ (fill in the blank, as long is it’s a capable vocalist.
I might if Liv Tyler will join me as a duo to replace her old man
HAHAHA, good one!
They ought to just retire the name Aerosmith and start fresh with something else. Kind of like how Journey shouldn’t be called Journey anymore because IT ISN’T THE SAME!!!
just let the keyboard player( in the shadows)..who
sings all the hard parts anyway step to the front and do it…
Steven has an ego bigger than his mouth and can’t really sing, hire a back-up for what was steven’s weak parts…..don’t we really go to hear guitar anyway ????
The Crypt Keeper.
“The Crypt Keeper” HAHA! Good one!
yeah really…I never liked Aero at all, but I also agree you can’t replace thsi guy. Sammy is doing quite well these days with a band called Chickenfoot, Gary Cherone is a joke, Scott Weiland has way too much style and class (not to mention STP is working on a new album right now) Roth is … well…Roth and some American Idol kid would get booed offstage fronting thses guys. Game over Aerosmith.
We no longer Careosmith…
hee hee
Some bands can get away with major personnel changes, but very, very few. Without Tyler, they should hang it up.
Taylor Hicks baby
HAHAHA
or if taylor Swift will join me…I like hot young thangs!
I say get all the members back together, break their sobriety – back to drugs and alcohol. The result will be one great album!
Chris Daughtry would be awesome! Am I right???
Daughtry is to smart for that decision. Who wants to tour around with their grandparents when you got a hot current band!
I’ve seen aerosmith live 8 time the last time was this past summer it wasn’t the same tyler just didn’t seem as into it.They need to go back to their roots no pop crap just straight up rock and blues.
Little richard, younger and less gay
Aerosmith is like the energizer bunny of rock. I agree that they have not been good in a long time but someone has to record the songs that the stations play in between the good songs (which there are very few of these days). So if the show must go on I gotta say, although I am not a kid rock fan, he might be a good fit. Also the Black Crows guy might be good. Negative on Axl Rose cause he’s an ass. Paul Rodgers maybe. Or they could pick up a guy off youtube and tour with Journey.
Aerosmith is like ZZ Top and AC/DC…they’ve managed to eek a decades long career out of about 15 good songs. dude looks like my gramma…let it go.
Too funny-dude looks like my gramma! I agree, time to pack it in and say adios.
Don’t compare these pop wanna be’s to AC/DC. Nobody puts on a better more professional concert than AC/DC. You won’t find angus or brian falling off the stage. Nobody pumps out hard rock better than them either. fifteen songs are you out of your mind. how about fifteen albums. dumb ass. And you’ll never hear them playing queer balads like aerosmith has put out over the last fifteen years. I just saw ac/dc this year and it was just like it was back in the eighties.
Angus is a bigger spotlight whore than Tyler and Axl put together. Having seen them in concert, you would know that. How can a band let its lead singer drift off to the shadows to make room for another Angus solo?! You would never see that at an Aerosmith show. Every member of that band is great and they have the attitudes to back it up. If Tyler think she is bigger than the band now, let him try. He will be 10 times more humble when he fails and returns to Aerosmith.
NO ONE! Time to pack it in guys. No offense to the rest of them, but without Steven Tyler in front, it aint Aerosmith.
Agreed – pack it in. They were on their last legs anyway. If the remaining members are compelled to make more music, do it under another name. It’s not like they need any more money.