Steven Tyler's Judging on American Idol Reason for Aerosmith Split?

The newly sober Steven Tyler, who is the lead singer of legendary rock band Aerosmith and the new co-host of American Idol, is saying that the band is getting back together, but without co-founder Joe Perry. Is the fact that Tyler a judge for Season 10 of Idol the reason behind their feud?

Tyler, 62, appeared on the Howard Stern Sirius show on Tuesday with longtime girlfriend Erin Brady. He talked about his struggles with drug addiction and subsequent rehab, the interpersonal struggles within the band, and his reasons for becoming a judge on Idol.

Tyler claimed that Aerosmith's management has worked to keep Tyler away from the rest of the band. He said that he has attempted many times to reunite with Perry, but that every time he calls him he is unavailable.

He also revealed, however, that this upcoming weekend, the rest of Aerosmith is getting together in Los Angeles to record new music and that a tour has been planned...and that Perry will not be joining them.

It is not entirely clear why Perry and Tyler have had a falling out. Even during direct questioning during the interview with Stern, Tyler gave somewhat vague explanations as to what he thought the underlying reasons are for the rift.

One of the most speculated reasons for Tyler and Perry's problems is the fact that Tyler is appearing on Idol this year. Perry was quoted as calling Idol "one step above Ninja Turtles". During the interview with Stern, Tyler confirmed that Perry had expressed displeasure over the fact that Perry heard about Tyler's plans through the media and not from Tyler himself.

If Perry does not like the fact that Tyler is a judge this year on Idol, he is not alone. Fellow rock star Kid Rock has said, "I think it's the stupidest thing he's ever done in his life. He's a sacred American institution of rock 'n' roll, and he just threw it all out the window. Just stomped on it and set it on fire."

And yet there is a difference between Perry being disappointed in seeing Tyler supposedly hurting his legacy and being angry enough to not speak to his band mate of over forty years. It seems most major rock bands eventually have problems getting along. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles, legendary rock groups all, all eventually had major interpersonal problems that led to long or permanent breakups.

The question becomes, however, is whether a band can still be the same band with a critical member no longer there. Joe Perry and Steven Tyler could tour as Aerosmith together forever, regardless of the other musicians appearing with them. But without Joe Perry, it would seem unlikely that Tyler could tour and legitimately call the band Aerosmith.

The likely scenario is that there is more to the Tyler and Perry feud than the four months that Tyler will be serving as a judge on American Idol; for the future of Aerosmith, it would seem vital that they figure out how to resolve their issues.

Sources:

http://thestir.cafemom.com/entertainment/111670/kid_rock_to_steven_tyler
http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/celebrities/2011/01/19/16953001-wenn-story.html
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/steven-tyler-opens-up-to-howard-stern-about-rehab-and-new-aerosmith-album-20110119