Saturday 9 - Walk This Way

Saturday 9: Walk This Way
(recommended by In the Company of Me)

If you're not familiar with today's song, you can hear it here.

CountryDew rockin' out
35 years ago.

1) This song is about a young man who takes advantage of his "big chance at a high school dance." Share a memory from your high school years.

A. I used to play in a rock band when I was in high school, but we didn't perform this song - we did a lot of disco. That was the hot music at the time on the dance scene and we played dance halls which did not want rock and roll. We were a pretty good band for a bunch of kids.

2) Lead singer Steven Tyler is the son of a working mother (mom Susan was a secretary). Did your mother work outside the home?

A. She did. She worked as a secretary at a company in Salem, Virginia. It was a 40 minute drive for her each way to get to work. When we came home from school, which was usually around 4 p.m. or so, we had to call her and let her know all was fine. If we didn't call, she would call us, and we had a pre-arranged signal in case a stranger ever came into our home while we were there without an adult (which was a lot of the time; I was a latchkey child). If I answered the phone and called her by a name different than "Mom" she would know something was wrong.

3) Onstage, Tyler takes colorful scarves from around his neck and drapes them over the microphone. Do you accessorize your outfits with scarves and belts? Or do you prefer to keep things simple?

A. I keep things simple. A single small chain and my wedding band is about it, though I confess I have a secret passion for hats.

4) Tyler confessed to having a massive crush on Jennifer Lopez, his fellow judge on American Idol. Do you think a coworker has ever had a crush on you?

A. Not that I was aware of, no.

5) Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry says seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 inspired him to go into music. How did you end up in your chosen profession?

A. I have always loved the written word as long as I can remember. My writing abilities were encouraged by nearly every teacher I ever had. My ambition was not to write news stories, though. I wanted to write a series like Nancy Drew, at least when I was younger.

6) Perry's hobby, breeding horses, is very lucrative. What are your hobbies?

A. Playing guitar, reading, gardening, journaling, computer games. 

7) Aerosmith performed before their biggest-ever TV audience when they played the Super Bowl halftime show in 2001. Are you a football fan? If so, do you prefer college football or the NFL? What teams do you root for?

A. I am not a football fan. I root for the University of Virginia team (Go Wahoos!) during the college season, mostly because around here everyone roots for Virginia Tech (Boo Hokies!). I have never followed the crowd. My alma mater's college football team, by the way, has never lost a game, ever. That's because it is an all-female university at the undergrad level and they don't have a team! Gotcha, didn't I!



June 19, 2010 sunset

8) Now that we're into summer, the days are longer. When is the last time you watched the sun set?

A. I love to take photos and the sun sets right in my front door, so I watch it go down almost every evening. 

9) What time did you go to sleep last night?

A. We went to bed around 10 p.m. I did not sleep well.