Steven Tyler is one of the most complex characters in rock, despite the fact that everyone knows him as the swaggering, eccentric frontman of Aerosmith, the legendary band. It’s no accident that people dubbed Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry ‘The Toxic Twins’ because of their outrageous behavior; Aerosmith was well-known for their wild antics.
While acknowledging that Aerosmith made their breakthrough in the 1970s, we cannot ignore the fact. They engaged in activities that, along with many classic rock-era peers, are now unacceptable. However, Steven Tyler did experience a significant moment in his life when he stepped over the line—a line that ought never to be crossed—neither yesterday nor today nor tomorrow.
There are numerous, quite shameful, accounts of women and young girls being abused and mistreated by the music industry; these stories include everyone from Ted Nugent to The Runaways. In the wake of the MeToo movement, Tyler’s name has repeatedly come up when discussing this troubled past. Look Away, an insightful 2018 documentary, delves deeply into this period of excess and abuse and offers the so-called “baby groupies” an opportunity to finally share their stories without the influence of the powerful music industry and the stars it idolizes.
One of the stories in Look Away famously involved Steven Tyler. In late 1975, Julia Holcomb, by all accounts, met Tyler at a Portland, Oregon, show after turning sixteen. Holcomb’s family life was anything but ordinary, as was the case with most of those horrible people whom rock stars derided as “baby groupies.” The family was struggling as a result of his huge gambling debt and infidelity, which had destroyed their lives.
Tragically, Holcomb’s situation weakened further. Her mother divorced her abusive stepfather in addition to the deaths of her grandfather and younger brother in an accident. After the tragedy, their aunt and uncle sent Holcomb and her sister to live with them because there was too much for them to handle as children.
Things were looking up for a while. Their lives had changed significantly by the time Julia and her sister went back to live with their mother. They now had a second stepfather. When she was sixteen, her sister moved out of the house with her boyfriend, leaving them emotionally abandoned and alone.
When Holcomb was fifteen years old and on her own, she made friends with a twentysomething woman who promised to show her how to be a rock star. Holcomb subsequently referred to this friendship as one of her most perilous ones. Feeling alone at home and like a third wheel to her stepfather and mother, Julia was ecstatic to meet Tyler backstage following an Aerosmith show. She subsequently remarked, “It felt like the entire world stopped.” After spending the night together, things proceeded swiftly. Tyler was twenty-six years old.
After they started dating, her mother gave Tyler legal guardianship of Julia so he could travel across state lines with her without being apprehended. You’re correct if you think this sounds a lot like a Ted Nugent story you’ve heard.
The thing that troubled Julia the most was that Tyler, not her mother, was the one who revealed to her that she had signed guardianship over. Tyler, who felt abandoned by her mother, revealed that he had convinced her to sign the paperwork. He said, “I needed them for you to enroll in school.”
The young Holcomb enmeshed herself in the wild world of the music business, using drugs and alcohol. He was getting around in limos and leading a rock star’s life. Now with one of the world’s most infamous bands, they could legally claim to be better party animals than The Rolling Stones.
However, this wasn’t abuse in the traditional sense. After they had lived together for some time, Tyler told Julia that he was incredibly in love with her and that he wanted to have children with her. Differing accounts make it unclear whether the pregnancy was intended or unintentional, but it did happen. When Holcomb’s wish to have children with Steven Tyler was revealed to him a year later, the couple was thrilled.
After a few months, Tyler asked Holcomb to marry him. Things didn’t go according to plan when he introduced her to his family. Tyler Sr. expressed grave concerns regarding the marriage, and his grandmother agreed, refusing to give up her wedding ring. The writing was on the wall once Tyler and Holcomb rowed after they had left. They ruined the relationship beyond repair. “When we left the house that night, I could see that Steven had had a change of heart,” Holcomb recalled.
The child of her legal guardian, who no longer desired her, left her carrying, helpless both legally and personally.
After that, Tyler and Aerosmith went on tour, and Holcomb stayed at their Boston apartment. She lacked resources, healthcare, and education. She was devoid. But this was just the start of a Biblical tribulation. The couple’s apartment caught fire, and since they were unable to flee. Holcomb barely made it out alive by taking cover in the marble fireplace.
When she awoke in the hospital, the physician informed her that Tyler had advised her to get an abortion. It is said that he was concerned about birth defects caused by the combination of the amount of drugs she had taken and the carbon monoxide from the smoke.
It was an unstable circumstance because, at five months pregnant, Julia would not have been allowed to have an abortion a week later. Tyler allegedly threatened to kill Julia if she decided to have an abortion or return home to give birth. Holcomb gave Tyler what he wanted despite her desire to keep the baby. Her ordeal in the fire left her emotionally spent, shocked, and forced to make a decision. Despite appearing high on cocaine, Tyler stayed by her side during the procedure, maintaining emotional distance from the situation. As expected, the young Holcomb was in complete shock.
It’s crucial to acknowledge that Tyler, like those around him at the time, suffered greatly from the experience. It was a significant crisis, he wrote in 2011. Growing something with a woman is important, but they made us believe that it would never last and would ruin our lives. You go to the doctor, where they insert a needle into her abdomen and squeeze the medication while you watch. And it emerges dead. I was really inconsolable. I’m thinking, “Jesus, what have I done?”
Holcomb eventually parted ways with Tyler in the early months of 1977, as he had moved on to another woman by then. She came back to her mother and stepfather after her days in the wilderness. By then, they had a young son, whom she cherished. Over time, things began to improve and her relationship with her family grew stronger. After graduating from high school, she returned to church and resumed her studies. After securing employment and finding a spouse, she devoted herself to raising seven children.
Not surprisingly, since their breakup, Holcomb hasn’t spoken to Steven Tyler. They would then go in different directions. Tyler continued to be a rock star and celebrity, while Holcomb became a devout Christian, believing that God had saved her from the fire. Liv Tyler was born in 1977 as a result of Tyler’s relationship with model Bebe Buell. Originally, Buell claimed that Todd Rundgren was Liv’s biological father to shield her from the frontman’s severe drug addiction. But that’s a tale for another time.
Although Holcomb and Tyler’s story is tragic, we’re relieved that Holcomb was able to find the serenity she so richly deserved. We also commend Holcomb for overcoming adversity. The incident obviously impacted Tyler, but it’s just another horrifying example of what rock stars used to get away with.
I hope those dark days of excess, facilitation, and acquiescence never come again. We must tell this story because it contains important lessons.
