In the 1970s, rock excess had few rivals like Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, known as the “Toxic Twins” for their notorious drug use and wild antics. As the creative heart of Aerosmith, Tyler and Perry propelled the band to new heights with hits like “Sweet Emotion,” “Back in the Saddle,” and their original “Walk This Way.” But by 1977, with albums Toys in the Attic (1975) and Rocks (1976) under their belt, their attention shifted from songwriting to substance abuse, and the fallout was clear in Draw the Line.
Reflecting on this period, Perry confessed to author Stephen Davis in Walk This Way, “Draw the Line was untogether because we weren’t a cohesive unit anymore…we were drug addicts dabbling in music rather than musicians dabbling in drugs.”
The band’s increasing fragmentation led to sporadic contributions on the album, with Tyler and Perry penning only three tracks, including the title track, “Get It Up,” and “I Want to Know Why.” Their chemistry faltered, and even Tyler admitted, “I wasn’t Patti Smith writing poetry. I write exactly to the music, and when the music ain’t coming, neither were the lyrics.”
The duo’s absences further eroded Aerosmith’s creative flow. Rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford even stepped in to write and record “The Hand That Feeds” with Tyler while Perry skipped the session.
“Brad played great on it anyway,” Perry later acknowledged, admitting he was often absent or too high to care. Tyler echoed this, telling Guitar World in 1997, “What I specifically remember was not being present in the studio because I was so stoned. In the past, I had to be there…every note…but I just didn’t care anymore.”
The band’s classic lineup, including bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer, held together for one last album, Night in the Ruts (1979), before losing both Perry and Whitford by 1981.
The interim album Rock in a Hard Place (1982) suffered from their absence, but by 1985, with Perry and Whitford’s return on Done with Mirrors, Aerosmith began reclaiming their sound and status. Their 1986 collaboration with Run-DMC for a new “Walk This Way” reignited their popularity and marked a new era that would permanently secure Aerosmith’s place in rock history.
