Aero-dynamic

Kirk Baird

Friday, Jan. 11, 2002 | 8:47 a.m.

Thirty-one years, 13 studio albums, one break up, one box set and the five original members are still intact.

No wonder Aerosmith is considered America's veteran rock band.

That isn't because Aerosmith is still around there are a lot of bands age 30 and older still touring.

The difference is in how many of those groups are still relevant. How many consistently sell out large arenas? And how many have new CDs not destined for the bargain bin a week after release?

Oddly enough, Aerosmith was a prime candidate for all three distinctions in the early to mid-'80s when, after years of drug abuse, partying and infighting, the band seemed to have lost its way.

A guest performance on a 1986 cover of the group's classic "Walk This Way" by rappers RUN-D.M.C. changed all that.

Suddenly Aerosmith, who perform tonight at a sold-out concert at Hard Rock's The Joint, was rediscovered by a younger audience, who eagerly embraced the Boston band.

The quintet followed the rap single's success a year later with the album "Permanent Vacation," the first of several critically and commercially successful records that returned Aerosmith to its glory days of a decade earlier.

The turnaround was so remarkable, in fact, Rolling Stone said it could be the most successful comeback in rock 'n' roll history.

The band's legendary guitarist, Joe Perry, isn't about to disagree with the magazine's assessment.

"When I look back at it, I would have to say they were right," Perry said recently from his hotel room in Salt Lake City. "I haven't seen too many bands come back and make a presence.

"But we work really hard at it."

That means maintaining fan meet-and-greets, even though most bands as popular as Aerosmith gave up such practices when they quit staying at second-rate motels. It also meant performing during halftime at last year's Super Bowl with 'N Sync and Britney Spears. And even selling the title track to the band's latest disc, "Just Push Play," to Dodge for a series of truck ads.

In fact, it's all "part of the (publicity) game," Perry said.

"Would I, in 1972, (have) said I was going to do a Dodge commercial? Probably not. But to still stay in the game, you've got to go with the flow sometimes," he said. "You can't just turn down opportunities just because of the values you had 30 years ago. It's a different world out there. What it does is afford me the ability to still sell out a 20,000-seat arena."

It also landed him a new Dodge Viper as well, he joked, and " 'Just Push Play' gets played 18 times a day on the Discovery Channel. You can't beat it."

Still, even with the extra exposure, the album hasn't sold as well as the band's recent studio efforts, which produced such hits as "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Janie's Got a Gun," "Love in an Elevator" and "Cryin'."

As far as Perry is concerned, the songs on "Just Push Play" compare favorably with those hits, as well as any other of the band's best work.

"A song like 'Jaded,' I can see a direct lineage to some of the other stuff we've done in the last 20 years. And 'Just Push Play' to me is 'Walk This Way' for the year 2001," he said. "I think (the album) has got stronger songs on it than the last record. Hell, we got nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album. It got noticed and we're really proud of that."

There was an instant of fire in the voice of the 51-year-old Perry as he defended the album and maintained Aerosmith is still "pushing the envelope."

Moments later, however, the fire died down a bit as he acknowledged that the band is long since removed from its days as "the new kids on the block."

Conflicting moments such as these were a hallmark of the band throughout the '70s and into the '80s. As with most groups, there was often a love-hate relationship among its members.

But it's very different now, Perry contends.

"We've had every fight there is to have. We still have fights, but they don't get personal," he said. "We did all that stuff: We had all those fights, we had all the ups and downs, we made all the mistakes, we did all the drugs ... and fortunately we lived through it."

How long Aerosmith will continue is not certain.

A few of the band's shows -- including tonight's performance -- are being recorded for a possible DVD. The members are also contemplating a live album for spring release -- including two new tracks -- followed by a summer tour.

Perry also said he'd like to record another Aerosmith album at some point, but even that remains a possibility rather than a probability.

But that doesn't necessarily mean the band is contemplating calling it a career.

"We've talked about it before in interviews, but amongst ourselves ... we still get off on being in the band so much, and we're all kind of amazed that we're able to do it and still be the same five guys," he said. "Just in the interest of adventure, that's why we're doing it -- to see how far we can go."

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