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Book Review of Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith

Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith
reviewed Awesome Story About One Of The Greatest Bands on + 44 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


Being a kid during the Hair-Band metal era, Aerosmith has been at the top of my play list for most of my life. While I would read a short article about Aerosmith here or a short snippet on MTV there, I really had no idea who the people behind Aerosmith really were. As Aerosmith really did not have a dramatic story, other bands seem to steal some of the biographical glory. When I think of memorable 80s stories, I remember Ozzy peeing on the Alamo, Ozzy sniffing a line of ants, Nikki Sixx ODing and flatlining a few times just to walk out of the hospital, or Vince Neil killing Razzle in a drunk driving accident. However, Aerosmith had as wild or tragic of a story as anyone and this book does a great job telling it.

I found the first 100 pages of the book to be a bit tedious to read. Much of the beginning was talking about summers on the lake and the members playing with bands that never made it. However, the beginning of the book offered some terrific insight as to where some of the band members came from. I must say Steve Tylers humble beginnings really did shock me. It was also really fascinating to read about Aerosmith playing gigs with no name bands that ended up becoming stars themselves. Once I got past the first 100 pages, I became completely engrossed in the book. While Aerosmiths story may not be as shocking as some of the more notorious bands, their story is full of dizzying highs and in the gutter lows. The story of the band and the people around them was one I had a hard time putting down.

The one thing that I loved about this biography is that it is not written only from the view of the band. A number of people had parts and expressed their opinions and feelings in this book (roadies, ex-lovers, spouses, managers, etc). The story that each person told was pulled together superbly, resulting in an awesome book.

If you are a fan of Aerosmith, this is without a doubt a must read for you. If you were a music fan of the 70s, 80s or 90s, this book is definitely worth your time.