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Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top
“If ‘sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll’ is what you want, it’s what you’ll get in these photo-laden pages. Kramer’s style is honest, straightforward and pulls no punches.”
— Pub lishers Weekly Cash meets The Heroin Diaries in Hit Hard : Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer’s moving and inspiring story of fighting personal demons, as well as a wildly glamorous, crazy, drug-addled, behind-the-drum-set look at one of the greatest bands in rock n’ roll history. From never-before-told Aerosmith war stories across their entire 40 year career to Joey’s own struggles with addiction and depression, Hit Hard is only the second authorized biography of the band—following the New York Times bestseller Walk This Way —and the first autobiography from any Aerosmith band member.
— Pub lishers Weekly Cash meets The Heroin Diaries in Hit Hard : Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer’s moving and inspiring story of fighting personal demons, as well as a wildly glamorous, crazy, drug-addled, behind-the-drum-set look at one of the greatest bands in rock n’ roll history. From never-before-told Aerosmith war stories across their entire 40 year career to Joey’s own struggles with addiction and depression, Hit Hard is only the second authorized biography of the band—following the New York Times bestseller Walk This Way —and the first autobiography from any Aerosmith band member.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2009
58 people are currently reading
476 people want to read
About the author
Joey Kramer
16 books5 followersJoey Kramer has been rocking with Aerosmith since the band began in 1970. Kramer and his partners have sold over 150 million albums, and today their multigenerational global audience is bigger than ever. In addition to the Grammys and the twenty-one multi-platinum albums, Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. The band has been the subject of several documentaries, including a film dedicated to Joey Kramer and his lasting influence called It s About Time."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 2, 2011
Joey Kramer's book is all about him - surprise surprise, right? It's an autobiography, of course it's about him! But it's about his struggles through life, it's not just a name-dropping, I'm a kick-ass rock star type of book.
Joey Kramer tells you everything. He tells you about frequently crying like a baby as a grown man, he tells you about shitting his pants because he was so strung out, he tells you about the guilt he feels for missing out on his son's childhood because of drugs. He shoulders some of the blame for his marriage ending, instead of pushing it off onto his ex-wife, who wouldn't be able to defend herself.
One of the most emotional parts was when he went to see his abusive father, who was wasting away from Alzheimer's.
"His face was like a mask. The disease had taken everything, even his ability to smile or talk. This big strong guy, this soldier who had stormed the beaches at Normandy to fight the Nazis was now helpless, stiff and hunched over, his muscles wasted away from not being used. It broke my heart, and I thought, This is the raging monster who had terrorized me when I was growing up?"
Throughout the book, Joey delves deeply into the complicated relationship with his dad, even sharing the letter he wrote after his father's death, forgiving him. I won't lie - I bawled uncontrollably during those sections. My heart went out to Joey for what he went through with his father, but then I was so proud and inspired that he forgave his dad.
Joey's battle with depression is very common, but it's always hard to believe that other people know how you're feeling. "...this depression was just one big hole, and I was right at the edge, looking down into the darkness, and the darkness had a gravitational pull all its own. I didn't want to go down there, and yet I couldn't pull away."
The book is about Aerosmith too, of course - he is the drummer. But it's not bragging about what he had, lost, and got back. It's about trying to define himself in another way: "'Who are you, Joey Kramer? Who are you without Aerosmith?' I was forty-five years old, and it was time for me to have an answer."
It's not a self-help book, but there are a lot of nuggets of advice in there that I had to make note of. Here are a couple:
+ "I was learning to recognize that the minute I assumed something about what someone else was thinking or feeling about me and I got into defending against that assumption, not only was I giving life to a committee of enemies in my head, but I was the 'chairman' of that committee. Maybe most important, I began to hear the concept that we are not what other people feel about us or think about us."
+ "...that okay feeling has to be independent of how others might try to make me feel. ... The trick for me is having the right kind of boundaries - knowing which feelings belong to me and which are yours."
Disclaimer: Yes, I love Joey Kramer. But I'm not biased - I hate musicians that complain they never ever wanted to be famous, that they just wanted to play music - even when all they wrote about in their journals was how to book more shows, how to get in with this agent, how to get more public exposure (coughKurtCobaincough). I hate celebrities who use their fame to bring attention to themselves for any little thing, as a soapbox to force their views on the public.
It's easy to read a review from someone who is biased and think it's all bullshit. And true, maybe you wouldn't like this book, and maybe you think Aerosmith is a shitty, money-grubbing band. That's fine. But this is an honest story, and a powerful one, and it's clear to see the point of the book is not to make Joey look cool. I know he made money from signing the book deal, writing the manuscript, and from each copy sold. But I honestly think that he wanted to get his story out there.
"You don't have to be a rock star to crash and burn. The details of our stories may be different, but as humans, our pain is the same. ... I tried to convey a story that - while uniquely mine - is so relatable that it serves to deliver a universal message of hope and the process of healing."
And that's refreshing to hear from any celebrity.
Joey Kramer tells you everything. He tells you about frequently crying like a baby as a grown man, he tells you about shitting his pants because he was so strung out, he tells you about the guilt he feels for missing out on his son's childhood because of drugs. He shoulders some of the blame for his marriage ending, instead of pushing it off onto his ex-wife, who wouldn't be able to defend herself.
One of the most emotional parts was when he went to see his abusive father, who was wasting away from Alzheimer's.
"His face was like a mask. The disease had taken everything, even his ability to smile or talk. This big strong guy, this soldier who had stormed the beaches at Normandy to fight the Nazis was now helpless, stiff and hunched over, his muscles wasted away from not being used. It broke my heart, and I thought, This is the raging monster who had terrorized me when I was growing up?"
Throughout the book, Joey delves deeply into the complicated relationship with his dad, even sharing the letter he wrote after his father's death, forgiving him. I won't lie - I bawled uncontrollably during those sections. My heart went out to Joey for what he went through with his father, but then I was so proud and inspired that he forgave his dad.
Joey's battle with depression is very common, but it's always hard to believe that other people know how you're feeling. "...this depression was just one big hole, and I was right at the edge, looking down into the darkness, and the darkness had a gravitational pull all its own. I didn't want to go down there, and yet I couldn't pull away."
The book is about Aerosmith too, of course - he is the drummer. But it's not bragging about what he had, lost, and got back. It's about trying to define himself in another way: "'Who are you, Joey Kramer? Who are you without Aerosmith?' I was forty-five years old, and it was time for me to have an answer."
It's not a self-help book, but there are a lot of nuggets of advice in there that I had to make note of. Here are a couple:
+ "I was learning to recognize that the minute I assumed something about what someone else was thinking or feeling about me and I got into defending against that assumption, not only was I giving life to a committee of enemies in my head, but I was the 'chairman' of that committee. Maybe most important, I began to hear the concept that we are not what other people feel about us or think about us."
+ "...that okay feeling has to be independent of how others might try to make me feel. ... The trick for me is having the right kind of boundaries - knowing which feelings belong to me and which are yours."
Disclaimer: Yes, I love Joey Kramer. But I'm not biased - I hate musicians that complain they never ever wanted to be famous, that they just wanted to play music - even when all they wrote about in their journals was how to book more shows, how to get in with this agent, how to get more public exposure (coughKurtCobaincough). I hate celebrities who use their fame to bring attention to themselves for any little thing, as a soapbox to force their views on the public.
It's easy to read a review from someone who is biased and think it's all bullshit. And true, maybe you wouldn't like this book, and maybe you think Aerosmith is a shitty, money-grubbing band. That's fine. But this is an honest story, and a powerful one, and it's clear to see the point of the book is not to make Joey look cool. I know he made money from signing the book deal, writing the manuscript, and from each copy sold. But I honestly think that he wanted to get his story out there.
"You don't have to be a rock star to crash and burn. The details of our stories may be different, but as humans, our pain is the same. ... I tried to convey a story that - while uniquely mine - is so relatable that it serves to deliver a universal message of hope and the process of healing."
And that's refreshing to hear from any celebrity.
August 25, 2015
I always feel like an asshole when I don’t like someone’s memoir. I mean, who am I to say that your life story (or the way you’ve chosen to tell it) is anything other than beautiful? Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time I’ve struggled with this. Remember Tweak by Nic Sheff? That one may have been the worst memoir of all time. (Good news for you, Kramer!)
Long story short, after years of grappling with the “I hate your memoir but don’t feel good about it” issue, I’ve come to the conclusion that, while I may not be justified in judging the content of someone’s story or their own interpretation of their life, I AM allowed to experience and express my reactions to their book via tiny online review blog.
And my reaction to Hit Hard? I was pretty damn bored.
I think Joey Kramer (drummer for Aerosmith for those of you who, like me, are generally rock n’ roll naive) had a hard life, and I think there are elements of his story that are worth writing down, even if for no other reason than to provide some cathartic experience for Kramer himself. But that’s really all this was: him getting things off his chest with little to no regard for the attention span of the reader.
I had such a hard time engaging with the narrative; the whole thing just seemed like so much fluffy, repetitive bullshit. Like he was regurgitating all of his “ah-ha!” moments in therapy. “Oh yeah– life IS about more than drugs!” “Oh yeah– maybe I AM trying to numb out the pain associated with my daddy issues!”
Over and over and over again, we revisit the same one-liners. For those of you who don’t want to read the whole book (which I recommend that you don’t– spend your valuable time elsewhere), here’s a thorough summary:
1) Daddy hit me.
2) I got famous.
3) I used drugs to numb myself.
4) That’s bad so I went to therapy a lot.
5) I re-discovered the same things about myself 500 times over the course of 40 years and tell you about each identical revelation using identical vocabulary until my editor says I can’t use anymore pages.
THE END.
Sorry, Joey. You seem like a great guy and maybe in another context Aerosmith would seem like an interesting band, but man– that was a long 11 chapters.
Long story short, after years of grappling with the “I hate your memoir but don’t feel good about it” issue, I’ve come to the conclusion that, while I may not be justified in judging the content of someone’s story or their own interpretation of their life, I AM allowed to experience and express my reactions to their book via tiny online review blog.
And my reaction to Hit Hard? I was pretty damn bored.
I think Joey Kramer (drummer for Aerosmith for those of you who, like me, are generally rock n’ roll naive) had a hard life, and I think there are elements of his story that are worth writing down, even if for no other reason than to provide some cathartic experience for Kramer himself. But that’s really all this was: him getting things off his chest with little to no regard for the attention span of the reader.
I had such a hard time engaging with the narrative; the whole thing just seemed like so much fluffy, repetitive bullshit. Like he was regurgitating all of his “ah-ha!” moments in therapy. “Oh yeah– life IS about more than drugs!” “Oh yeah– maybe I AM trying to numb out the pain associated with my daddy issues!”
Over and over and over again, we revisit the same one-liners. For those of you who don’t want to read the whole book (which I recommend that you don’t– spend your valuable time elsewhere), here’s a thorough summary:
1) Daddy hit me.
2) I got famous.
3) I used drugs to numb myself.
4) That’s bad so I went to therapy a lot.
5) I re-discovered the same things about myself 500 times over the course of 40 years and tell you about each identical revelation using identical vocabulary until my editor says I can’t use anymore pages.
THE END.
Sorry, Joey. You seem like a great guy and maybe in another context Aerosmith would seem like an interesting band, but man– that was a long 11 chapters.
November 8, 2009
If you are searching for an insider's look at the debauchery of the rock n' roll life or an in-depth exploration of Aerosmith, this is not the book for you. Read "Walk This Way" for the Aerosmith scoop and any book about Elvis Presley, the Grateful Dead or Led Zeppelin for the crazy life of a rock star. "Hit Hard" is a book about self-discovery and self-realization, and a pretty poor one at that. There are dozens of better rock books out there and dozens of better recovery/mental health books available. I was hoping for a balance of both but got an overview of each aspect of Joey Kramer's life. I am really tiring of these "Poor me, I am a sad, lonely rock star." books. Toughen up. You haven't work a real job since high school and you have more money than most people. You don't like your life? Change careers, change friends, move on. If you, the music fan, have already seen Metallica's film, "Some Kind of Monster," there is no reason to read this book. You have heard enough whining by millionaire, child-men who can't get along with their best friends.
Kramer spends as much time complaining about his manager as he does describing the writing, recording, and touring for the first 4 Aerosmith albums. How about some balance here? The last chapter is not even worth reading.
Kramer spends as much time complaining about his manager as he does describing the writing, recording, and touring for the first 4 Aerosmith albums. How about some balance here? The last chapter is not even worth reading.
April 18, 2015
There were parts of this book that were absolutely riveting. I'm still amazed that a human being, with this level of talent, can sink to the bottom the way Joey Kramer did. Sometimes the story flounders, but luckily for only a page or two. Kramer weaves a story drawing from both his upbringing in an abusive home and the rise, fall and rise again of Aerosmith, which deliver a real emotional punch. You have to give the guy credit for having the balls to write something with so much depth and be willing to tackle his personal demons and wrestle them to the ground. Many other people in this same situation wouldn't be alive to write a book
February 24, 2016
Engaging autobiography by Joey Kramer, the longtime drummer for Aerosmith. As a drummer, and Aerosmith fan, I appreciated getting to know about Kramer's life, and struggles with family, drugs, alcohol, injury, abuse marriage, money, music and more drugs. Yet also as a drummer, and a fan of Aerosmith, I was left disappointed by "Hit Hard."
I suppose I was hoping Joey Kramer's book would be an explicit "tell-all," with great stories about being a drummer, and being in a band like Aerosmith. Yet "Hit Hard" is not that book. The author writes like a man who is still very much part of Aerosmith, and does not want to burn any bridges in the telling of the band's story through his eyes. Sure there are a few band, album/road stories here and there...but many of the details are left out. Perhaps Kramer does not remember them, which is possible considering his drug and alcohol intake back then.
We learn much about Joey Kramer's troubled, abusive yet mutually beneficial relationship with Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, yet almost nothing about his relationship with his other bandmates. I had read years ago that Steven Tyler actually played drums on an Aerosmith song instead of Kramer...why isn't THAT in the book? Also missing is Kramer's thoughts about the music Aerosmith was making...and his experiences recording some of their classic albums. So, yes, as an Aerosmith fan, I was let down.
What the author focuses on instead is his recovery from years of abuse from others, as well as self-abuse. "Hit Hard" itself seemed like another part of Joey Kramer's recovery program. Kramer spends a lot of time focusing on reclaiming his life from the people he allowed to control and abuse him...namely his father, and Steven Tyler. He learned to bury his pain by hiding with his toys, then later by drugs and alcohol.
Joey Kramer's decent into drug and psychological hell, and subsequent road back to self is indeed an interesting one (at times) and the book serves as a documented affirmation of his new, healthy outlook on both life and love...which is great. Well, at least the idea is great. What's missing, however, are the specific details that endear the reader to the author's plight.
The problem is that too many details and incidents are either glossed over, or spoken about in a broad way. One never feels that one is experiencing Joey Kramer's story with him as it happened, but rather at a great distance, and in the past tense. A few years ago, Eric Clapton wrote a stellar book about his life and recovery from all forms of self-abuse that was fascinating, moving and shocking. THAT's what I was hoping "Hit Hard" would be. Instead, the reader gets only a taste of the incredible life Joey Kramer has had through the years.
I suppose I was hoping Joey Kramer's book would be an explicit "tell-all," with great stories about being a drummer, and being in a band like Aerosmith. Yet "Hit Hard" is not that book. The author writes like a man who is still very much part of Aerosmith, and does not want to burn any bridges in the telling of the band's story through his eyes. Sure there are a few band, album/road stories here and there...but many of the details are left out. Perhaps Kramer does not remember them, which is possible considering his drug and alcohol intake back then.
We learn much about Joey Kramer's troubled, abusive yet mutually beneficial relationship with Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, yet almost nothing about his relationship with his other bandmates. I had read years ago that Steven Tyler actually played drums on an Aerosmith song instead of Kramer...why isn't THAT in the book? Also missing is Kramer's thoughts about the music Aerosmith was making...and his experiences recording some of their classic albums. So, yes, as an Aerosmith fan, I was let down.
What the author focuses on instead is his recovery from years of abuse from others, as well as self-abuse. "Hit Hard" itself seemed like another part of Joey Kramer's recovery program. Kramer spends a lot of time focusing on reclaiming his life from the people he allowed to control and abuse him...namely his father, and Steven Tyler. He learned to bury his pain by hiding with his toys, then later by drugs and alcohol.
Joey Kramer's decent into drug and psychological hell, and subsequent road back to self is indeed an interesting one (at times) and the book serves as a documented affirmation of his new, healthy outlook on both life and love...which is great. Well, at least the idea is great. What's missing, however, are the specific details that endear the reader to the author's plight.
The problem is that too many details and incidents are either glossed over, or spoken about in a broad way. One never feels that one is experiencing Joey Kramer's story with him as it happened, but rather at a great distance, and in the past tense. A few years ago, Eric Clapton wrote a stellar book about his life and recovery from all forms of self-abuse that was fascinating, moving and shocking. THAT's what I was hoping "Hit Hard" would be. Instead, the reader gets only a taste of the incredible life Joey Kramer has had through the years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2015
A really good book about Aerosmith's longtime drummer. This book provides a look into depression and abuse. Aerosmith fans will be fascinated by Kramer's relationship with Steven Tyler. It's obvious Joey Kramer idolizes the singer, and yet sometimes Tyler is the reason for most of his problems. I think this is a must read book for Aerosmith fans.
February 23, 2023
Like most people, when it comes to Aerosmith I think only of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. The Toxic Twins, but now I know that Joey Kramer is the beating heart of America’s Greatest rock n roll band. This biography has all the stories of rock star excess but it also has something g few rock star bios would dare show - vulnerability. Kramer’a life was about abuse, first at home and then in the band he co-founded. Learning to take that pain and turn it into something beautiful is the point of this book.
June 8, 2019
For the casual or die-hard Aerosmith fan alike. Joey goes deeper than most autobiographies I've read with his drug use, personal problems and childhood. Most of these books tend to gloss over it in a chapter or two to lay the groundwork for why they acted the way they did. In this one he's constantly learning and re-learning how to deal with these pressures and his life to this point. I enjoyed it!
July 14, 2019
I hear the percussion differently now
I've been an Aerosmith fan since the seventies but have only recently begun to learn about the band as the human beings they are. Joey shares stories of his own life as well as a lot of band history. As an interesting side effect, I catch myself listening to old favorites differently now and can pick up subtleties in the percussion sounds. Great book!
I've been an Aerosmith fan since the seventies but have only recently begun to learn about the band as the human beings they are. Joey shares stories of his own life as well as a lot of band history. As an interesting side effect, I catch myself listening to old favorites differently now and can pick up subtleties in the percussion sounds. Great book!
September 14, 2024
This book speaks of what depression and anxiety can do to you. Granted the drugs and alcohol don't help. But when you are feeling so much, when you are in that much pain, you try to cover it in the way that is the easiest. You try not to feel. This book shows you that drowning your feelings do not make them go away, it just buries them. What great courage it took Joey to bare his soul and show us that it doesn't matter who you are, mental illness can still come for you in many ways. Great read!
August 2, 2023
I'd read both Joe Perry and Steven Tyler's autobios so I was excited to get a take on Aerosmith from someone in the rhythm section. I was disappointed by how little focus on the history of the band there was. But the focus being on mental health bumped my rating up a star.
Too many people still feel that mental illness is a character flaw. Joey shows how wrong that thought is. A member of one of the biggest rock acts in history has no call for suffering from mental illness right? Wrong.
I hope people struggling with co-dependency issues, with PTSD, with the fact that mental illness is not their fault read this book. It's a great example of how success doesn't cure all.
Too many people still feel that mental illness is a character flaw. Joey shows how wrong that thought is. A member of one of the biggest rock acts in history has no call for suffering from mental illness right? Wrong.
I hope people struggling with co-dependency issues, with PTSD, with the fact that mental illness is not their fault read this book. It's a great example of how success doesn't cure all.
January 1, 2021
Where to begin???
I love reading memoirs of Rock-N-Roll legends and their drug induced escapades. However, as interesting as this book appeared on the cover, the meat and potatoes of it was unable to sink its hooks in me. Repetitive in nature, there was probably a much more interactive and interesting way to tell his story.
Aerosmith is one of my favorite rock bands and that will never change and this book did open my eyes to a few things but, sorry Joey... you missed the mark on this book.
Thanks for the insight in your life.
I love reading memoirs of Rock-N-Roll legends and their drug induced escapades. However, as interesting as this book appeared on the cover, the meat and potatoes of it was unable to sink its hooks in me. Repetitive in nature, there was probably a much more interactive and interesting way to tell his story.
Aerosmith is one of my favorite rock bands and that will never change and this book did open my eyes to a few things but, sorry Joey... you missed the mark on this book.
Thanks for the insight in your life.
December 29, 2018
Joey Kramer is the man!
I love Aerosmith and I knew they had a rough go but this book was a very insightful look at the hardships Joey Kramer went through to crawl back to the top of his game. An excellent read for anyone who was in need of finding themselves and recovering from pain.
I love Aerosmith and I knew they had a rough go but this book was a very insightful look at the hardships Joey Kramer went through to crawl back to the top of his game. An excellent read for anyone who was in need of finding themselves and recovering from pain.
September 13, 2019
I wish a 3.5 star rating were possible here. Anyway. Very good book. Makes me wish I remembered Steven Tyler and Joe Perry's autobiographies better. Heavy on the therapy, mental abuse and dysfunction. Still, good stories, some insight into the band. I could do without 70% of the pictures because they’re almost all just him. Interestingly.
January 5, 2021
Joey Kramer's book is an interesting account of his years growing up with his abusive dad, who he loved until the end. Even in Aerosmith, he didn't gain the friendship of Joe Perry early on and found the other guys to be hypocritical of their insistence that he go to rehab later. But Steven Tyler did help make him a better drummer and with the others, they made great music. A good read.
May 30, 2022
Joey dug deep. Standing in the shadows of the Toxic Twins for 50+ years hasn't been easy and Joey is forthright and cut wide open throughout this read. Yeah, tales of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll are present, but it's the tales of his childhood and his fight to reclaim his sanity in an insane industry that turns these pages.
June 12, 2018
Grest
This is a very
Raw and real look into the world of depression. I felt like he described the disease and it's symptoms as I felt them perfectly. I wish he went into more detail on what therapy sessions were like.
This is a very
Raw and real look into the world of depression. I felt like he described the disease and it's symptoms as I felt them perfectly. I wish he went into more detail on what therapy sessions were like.
September 22, 2022
R&R lifestyle
Joey does not hold back in his life story. I enjoyed learning more about the man and his band, a story full of adventures that he has experienced and he comes out a better man.
Joey does not hold back in his life story. I enjoyed learning more about the man and his band, a story full of adventures that he has experienced and he comes out a better man.
October 20, 2022
I read this book after reading Steven and Joe’s autobiographies, both of which provided more band history. By reading Joey’s book last, I had a greater appreciation for the lens through which he views controversial figures such as Tim Collins. This book is so personal and raw.
March 8, 2025
Author was brave to share his journey with depression & anxiety. He struggled with drugs & alcohol, reached bottom, & went to treatment. His letter to his deceased father was heart-breaking & yet healing.
October 30, 2015
I do not dispute the assertion made somewhere early in Hit Hard that Aerosmith is "America's number one rock and roll band." They are far from being America's best band, did not produce anything important, nor did they have any integrity to speak of. However, they were constant. Aerosmith provided power anthems and jock jams for multiple generations - on the strength of material that was perennially new (one generation had "Dream On," another "Angel," and another "Cryin'" (and so on, I expect)). While the other big names in classic rock existed only in the form of old hits from yesteryear, on constant heavy rotation on oldies stations for thirty solid years (see: Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and Lynyrd Skynyrd), Aerosmith was tangible: They were on (contemporary) FM radio, on MTV, on the covers of magazines, had t-shirts at the mall... Hell, you could go see them on tour or on Saturday Night Live. And it was always new* music - not some nostalgic recap of 70s glory days. And they played consistently priapic, bone-headed blues rock. Everyone - from the most jaded punk rocker or hipster to the lamest conservative baby boomer - has a soft spot for good old fashioned, bone-headed blues rock with a ghoulish-yet-flamboyant frontman and a gaggle of ugly dudes in clown clothes playing a bunch of fucking guitar solos. It's when we let our defenses down for a brief moment and settle into some primordial resting state. Or something.
I've never thought much about Aerosmith though, despite the fact they are one of my most precious guilty pleasures. The constancy that defines them makes them also somewhat invisible - at least as far as people go. I was aware of Joey Kramer, though. He and Tom Hamilton (the tall, pleasant looking bass player) seemed nice. Like the Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork to Steven Tyler's and Joe Perry's Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones. I was pretty interested, from the get-go, in what this unassuming, cheerful-looking man would have to say about his life in a vapid, libidinous, arena rock circus show. I know why it was hard for Mike and Peter to be Monkees (it wasn't living in the shadow of Davy and Mickey - Peter and Mike were marginally creative people and just hip enough to detest the stink of what that manufactured "band" said about the state of art in America). What must one of the "nice ones" in this cultural travesty have to say? Come on, you've got to be interested too.
It turns out: not much. I'm not certain Joey Kramer even goes on record as saying he likes Aerosmith's music (though he must). I'm not sure Joey Kramer actually knows how to explain what he likes about music. This isn't a bad thing. For a lot of people (see: a lot of Aerosmith fans), music isn't something to be enthusiastic about or exult in. For them, music is just something that's always around, like scenery. And while it's to be appreciated, it is not necessarily worth close investigation. I think Joey Kramer is probably one of those people. Again, it isn't a bad thing. It's one of humanity's common permutations. I say all this because Joey Kramer - like me - probably hasn't done a lot of active thinking about Aerosmith himself. I feel like he just kind of went along with it and had fun. After all, it scored him tons of drugs and sexual gratification and he owns multiple Italian sports cars.
So this book isn't really about Aerosmith. After I got past that little expectational setback, I found I really didn't mind letting Joey Kramer unpack all his psychological baggage on me. (That's what this book is actually about: Joey Kramer's psychological baggage. Joey had a mean dad and a terrible mother. He was a poor student and fucked around a LOT. Not cool fuck around, though. Like, playing in cover bands and getting hepatitis because you're a fuckup who lives in squalor fuck around. He was in a series of abusive relationships. And he had to learn about them in order to resolve them. And now he's discovered inner peace and wants to tell you about it.)**
I mean, why not hear Joey Kramer out? He's the nice one, for God's sake! You've spent your whole post-pubscent life listening to Aerosmith. You can repay the man this small courtesy. No, the book is not what you thought it would be about - and it's badly (well, maybe not badly - more like very modestly and simply) written. But you can take two or three evenings out of your busy life to hear Joey Kramer out. That's all I'm saying.
...Okay, that might not have been the most rousing recommendation. And it is, after all, very badly (no, modestly) written. And it isn't any more interesting than hearing your overweight, born-again Christian cousin tell his story about what changed his life. But let's say you've already got the book. Or see it for a dollar somewhere. Go ahead and read it. What'll it hurt? Again, don't you sort of owe the drummer from Aerosmith a few hours of your time?
* Note I do not say "original" or "innovative" or even "topical." I say "new."
**Oops, I spoiled it.
I've never thought much about Aerosmith though, despite the fact they are one of my most precious guilty pleasures. The constancy that defines them makes them also somewhat invisible - at least as far as people go. I was aware of Joey Kramer, though. He and Tom Hamilton (the tall, pleasant looking bass player) seemed nice. Like the Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork to Steven Tyler's and Joe Perry's Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones. I was pretty interested, from the get-go, in what this unassuming, cheerful-looking man would have to say about his life in a vapid, libidinous, arena rock circus show. I know why it was hard for Mike and Peter to be Monkees (it wasn't living in the shadow of Davy and Mickey - Peter and Mike were marginally creative people and just hip enough to detest the stink of what that manufactured "band" said about the state of art in America). What must one of the "nice ones" in this cultural travesty have to say? Come on, you've got to be interested too.
It turns out: not much. I'm not certain Joey Kramer even goes on record as saying he likes Aerosmith's music (though he must). I'm not sure Joey Kramer actually knows how to explain what he likes about music. This isn't a bad thing. For a lot of people (see: a lot of Aerosmith fans), music isn't something to be enthusiastic about or exult in. For them, music is just something that's always around, like scenery. And while it's to be appreciated, it is not necessarily worth close investigation. I think Joey Kramer is probably one of those people. Again, it isn't a bad thing. It's one of humanity's common permutations. I say all this because Joey Kramer - like me - probably hasn't done a lot of active thinking about Aerosmith himself. I feel like he just kind of went along with it and had fun. After all, it scored him tons of drugs and sexual gratification and he owns multiple Italian sports cars.
So this book isn't really about Aerosmith. After I got past that little expectational setback, I found I really didn't mind letting Joey Kramer unpack all his psychological baggage on me. (That's what this book is actually about: Joey Kramer's psychological baggage. Joey had a mean dad and a terrible mother. He was a poor student and fucked around a LOT. Not cool fuck around, though. Like, playing in cover bands and getting hepatitis because you're a fuckup who lives in squalor fuck around. He was in a series of abusive relationships. And he had to learn about them in order to resolve them. And now he's discovered inner peace and wants to tell you about it.)**
I mean, why not hear Joey Kramer out? He's the nice one, for God's sake! You've spent your whole post-pubscent life listening to Aerosmith. You can repay the man this small courtesy. No, the book is not what you thought it would be about - and it's badly (well, maybe not badly - more like very modestly and simply) written. But you can take two or three evenings out of your busy life to hear Joey Kramer out. That's all I'm saying.
...Okay, that might not have been the most rousing recommendation. And it is, after all, very badly (no, modestly) written. And it isn't any more interesting than hearing your overweight, born-again Christian cousin tell his story about what changed his life. But let's say you've already got the book. Or see it for a dollar somewhere. Go ahead and read it. What'll it hurt? Again, don't you sort of owe the drummer from Aerosmith a few hours of your time?
* Note I do not say "original" or "innovative" or even "topical." I say "new."
**Oops, I spoiled it.
April 24, 2018
another drug addict story
May 9, 2018
I enjoyed how real this book was. He made a real effort to make this book relatable and you can realy tell he is hoping you learn from his mistakes.
I did however hate the horrible font changes .
I did however hate the horrible font changes .
March 29, 2020
Loved it!!! Def shines a light on addiction and mental health!!!
March 4, 2021
tell-all story of the drumer of Aerosmith
(I can only wonder how did the other band members receive it :D )
(I can only wonder how did the other band members receive it :D )
October 10, 2021
Only the drummer of Aerosmith, but has a great story to tell that is honest, insightful, and fucken rock and roll.
November 28, 2023
Interesting read
Not a fan of the band. I enjoyed reading this book. It was an easy read and gave me things to think about.
Not a fan of the band. I enjoyed reading this book. It was an easy read and gave me things to think about.
Want to read
December 29, 2024Forward by Nikki Sixx
April 26, 2025
Good honest look into Joey's life in and out of Aerosmith. For the most part I liked it, but all the talk about the therapy was a bit much ..perhaps it will help someone someday.
August 29, 2025
HOW HAVE I NEVER KNOWN HOW HOT JOEY KRAMER IS??!!! This book was so raw and real!!!
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