Steven Tyler says he spent ”many years” feeling angry at being forced into rehab by his Aerosmith bandmates as they went on vacation.
In a new interview with Haute Living, the band’s frontman spoke about his stint in rehab and what it took for him to finally get sober.
“There were no such things as rehabs; there were mental institutions. I went away in ’84 and ’86, and I didn’t really get it,” he said, referring to some of the times he failed to detox. “The early 80s were terrible, and drugs took us down. I was the first one to get treatment.”
For Tyler, his breakthrough moment came in 1988 when his management and the rest of Aerosmith stepped in and “pulled an intervention” on him.
“They thought, ‘Get the lead singer sober, and all our problems would be over,'” he said. “So, I got sober, and you know it took me many years to get over the anger of them sending me to rehab while they went on vacation.”
Now, the frontman feels ”grateful” that he was the subject of an intervention in the late 1980s.
“But today because of that moment… I am grateful and owe a thanks to them for my sobriety,” he said.
The 71-year-old also said he is ”beyond grateful” to have had the support of his bandmates, Joe Perry, Koey Kramer, Brad Whitford and Tom Hamilton, especially in the difficult times they have faced in their personal lives.
”I stayed in this band because I know the power that Joe and I have from all the songs that we’ve written, or Brad and Tom and Joey,” he said. ”Joey has been here through thick and thin.
”I have had many times in my life where I just couldn’t handle, whether it was a marriage or my addiction had reared its ugly head, and the rest of the guys in the band are not unlike that. But we have all seen each other through it, and we are here today.”
He added: ”My whole life is dreams coming true. I am so beyond grateful for it all.”
Meanwhile, Aerosmith have confirmed that they’re playing Glastonbury next year.
The rock icons, led by frontman Steven Tyler, included an appearance at the iconic festival in a new list of European 2020 tour dates which was sent to fans earlier this month (December 6).
According to the official listing, the ‘Love In An Elevator’ band will play Glastonbury on June 27, the Saturday of the festival.