July 8, 2009 : Aerosmith's Joey Kramer

WHEN WE CONTINUE, AEROSMITH

DRUMMER JOEY KRAMER.

WHO IS JOEY KRAMER WITHOUT

AEROSMITH?

THAT'S THE QUESTION AEROSMITH

DRUMMER YOY KRAMER ASKED

HIMSELF AT AGE 45, AS HE

ENTERED YET ANOTHER ROUND OF

REHAB.

THIS TIME FOR DEPRESSION AND

ANXIETY.

IT'S THE SUBJECT OF HIS NEW

BOOK "HIT HARD," A STORY OF

HITTING ROCK BOTTOM AT THE TO

TOP.

YOY KRAMER IS HERE.

WELCOME.

>> THANK YOU.

>> WHILE READING THIS BOOK I

KEPT HAVING FLASHES OF ALL THE

PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME AND GONE

BEFORE YOU, FROM COULD PAIN,

JOPLIN, HENDRICKS, DOZENS OF

PEOPLE THAT DIED BEFORE THEIR

TIME.

YOU MANGSED TO COME BACK FROM

IT.

BUT WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN TO SO

MANY PEOPLE IN ARE BUSINESS?

>> THAT'S A REALLY GOOD

QUESTION.

I THINK THAT WHAT HAPPENS IS

YOU GET TO A POINT WHERE YOU

CONFUSE WHO YOU ARE WITH WHAT

YOU DO.

AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF

CLARITY AROUND THAT.

AND BETWEEN THAT AND THE

THREAD THAT RUNS THROUGH MY

BOOK, WHICH IS THE CONFUSION

BETWEEN LOVE AND ABUSE, I

THINK THE COMBINATION OF THAT

AND CONFUSING WHO WE ARE WITH

WHAT WE DO, IS WHAT TENDS TO

REAL US THAT WAY.

ALONG WITH UNFINISHED ISSUES

IN OUR LIVES THAT WE DON'T

DEAL WITH, YOU KNOW, FOR ME IT

WAS THE DEATH OF MY FATHER,

AND SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS

WITH OTHER RELATIONSHIPS THAT

WERE OPEN IN MY LIFE.

AND THE CONFUSION THAT I HAD

BETWEEN LOVE AND ABUSE WITH MY

DAD WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, SET ME

UP FOR SOME OF THOSE

RELATIONSHIPS IN MY LIFE.

>> HE WAS FLAT OUT ABUSIVE.

I MEAN, YOU LOVE SOMEBODY, BUT

THEY'RE ABUSIVE TO YOU.

GOING BACK TO YOUR POINT OF

CONFUSING YOUR IDENTITY OF WHO

YOU ARE WITH WHAT YOU DO, MOST

PEOPLE HAVE YOUR PROBLEM.

BUT IN YOUR WORLD IT DIFFERENT,

BECAUSE YOU'RE A TV REPORTER

OR YOU'RE A LAWYER OR THAT,

PEOPLE LIVE FOR WHAT THEY ARE,

BUT WHEN YOU'RE A ROCK STAR,

YOU'RE IN THIS WORLD THAT IS

JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE

ADORATION, MONEY, AND

EVERYTHING IS AROUND YOU.

YOU TALK ABOUT IT, FROM THE

SEX AND THE DRUGS, AND

EVERYTHING, THE ADORATION.

YOU JUST CAN'T SEPARATE IT.

>> WELL, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT.

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE ON THE

ROAD.

YOU HAVE A ROAD MANAGER AND

YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR

YOU.

AND THE ONLY THING YOU REALLY

HAVE TO DO IS PERFORM.

YOU REALLY DON'T ARE TO DEAL

WITH ANY OF THE

RESPONSIBILITIES OF LIFE THE

WAY THAT YOU DO IF YOU'RE NOT

ON THE ROAD, IF YOU'RE HOME

LIVING YOUR LIFE.

>> IT LIKE BEING A BASEBALL

PLAYER.

>> WELL, YEAH.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE HOME LIVING

YOUR LIFE, YOU HAVE TO SWITCH

OVER, YOU KNOW, YOUR BODY

CLOCK, AND YOUR MIND CLOCK, SO

TO SPEAK, TO A COMPLETELY

DIFFERENT FRAME OF REFERENCE.

THAN WHEN YOU'RE ON THE ROAD.

>> I JUST SAW THE BEYONDY CASH

MOVIE, THAT STORY AS WELL.

YOU TALK ABOUT TOO YOUR TOUGH

RELATIONSHIPS, THE UPS AND

DOWNS THAT THE BAND HAD.

YOU CLEARLY HAVE A LOVE-HATE

RELATIONSHIP WITH STEVEN TYLER

AS WELL.

HE'S BEEN YOUR PAL SINCE YOU

WERE TEENAGERS.

THEN YOU GUYS ALL HIT ROCK

BOTTOM AT THE SAME TIME.

HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN, AND ARE

YOU TILL TOGETHER OR ARE YOU

BACK ON TOUR?

>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T

KNOW THAT I WOULD CLASSIFY IT

AS A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP.

IT'S MORE A LOVE RELATIONSHIP.

BUT OUR RELATIONSHIP IS LIKE

THAT OF BROTHERS.

AND BROTHERS FIGHT AND THEY

DON'T FIGHT, THEY GET ALONG

AND THEY DON'T GET ALONG,

SOMETIMES THEY AGREE,

SOMETIMES THEY DON'T AGREE.

BUT THEY'RE STILL BROTHERS,

AND THE BOTTOM LINE IS

BROTHERS LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

FOR THE MOST PART.

THESE BROTHERS DO.

AND THAT'S THE WAY IT'S BEEN

FOR, YOU KNOW, ALMOST 40

YEARS.

>> YOU CREDIT HIM, AMONG

OTHERS, WITH BEING HELPFUL FOR

YOU KIND OF TURNING YOUR LIFE

AROUND, SOUNDS LIKE SUCH A

CLICHE.

YOU HAD ALREADY BEEN THROUGH

THE DRUG AND ALCOHOL REHAB,

AND THEN YOU FIND YOURSELVES

AT AGE 45 WITH THIS MAJOR

DEPRESSION.

WHAT YOU DESCRIBE, IT'S

CHILLING, PEOPLE HAVE GONE

THROUGH TERRIBLE THINGS, BUT

NEVER TO THE POINT WHERE YOU

FEEL LIKE YOU'VE GOT TO BE

INSTITUTIONALIZED, WHICH IS

REALLY WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU.

>> WELL, I GOT TO THE POINT

WHERE I DIDN'T DEAL WITH MY

FATHER'S PASSING.

AND I WASN'T DEALING WITH

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS FROM MY

LIFE.

AND I BECAME VERY DEMORALIZED,

VERY DEPRESSED.

I FINALLY LET IT GET TO A

POINT WHERE ALL I COULD DO

BASICALLY WAS CRY.

I COULDN'T EVEN TELL YOU MY

NAME.

AND FORTUNATELY FOR ME, I HAD

PEOPLE AROUND ME AT THE TIME

THAT COULD SEE THIS, COULD

TELL WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND

TRIED TO POINT ME IN THE RIGHT

DIRECTION.

THERE WAS A GUY BY THE NAME OF

BOB TIMMONDS WHO IS ALSO NO

LONGER WITH US, AND HE

HAPPENED TO BE AROUND AT THE

TIME AND TOLD ME THAT HE KNEW

OF A PLACE FOR ME TO GO.

AND I WAS IN SUCH EMOTIONAL

PAIN, THE KIND OF EMOTIONAL

PAIN THAT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW

EVER EXISTED.

AND HE SAW ME SUFFERING AND HE

POINTED ME TO THE DIRECTION OF

THIS PLACE, STEPS, THAT I WENT

TO, UP IN CALIFORNIA.

AND IT WAS THERE THAT I GOT AN

EDUCATION ABOUT WHAT IT WAS

THAT WAS GOING ON WITH ME,

WHAT I WAS ABOUT, WHY IT

HAPPENED.

AND I PAID ATTENTION, I GOT A

BIT OF AN EDUCATION ABOUT IT,

I WAS ABLE TO CALM DOWN ABOUT

IT AND LEARN ABOUT MYSELF.

>> I WAS REALLY STRUCK WITH

THAT PORTION OF THE BOOK,

BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW

YOU HAD BEEN THROUGH REHAB

BEFORE, AND YOU HAD KIND OF A

CYNICAL APPROACH TO IT, YOU

SAW IT COMING, YOU KNOW, THIS

IS HOW YOU PEEK TO THE EMPTY

CHAIR AND THAT KIND OF THING

AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS GOING

LIKE THIS, AND YOU DECIDE I

MIGHT AS WELL GOING ALONG WITH

IT.

NOT ONLY THAT I'LL BE THE

GROUP LEADER.

AND IT ENDED UP WORKING FOR

YOU.

>> WELL, IT WORKED FOR ME IN

THE WAY THAT MOST OF THE

PEOPLE THEY WAS WITH AT THAT

PLACE, IT WAS A DUAL DIAGNOSIS

FACILITY, AND I WAS ONE OF

MAYBE ONE OR TWO PEOPLE THAT

WERE THERE FOR DEPRESSION.

EVERYBODY ELSE WAS THERE TO

GET CLEAN AND SOBER.

AND THEY ARE MUCH YOUNGER THAN

I WAS.

I HAD ALREADY BEEN CLEAN AND

SOBER FOR NINE YEARS WHEN THIS

HAPPENED.

SO I MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THAT

GETTING CLEAN AND SOBER WAS

THE ANSWER TO LIFE'S QUESTIONS.

AND I WAS RUDELY AWAKENED TO

THE FACT THAT IT'S NOT.

ALL GETTING CLEAN AND SOBER

DOES IS ALLOW YOU TO DEAL WITH

WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON IN

LIFE.

AND THAT'S WHAT I COULDN'T

DEAL WITH, AND THAT'S WHY I

WAS THERE.

>> HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?

DO YOU THINK THAT'S ALL BEHIND

YOU?

>> YES, IT DEFINITELY BEHIND

ME NOW.

I USE IT AS A REFERENCE, I

THINK BACK TO IT, I REFER TO

IT, I DO A LOT OF SELF TALK, I

DO A LOT OF BEING FRIENDS WITH

MYSELF AND STANDING BACK AND

ALLOWING MYSELF THE SPACE TO

BE THE GUY THAT I AM.

AND KNOW THAT I'M A GOOD GUY,

KNOW THAT I'M A GOOD PERSON,

AND ALLOW MYSELF TO APPRECIATE

ME.

WHICH I NEVER DID BEFORE.

AND IT'S NOT AN EASY THING,

BECAUSE WE'RE SO OBSESSED WITH

THE GOAL THAT ONCE YOU GET

THERE IT'S ALMOST

ANTI-CLIMACTIC.

IT'S LIKE NOW WHAT DO I DO.

BUT NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN

ANY LIFE I'M ENJOYING MY GOAL

AND I'M ENJOYING WHAT I DO.

I LOVE PLAYING IN MY BAND, I

LOVE PLAYING THE DRUMS, IT'S

SOMETHING THAT I'LL NEVER EVER

STOP LOVING.

AND I'M HAVING FUN AGAIN.

>> THAT'S GREAT.

AND YOU'VE STILL GOT TONS OF

FANS.

JOEY KRAMER, WE APPRECIATE

YOUR COMING.

>> THANK YOU.