Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford Jokes About Joe Perry Getting Credit for His Guitar Work
Aerosmith is blessed with two gifted guitarists, but there’s no question it’s Joe Perry, and not Brad Whitford, who gets the lion’s share of the attention. During his weekend appearance on ‘That Metal Show,’ Whitford insisted that the disparity didn’t bother him. Well, O.K., maybe one time….
“Melody Maker was the famous magazine in London of the day,” Whitford explains. “They were reviewing (the band’s 1976 album) ‘Rocks,’ and they were reviewing ‘Last Child,’ which is my song — Joe plays rhythm guitar, but it’s all my solos. So, they’re (talking about) all this great solo work and comparing it to Jeff Beck and crediting it to Joe. I was a little angry that day.”
In all seriousness, as drummer Joey Kramer explained, the band members are all comfortable in their roles, with Perry and singer Steven Tyler prowling the front of the stage and commanding most of the press attention. “They’re the focal point of the band because that’s what they do — that’s the part that they play. Nobody does what Steven does, nobody does what I do, nobody does what Brad does. It’s been tried before, without one of us there it’s not the same thing.”
Still not clear on the issue? How about a band-as-timepiece metaphor courtesy of Kramer: “It’s like a clock, if you will. You got two hands on the outside, telling the time, that’s what you’re looking at….but do you ever think about the mainspring or the gears in back of the watch, that’s really making it work?”
Watch Aerosmith Perform ‘Last Child’