(Credits: Far Out / daigooliva)
Fri 17 April 2026 1:00, UK
As Steven Tyler already knows, creating a legacy outside of the band that gave you your name is a tough business. But one thing that ensured such a path was that, unlike some of his peers, he never lost his spark for good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll.
Growing up, you wouldn’t have exactly predicted that Tyler would have become such a pivotal figure in rock. However, a self-proclaimed “country boy” who enjoyed and endured countless different experiences and situations to get to where he is today, Tyler learned early on how important it was to embrace the unexpected.
He also learned that most of the best things in life rarely come from complacency. As he once explained to Louder, he sees things a different way than most people, and it’s because of this unique attitude that he paved the way for later successes. “What’s bothered me in life is there’s a lot of people that say, ‘Oh well, let it be. Leave it alone,’” he said. “Fortunately or unfortunately, I just can’t leave it alone.”
Still, taking the road less travelled and still ending up somewhere good doesn’t necessarily mean that Tyler has it all figured out – or Aerosmith, for that matter. In fact, Tyler also explained why the band works so well despite being “the most dysfunctional on the planet”, and it’s because, although he might fight with Joe Perry from time to time, they have written songs that have “greased generations”.
“There’s magic there,” he added, highlighting the endurance of hits like ‘Walk This Way’, ‘Sweet Emotion’, and ‘Dream On’ to prove his point. And although times may change, tastes may change, and people may move on to whatever’s currently the next best thing, Aerosmith will consistently remain on top of their game, regardless of the zeitgeist.
As we’ve seen, therefore, Tyler has always been forthcoming about his positioning in rock, with which comes stark honesty about those he regards at the very top of the hierarchy of rock excellence. Considering his journey and achievements, it isn’t hard to guess which sorts of artists he loves the most – and which he’d fight tooth and nail for a chance to perform alongside, if given the chance.
Most of the major players on his bucket list have already been ticked off, but one he’d do anything to share the stage with is the maestros of modern rock ‘n’ roll themselves, AC/DC. Discussing his fantasy with Rolling Stone alongside Perry in 2013, Tyler went so far as to admit that he’d even “take a pay cut to play with AC/DC” because “it’s one of my last things to do, go on tour with them”. He added, “I don’t really care about the money, and I don’t care about some great review. It’s more about the fans – it’s always been about them.”
Although Tyler has yet to live out his dream of touring with the band, he did experience a sliver of heaven back in 2003, when he inducted the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before performing a special rendition of ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ with them. Not only this, but Malcolm Young and co specifically recruited Tyler on account of how much Aerosmith helped them when they first came to America, when they opened for the band across several dates in the late 1970s.
And during their induction, Tyler made it clear just how much the respect ran both ways, no doubt laying the groundwork for any potential future collaborative tour, should the occasion arise. Before their induction, Tyler said that there is “no greater purveyor” of the power chord than AC/DC, arguing that they single-handedly invented modern rock by focusing on the simple art of having fun.
