Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith
Encyclopedia
Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith (ISBN 0-3809-7594-7) was written by Stephen Davis
, published by HarperCollins
and released in October 1997. The book was co-written with the members of Aerosmith
themselves. This biography contains the story of the band's life, legends, women, drugs and partying that nearly killed the Toxic Twins
and split the band. The book ends with the release of the Nine Lives
album.
was released and the band was reaching their peak in the 1970s. Book Two chronicles the band from 1976 into their downfall in the early 1980s, and then their remarkable comeback of the late 1980s up until 1997, when the book was released.
The book is written in a very distinctive fashion, with alternating paragraphs of recollections by the individual band members, band personnel, family members, friends, and music industry professionals. This results in a very descriptive reading, as it presents the detailed recollection of individual events in the band's history from several perspectives. Some of the stories recalled are notable, but some are not. Stephen Davis will often fill in the blanks between these individual events, by clarifying things, filling in dates, and making note of notable items in the band's history that may have not been mentioned in the interviews. There are also several press clippings and reviews embedded throughout the book, along with 16 front-to-back pages of photographs, many from the band members' personal collections that had never been publicly released before.
The book received rave reviews from Entertainment Weekly
, USA Today
, and Rolling Stone
as featured on the back cover of the paperback book edition. The book was also a New York Times bestseller.
Stephen Davis (music journalist)
Stephen Davis is an American music journalist and historian.Davis was born in New York City and attended Boston University. He began his career writing for the Boston Phoenix in 1970...
, published by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
and released in October 1997. The book was co-written with the members of Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
themselves. This biography contains the story of the band's life, legends, women, drugs and partying that nearly killed the Toxic Twins
Toxic Twins
The Toxic Twins is a nickname given to lead singer Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry of American hard rock band Aerosmith. They have also been referred to as the Tyler/Perry partnership in songwriting...
and split the band. The book ends with the release of the Nine Lives
Nine Lives (Aerosmith album)
-Bonus track :-Bonus tracks :-Bonus tracks :-Bonus tracks :-Artwork:...
album.
Background
Walk This Way is divided into two "books", or sections of the book, with five chapters apiece. Book One chronicles the band from the primary members' early lives up until 1975, when their album Toys in the AtticToys in the Attic (album)
For his review of Toys in the Attic for Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album's style a mix of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones riffs and was filled with songs about sex with a different style than there ever was before. Greg Kot called the album a landmark of hard rock...
was released and the band was reaching their peak in the 1970s. Book Two chronicles the band from 1976 into their downfall in the early 1980s, and then their remarkable comeback of the late 1980s up until 1997, when the book was released.
The book is written in a very distinctive fashion, with alternating paragraphs of recollections by the individual band members, band personnel, family members, friends, and music industry professionals. This results in a very descriptive reading, as it presents the detailed recollection of individual events in the band's history from several perspectives. Some of the stories recalled are notable, but some are not. Stephen Davis will often fill in the blanks between these individual events, by clarifying things, filling in dates, and making note of notable items in the band's history that may have not been mentioned in the interviews. There are also several press clippings and reviews embedded throughout the book, along with 16 front-to-back pages of photographs, many from the band members' personal collections that had never been publicly released before.
The book received rave reviews from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
as featured on the back cover of the paperback book edition. The book was also a New York Times bestseller.