Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton was recently interviewed by Jim Sullivan of AARP. The topic at hand was the announcement earlier this month that Aerosmith are permanently done with touring due to vocalist Steven Tyler, age 76, fracturing his larynx. An excerpt reads as follows:
AARP: How much hope does Aerosmith have on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being “Doubtful we’ll do anything,” and 10 being “Yes, we’ll be doing something”?
Tom Hamilton: "On the hope scale, I’m somewhere between 7 and 9. We won’t be doing any tours from now on, but I’ll always have hope that other types of opportunities will come along. This isn’t the first time black clouds have been on our horizon — and somehow the sun managed to come out. Time and hope are all we have at the moment."
AARP: What did it feel like when the tour was canceled this August?
Tom Hamilton: "Steven’s injury to his throat was really bad. I was surprised but not shocked. Still, it was a real punch in the gut. My mother once told me that our family motto was 'Que será, será.' I’ve had plenty of practice when it comes to accepting reality and moving ahead."
AARP: Would your own health have been OK on a tour?
Tom Hamilton: "I had a lot of radiation back in 2006 [for throat cancer]. The thing about radiation is that you can get aftereffects years later, and in my case, it showed up as some damage to the nerves in my arm and hand. But I’ve figured out a way to get around it. Actually, I think my body figured out a way by itself. Then there’s the normal wear and tear that comes from slamming your fingers into steel cables for 50-plus years. But when you love to do something, you come up with ways to keep doing it."
AARP: Realistically, could Tyler get better?
Tom Hamilton: "Steven has a way of powering through challenges like this one. He’s done it before. You never know. We won’t be touring, but there are a lot of other ways to be and do Aerosmith."
AARP: You haven’t done an album of new material since 2012 [Music From Another Dimension!]. If Tyler got the go-ahead from his doctors, could it happen? Are there songs built up ready to be worked on?
Tom Hamilton: "So far there hasn’t been any talk about a new Aerosmith album."
To read the complete interview, visit this location.
