Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top
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In 1997, amid Aerosmith's sold-out world tour and number one album release, word about Joey's troubles was reported in the press.Despite the advice he had received to play it down, Joey revealed in an interview his ongoing struggles with depression. The response from fans and people battling those same internal demons was overwhelming. Joey—who has been the drummer in Aerosmith since it was founded in 1970 and is the first member of the band to release his own book—now tells the complete story: the early days of the band, glamorous drug-addled events leading up to their eventual sobriety, battles within his family and among bandmates, and the explosive internal dynamics in Aerosmith that continue to unleash a fury of endless creativity. This is not just another rock 'n' roll memoir. In addition to the never-before-told Aerosmith war stories that abound in the book, Hit Hard unpacks the history of a rock star who was both fragile and tough, who after years of insane wildness became willing to accept help and finally kick a serious alcohol and drug addiction, only to find that the real terrors and hard work were still ahead. It's the story of an average kid from an average American suburb who went through physical and emotional trauma. It's about years of depression and the nervous breakdown at the height of the band's comeback success. Ultimately, Hit Hard is about how Joey recognized his confusion between love and abuse, awakening to the kind of self-acceptance and compassion that make relationships possible in the "real world" as a member of the biggest band in American history. Publishers Weekly Being a rock star in the music business oftentimes is not all it's cracked up to be, as Aerosmith drummer Kramer aptly shares in his memoir. Much of the story centers on his drug and alcohol abuse, and his love/hate relationship with his father, his wife and bandmember Steven Tyler. He delves sporadically into the discovery of his own musicianship and creation of his sound, but the main theme is recovery-as an addict and again as a sober but emotionally unhealed man who suffers a nervous breakdown: "I felt like someone was peeling back my skin, ripping off scar tissue." Having been with Aerosmith since its inception and naming the band himself, Kramer recounts climbing to the top of the musical ladder, the fall from grace and virtual disappearance of the band to the climb back up, but this is not an autobiography of the band. It's a sideman taking front and center. If "sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll' is what you want, it's what you'll get in these photo-laden pages. Although the tale is a predictable one, Kramer's style is honest, straightforward and pulls no punches. (July)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction Scared Shitless 11 Two Impostors - Love and Abuse 172 Is That a Belt in Your Hand or are You Happy to See Me? 373 Brown Rice and Carrots 614 Nothin' So Good There Ain't Some Bad in It 815 Drug Addicts Dabbling in Music 1036 I Never Met a Drug I Didn't Like: Has Anyone Seen My Career Lately? 1257 One Disease, Two Disease, Three Disease More 1478 Dear Dad 1739 Nothing So Bad There Ain't Some Good in It 19510 Now That That's Over ... 21311 Epilogue: From Ten 'Til Now 235
