Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry told the Boston Herald that singer Steven Tyler will be a judge on the next season of American Idol. "We're told it's a done deal," he said. But he's not too happy about it, or the way it went apparently went down.
This is just the latest in a long line of mishaps, feuds and strange behavior in the Aerosmith camp, which all but derailed the hugely successful band during the past year.
Recently, Tyler told the press that his agenda included "recording an album and [I'm] probably going to be a judge on American Idol." Expanding on his role in the popular show, he said, "I'm doing it. What do you think? I'm doing it."
According to Perry, he and the rest of Aerosmith (who just began a US tour last week), weren't told the news face-to-face: "I found out on the Internet like the rest of the world," he said. "I mean, this is no small thing.
"After working with me for 40 years, he couldn't tell me about this... Why so secretive? We're told it's a done deal. If Steven is committed to a TV show, that kind of affects the rest of us. We'd like to plan our lives, ya know?"
Perry said he confronted Tyler in his dressing room before the band's show last Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas about the American Idol situation. Tyler said he was instructed not to discuss it, claimed Perry.
Still, Perry said that the band "pulled out all the stops" and gave the fans "what they have come to expect from us."
Done deal or not, the American Idol producers haven't confirmed the pair of new judges that will replace Ellen DeGeneres and Idol kingpin Simon Cowell. An official announcement is expected in mid-September.
