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 were given that name in the 1970s, due to their rampant use of drugs and alcohol both on and off stage, which was a "toxic" combination that almost ended their lives and their careers.

To this day, they are still commonly referred to by this nickname, despite coming clean and maintaining sobriety for the past 20 years. Their camaraderie can be viewed in several of the band's videos, such as "The Making of Pump", "Big Ones You Can Look At", and "You Gotta Move".

The two are longtime friends and in the early 1980s Steven Tyler came close to crying in a television interview when discussing the pain he felt since Joe Perry left the band. Both Tyler and Perry team up for the majority of Aerosmith's songwriting (they share songwriting credits on over 80 songs) and leadership responsibilities, and are the most recognized members of the band. Because of this, the three remaining members of Aerosmith, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer are known jokingly within the band as the "LI3" or "Less interesting three".

Collaborations

Musical

Often, the Toxic Twins will appear for special performances, appearances, and collaborations, without the other members of Aerosmith. Notable times when this has happened, include:
*A 1986 collaboration with Run D.M.C. for a remake of the Aerosmith song "Walk This Way", which pushed hip hop music into the mainstream, and jumpstarted Aerosmith's career again.
*The recording of the remake of the song and filming of the video for "Wild Thing" with other rock stars and comedian Sam Kinison in 1988.
*An appearance at a Bon Jovi concert in 1989 in Milton Keynes, where Steven and Joe joined Bon Jovi for a performance of "Walk This Way".
*An appearance at a Guns N' Roses concert in 1992 in Paris where Steven and Joe performed "Mama Kin" and "Train Kept A-Rollin'" with Guns N' Roses.
*A 1995 performance with Led Zeppelin at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
*An appearance at a Stone Temple Pilots concert in 1996 in New York where Steven and Joe performed "Sweet Emotion".
*A 1997 commercial for GAP
*An appearance at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards in which Steven and Joe performed with Kid Rock and Run D.M.C. for a collaboration of "Walk This Way".
*A 2002 collaboration in which Tyler and Perry guested on Eminem's "Sing for the Moment" which sampled Aerosmith's "Dream On".
*A 2006 performance with the Boston Pops Orchestra of the band's hits "Dream On", "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and "Walk This Way" for the orchestra's annual Fourth of July celebration in Boston, MA.

Additionally, Steven and Joe are part of the "Boneyard Boys", a group which formed circa late 1990s to include Steven, Joe, and friends Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson, among others, who help spearhead the songwriting, production, and much of the creative process in Aerosmith.

Business

The two used to co-own a restaurant in Norwell, MA called Mount Blue, of which they have since sold their shares.

Personal

*In the mid-1990s, between the albums "Get a Grip" and "Nine Lives", Tyler and Perry and their families vacationed together in Florida.
*The Toxic Twins were also notably featured in Ted Nugent's book "God, Guns, and Rock 'n' Roll", in which Ted praises the duo for coming clean and talks about how they came to his ranch in the 1990s to shoot firearms and spend time with him and his family.

ongwriting Partnership

Tyler and Perry are a notable songwriting duo, and have an impressive collection of songs they have written together. Among these are:
*"Movin' Out" (1973)
*"Same Old Song and Dance" (1974)
*"Toys in the Attic" (1975)
*"Walk This Way" (1975)
*"No More No More" (1975)
*"Back in the Saddle" (1976)
*"Rats in the Cellar" (1976)
*"Get the Lead Out" (1976)
*"Lick and a Promise" (1976)
*"Draw the Line" (1977)
*"I Wanna Know Why" (1977)
*"Get It Up" (1977)
*"Sight for Sore Eyes" (with Jack Douglas and David Johansen) (1977)
*"No Suprize" (1979)
*"Chiquita" (1979)
*"Cheese Cake" (1979)
*"Three Mile Smile" (1979)
*"Bone to Bone (Coney Island Whitefish Boy)" (1979)
*"My Fist Your Face" (with Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Brad Whitford) (1985)
*"Shame on You" (with Hamitlon, Kramer, and Whitford) (1985)
*"The Reason a Dog" (with Hamitlon, Kramer, and Whitford) (1985)
*"Shela" (with Hamitlon, Kramer, and Whitford) (1985)
*"Gypsy Boots" (with Hamitlon, Kramer, and Whitford) (1985)
*"She's on Fire" (with Hamitlon, Kramer, and Whitford) (1985)
*"The Hop" (with Hamitlon, Kramer, and Whitford) (1985)
*"Darkness" (with Hamitlon, Kramer, and Whitford) (1985)
*"Magic Touch" (with Jim Vallance) (1987)
*"Rag Doll" (with Vallance and Holly Knight) (1987)
*"Simoriah" (with Vallance) (1987)
*"Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" (with Desmond Child) (1987)
*"Hangman Jury" (with Vallance) (1987)
*"Girl Keeps Coming Apart" (1987)
*"The Movie" (with Hamitlon, Kramer, and Whitford) (1987)
*"Young Lust" (1989)
*"F.I.N.E.*" (1989)
*"Love in an Elevator" (1989)
*"Monkey on My Back" (1989)
*"My Girl" (1989)
*"Don't Get Mad Get Even" (1989)
*"What it Takes" (with Child) (1989)
*"Ain't Enough" (1989)
*"Intro" (with Vallance) (1993)
*"Eat the Rich" (with Vallance) (1993)
*"Get a Grip" (with Vallance) (1993)
*"Fever" (1993)
*"Livin' on the Edge" (with Mark Hudson) (1993)
*"Flesh" (with Child) (1993)
*"Shut Up and Dance" (with Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw) (1993)
*"Cryin'" (with Taylor Rhodes) (1993)
*"Gotta Love It" (with Hudson) (1993)
*"Crazy" (with Child) (1993)
*"Line Up" (with Lenny Kravitz) (1993)
*"Boogie Man" (with Vallance) (1993)
*"Don't Stop" (with Vallance) (1993)
*"Can't Stop Messin'" (with Blades and Shaw) (1993)
*"Head First" (with Vallance) (1993)
*"Walk on Water" (with Blades and Shaw) (1994)
*"Blind Man" (with Rhodes) (1994)
*"Nine Lives" (with Marti Frederiksen) (1997)
*"Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" (with Glen Ballard) (1997)
*"Hole in My Soul" (with Child) (1997)
*"Taste of India" (with Ballard) (1997)
*"Something's Gotta Give" (with Frederiksen) (1997)
*"Ain't That a Bitch" (with Child) (1997)
*"The Farm" (with Hudson and Steve Dudas) (1997)
*"Crash" (with Hudson and Dominik Miller) (1997)
*"Attitude Adjustment" (with Frederiksen) (1997)
*"Fallen Angels" (with Richard Supa) (1997)
*"What Kind of Love Are You On" (with Blades and Shaw) (1998)
*"Angel's Eye" (with Frederiksen and Rhodes) (2000)
*"Beyond Beautiful" (with Frederiksen and Hudson) (2001)
*"Trip Hoppin'" (with Frederiksen and Hudson) (2001)
*"Sunshine" (with Frederiksen) (2001)
*"Under My Skin" (with Frederiksen and Hudson) (2001)
*"Luv Lies" (with Frederiksen and Hudson) (2001)
*"Outta Your Head" (with Frederiksen) (2001)
*"Drop Dead Gorgeous" (with Hudson) (2001)
*"Light Inside" (with Frederiksen) (2001)
*"Avant Garden" (with Frederiksen and Hudson) (2001)
*"Face" (with Frederiksen) (2001)
*"Girls of Summer" (with Frederiksen) (2002)
*"Lay it Down" (with Frederiksen and DeGrate) (2002)
*"The Grind" (with Frederiksen) (2004)
*"Devil's Got a New Disguise" (with Diane Warren) (2006)
*"Sedona Sunrise" (with Vallance) (2006)

imilar Musical Duos

The name "Toxic Twins" may have been inspired by one of the duo's main influences, the "Glimmer Twins", the nickname for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. Additionally, it may have inspired other musical nicknames, like the "Terror Twins" of Def Leppard and "The Suicide Twins" of Hanoi Rocks. Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee were also known as the Toxic Twins.

Tributes

*An achievement in the Xbox 360 version of the game Guitar Hero II, is titled the "Joe and Steven Award" in tribute to the Toxic Twins. It is awarded to two players who can get a 500 note streak in cooperative mode.

References

*"" by Stephen Davis and Aerosmith
*"The Making of Pump"
*"Aerosmith: Behind the Music"