Joey Kramer Admits Aerosmith Are ‘Kicking the Idea’ of Retirement
Time, the old saying goes, is undefeated. And Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer knows it's coming for his band.
Kramer discussed the prospect of retirement during an interview with Rolling Stone, admitting that the health issues faced by members of the group — including guitarist Joe Perry's recent stage collapse and his own heart scare in 2014 — prevent them from performing the way they used to.
"It surprised the s--- out of me when it happened," Kramer admitted of his 2014 health woes. "I exercise every day, I'm conscientious about my health. I thought it was heartburn or indigestion. We're not 25-year-olds anymore – we can't play as many shows as we used to. Steven can't sing two nights in a row or three to four nights a week – it's physically impossible. So it becomes a question of going out [on tour] less than we used to, or not doing it at all."
That being said, Kramer insists the band currently remains a going concern, saying Perry is "playing better than ever" and shrugging off singer Steven Tyler's focus on his solo career as "something he needed to get out of his system." Side project notwithstanding — including Kramer's own budding coffee empire — it always comes back to Aerosmith.
"Aerosmith is all of our first loves, but I also don't know many other people who have consistently done the same job for 45 years," he added. "As we're getting older, we've been kicking the idea [to end the band], but a final decision hasn't been made."
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