I drew the above image about 6 years ago. I found the illustrator file recently, and decided to put it together and color it for this post. If I were to draw it today, I probably would do it differently. But I think it was good enough to post here!

Aerosmith is my favorite band. They have been since I was 12, and probably will be forever. But they are much more to me than just kickass rock music.

When I first discovered them, I was just about to turn 13. Cryin’ and Livin’ on the Edge were the current hits, and I was already in love. My best friend had already bought Get a Grip, so when I stepped out to buy my very first Aero album (on cassette) I wanted something different. I knew nothing about the band, so I just blindly chose a tape and bought it. That tape was Permanent Vacation and remains my favorite Aero album to date. It became a permanent fixture in my walkman until I branched out to buy more. After that I bought Toys in the Attic, and soon after I was getting my hands on every album possible. They had already had more than a dozen by that time. And so my love affair with Aerosmith began and it hasn’t quit since. From those first years of listening to every tape non-stop, and learning to do the logo so that it could be found all over my school papers, binders and backpack, to going to concerts and record signings over the years, and up to today, when I bought Aerosmith Guitar Hero. I was so excited about it when I walked into that store this morning! I felt like I do when a new album comes out! I haven’t played it yet, but I have the whole weekend!

As of today I own numerous copies of Aerosmith CDs, including all albums, some double or triple according to different continental releases, bootlegs and singles. Plus the Pandora’s Box and Box of Fire boxsets, and a Shadowman comic book that features the Bad Boys of Boston. I’ve been to 11 concerts and even seen Draw the Line, an Aerosmith tribute band, on numerous occasions at one of my favorite rock clubs in Jersey, the Wreck Room (now closed ).

To say that I’m a big fan is an understatement. And I think you can agree. But now to get to the deeper bits. Now you’ll read why Aerosmith has become much more to me than just the music.

Story #1
One day in the fall of ’94, I was 13, I was listening to Rock in a Hard Place and flipping through the album cover. I was paying special attention to the band members because Joe Perry and Brad Whitford had left the band by the time that album was made. I noticed one of the names was “Jimmy Crespo,” which I found amusing since “Crespo” was my mom’s maiden name. So I took the album to my mom to show her, just for fun. “Look mom! This guy has the same last name as you!” She looked at the name and then the picture and said, “I think that’s my nephew!” Turns out I had a cousin I never knew about. The last time my mom had seen him was more than 10 years previously. He was butting heads with the family because he wanted to be a rock musician, and they weren’t all too pleased. No one knew where he was or had heard from him in all that time. But my mom still had an old address of his, so she decided to write him a letter.

About a month later we got a call from his wife. And she confirmed it all! He definitely did play in Aerosmith and he was so happy to hear from the family. I talked to him for a while and they got me tickets and backstage passes to what would be my very first Aerosmith concert (first concert in general too!) a month later. I got backstage and met the entire band and got pictures with all of them. My best friend and I ran out of there screaming with joy! A couple of years later, Jimmy started playing in Rod Stewart’s band, so when they came to NJ, Jimmy got my whole family tickets so that we could finally meet him. We went backstage and I met my cousin for the first time, and my mom met him for the first time in over a decade. It was brilliant! And, as far as I know, because of all of that Jimmy was able to finally get in touch with his family again. And I still have contact with him today. He now plays in a band called Phoenix in Las Vegas.

Steven and me in ’97 the second time I had backstage passes, I was 16

Story #2
By the time I had found out about Jimmy, I was a member of Aero Force One, the Aerosmith fan club for about half a year. I loved having penpals and they had a penpal section in the quarterly newsletter. Right after I found out about Jimmy I sent in an ad to the newsletter to get penpals. I knew that writing that Jimmy was my cousin would get me a lot of letters, and it did! I got over 30. I answered every single one, even though most of them were from people who wanted tickets (argh). I kept up with a lot of people for a shirt while, but they soon dropped off, and I was down to 3 which I wrote to for the next 4 years. One of then was a guy in Sweden… (see where this is going??)

Fast forward about 3 years and I decided it would be grand if I invited this guy in Sweden over so that he could finally visit NYC, which he had talked about a lot, and so that he could take me to my senior prom. To my utter amazement he accepted the invitation, and after just about 4 years of writing to a fellow Aerosmith fan I finally met him for the first time. Within a day I realized we would be the best of friends. A week later, we were more than that. 2 weeks after that he decided he’d move to NJ. And now, 10 years (almost exactly) later, here I am in Sweden and married to him.

Of those 11 concerts I’ve been to, 9 have been with him. The signings and tribute band all happened after we got together. We’ve pooled our CD collections together to create a mega-Aerosmith album collection. We have numerous autographs from when we met them separately and together. It’s great to be with someone who shares the same feelings as I do about the band and the music.

So there we have it! Loving Aerosmith has brought a family member back into my family, and it has resulted in me meeting my soulmate. Without the band my life would be entirely different right now.

And at this very moment I’m going to log off, get a Corona, and fire up ^A^ Guitar Hero. The perfect game for a fan like me! (Besides, if we don’t get to play soon my Aero-lovin’ husband is going to have a fit.)

Written by Irma | Posted in Me Me Me, Music

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