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 both on and off stage.

Despite maintaining sobriety for most of the past 30 years, Tyler and Perry have continued to be known as the Toxic Twins. Their camaraderie can be viewed in several of the band's videos, including The Making of Pump, Big Ones You Can Look At, and You Gotta Move.

An accomplished songwriting duo, the Toxic Twins are often referred to as the "Tyler/Perry" partnership in songwriting. They have written over 85 songs together. In 2013, Tyler and Perry were recipients of the ASCAP Founders Award and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Collaborations

Often, the Toxic Twins appear for special performances, appearances, and collaborations without the other members of Aerosmith.

Additionally, Tyler and Perry are part of the "Boneyard Boys", a loose collective of musicians which was formed in the late 1990s. In addition to Tyler and Perry, the Boneyard Boys include friends Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson who, among others, helped spearhead the songwriting, production, and much of the creative process in Aerosmith.

Songwriting partnership

Tyler and Perry are a notable songwriting duo. The list of songs they have co-written includes the following:

Personal life

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 Nugent 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.

References

• Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith by Stephen Davis and Aerosmith
• The Making of Pump
• Aerosmith: Behind the Music

Footnotes