Joe Perry - Perry: 'Tyler Hung Up On Me'

JOE PERRY knew for sure STEVEN TYLER's tenure as AEROSMITH's frontman was over when the singer hung up on him in the middle of a phone chat.

Reports suggest Tyler has quit the band to work on solo material after a turbulent year, which included the cancellation of the group's summer (09) tour, and now Perry has confirmed the future doesn't look good for the Love In An Elevator hitmakers.

The guitarist admits he became concerned when the group recently performed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Tyler insisted on having nothing to do with his bandmates - but it was only when Perry tried to reach him to talk about a clutch of possible South American shows in 2010 that he realised his old pal wasn't all that interested in Aerosmith anymore.

Talking to Boston, Massachusetts radio station WZLX 100.7 on Monday (09Nov09), Perry admits he's still not quite sure if reports of Tyler quitting the band are true: "I don't know. There hasn't been any communication with his managers. He hasn't talked to anybody in the band.

"We plugged in and got online and saw (the story). It was kinda... 'OK, well, I guess that's what he's doing.' I knew we were gonna be taking some time off, but I guess he just announced what he was gonna be doing during the time off.

"(In Abu Dhabi), he was off in his own dressing room, he stayed in different hotels from the band, travelled on different planes. We never saw him until we walked on stage on any of those shows.

"Now, maybe we'll get a telegram from him; I don't know... I did call him when we were in Hawaii, because we had some gigs that were offered to us to do in South America, like, three gigs that we were gonna do in December. And I called him up and asked him if he would consider doing them, and he hung up on me about halfway through the conversation, so I kind of got the hint that he pretty much wants to be alone and wants to do his own thing."

But Perry refuses to accept the band is over: "As long as we're still kicking, it's not over. We'll probably get bored and come back."