JOE PERRY: First 'Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith' Book-Signing Appearances Announced

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry will release his long-awaited memoir, "Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith", on October 7 via Simon & Schuster. Perry worked with author David Ritz, who has written books with B.B. King, Jerry Wexler and Bettye LaVette.

In the tradition of the mega-bestseller "Life" by Keith Richards, Perry opens up for the first time about the wild, inside story of his life in the legendary band he cofounded in 1970 — which is still going strong today.

In "Rocks", Joe Perry exposes his unrepentant, unbridled life as the lead guitarist of AEROSMITH. He delves deep into his volatile, profound, and enduring relationship with singer Steven Tyler and reveals the real people behind the larger-than-life rock-gods on stage. The nearly five-decade saga of AEROSMITH is epic, at once a study in brotherhood and solitude that plays out on the killing fields of rock and roll.

With record-making hits and colossal album sales, AEROSMITH has earned their place in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. But theirs is ultimately a story of endurance, and it starts almost half a century ago with young Perry, the rebel whose loving parents wanted him to assimilate, but who quits school because he doesn't want to cut his hair. He meets Tyler in a restaurant in New Hampshire, sways him from pop music to rock-and-roll, and it doesn't take long for the "Toxic Twins" to skyrocket into a world of fame and utter excess.

From the mega-successful song and music video with RUN DMC, "Walk This Way", to the realization that he can't pay his room service bill, Perry takes a personal look into the human stories behind AEROSMITH, the people who enabled them, the ones who controlled them, and the ones who changed them. In his own words, "Rocks" is the whole story: "the loner's story, the band's story, the recovery story, the cult story, the love story, the success story, the failure story, the rebirth story, the re-destruction story, the post-destructive rebirth story."

"It took about a year longer than I thought it would [t owrite the book]," Perry told RollingStone.com. "But it's finally done."

Tyler's "Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?" autobiography was issued in 2011, while the band's drummer, Joey Kramer, had his own tale, "Hit Hard: A Story Of Hitting Rock Bottom At The Top", published in 2009. AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton is also working on a book.

Perry said: "I've wanted to write one for a while. But Joey put his book out and I wanted to leave some room there and then Steven put his book out. I didn't want to make it seem like mine was an answer to his, so I waited a little longer."

Perry admitted to RollingStone.com that he read Tyler's book, calling it "definitely Steven's truth, no doubt about it." He added: "He's allowed to perceive things how he perceives things. He can write his book any way he wants. But I didn't agree with a lot of the things he said. I know he worked hard on it, but it's got a totally different tenor and energy than my book. Mine tends to be a little more traditional. It's an autobiography in the real classic sense. I just hope Steven accepts the things I say about how I felt and how I saw things happen. I don't put words in other people's mouths or talk about conversations that I wasn't there for."

Joe Perry has announced the following book-signing appearances (more to follow):

October 07 - Barnes & Noble - Union Square, New York, NY
October 09 - Brookline Booksmith - Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA
October 13 - Anderson's Bookshop - The Standard Club, Chicago IL
October 15 - Barnes & Noble - The Grove, Farmers Market, Los Angeles, CA