AEROSMITH: Cancer-Stricken Bassist Checks In

AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton — who is sitting out the first part of the band's "The Route of All Evil" tour after completing a seven-week course of radiation treatment for throat cancer (filling in for Hamilton is David Hull, a longtime friend of the band who played in the JOE PERRY PROJECT) — has issued the following update:

"Hey, just wanted to say hi and tell everybody what's up in my world. I'm getting better steadily but kind of slowly. I've been finished with the radiation treatment for a couple of months. I was hoping to be close to being out on the road with the band by now but it's still too soon. The radiation burns the hell out of your mouth and throat and the healing process can take a while. Whenever I talk to someone who hasn't spoken to me in a while they say I sound completely better. My voice was kind of screwed up for a time. People who haven't seen me in a while they say I look normal (for me). I'm getting close and I'm chomping at the bit but the real decisions are up to the doctors and the healing process.

"I went into a room by myself recently and listened to the new 'greatest hits' album. I turned the lights down and the volume up and just sat back and let it roll over me. After a couple of songs went by I went into a state where I felt really close to the band and really far away at the same time. In my head I was connected and isolated all at once. Another part of me was in the time period of each song with movies of those times playing in my head. I don't really sit down and listen to our albums that way very often and it had a lot of emotion for me. I have to say the emotion was good and a little sad but mostly good.

"A lot of people have sent me cards and stuff. As a matter of fact, way more than I would have expected. I can't say how much I appreciate it. There are times when I have to really lean against my support system and it helps to have it coming in from all directions.

"Have I gotten too corny yet? I really hate excessive corniness but it's hard to talk about these things without some sneaking in. What I mostly want to say is thanks."

AEROSMITH's best-of collection, entitled "Devil's Got a New Disguise", was released on October 17 via Columbia. The CD features two new songs — "Devil's Got a New Disguise" and "Sedona Sunrise" — while the rest of the set is a "pared down" single-disc version of 2002's two-CD set "O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits", containing single mixes of 14 favorites from the band's tenures with both Columbia and Geffen.