AEROSMITH Frontman On His 'American Idol' Gig: 'I Can Juggle A Lot Of Balls'

CBS Interactive Music Group spoke to AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler yesterday (Thursday, October 21) when when the singer performed the national anthem at the Bruins domestic home opener against the Washington Capitals at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. You can now listen to excerpts from the interview using the audio player below.

When asked about the status of the next AEROSMITH studio album, Tyler — who has a new gig as one of the judges on the next season of "American Idol" — replied, "We're gonna work on it while I'm doing 'Idol'. 'Idol''s two days a week. So I'm gonna be living in L.A. at the time. So the band'll come back and forth and we'll work on it."

Regarding how the rest of AEROSMITH feels about his "American Idol" gig, Tyler said, "There was some tension. And in all good marriages... I'm married to four men. I mean, you think women are bad. Did I say that? So it's a marriage, and there's a lot of ups and downs, and we went through a period there — a slow period — where everybody was not feeling so good. But you know, I'm a fighter. I've got my own ups and downs. I've been living on the tail of a comet for 40 years. So it's not often easy. And I've pulled myself through before. I had a lot of bouts with surgeries, I had Morton's neuroma on my feet, and I wasn't feeling so good at the time. So it just is what it is. It's good, because it afforded us a down period, and we got a chance to look at each other. I, especially, myself, I realized there's nothing like this band. I mean, how often does a bunch of guys get together in Boston and make it big and stay that way and be relevant and have the albums and write them and...? The down time isn't so much — we're on tour constantly. And so, of course, there's ups and downs. But this did nothing but bring the band together and make it stronger. I can only speak for myself. As you see, I'm doing 'Idol'. I can juggle a lot of balls, so it's all looking good."

Steven Tyler interviewed by CBS Interactive Music Group (audio):

AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton told the Boston Herald last month that Tyler believes he has the time and energy to continue fronting the band while also being a judge on the new season of "American Idol". Hamilton explained, "Steven's been very emphatic in saying that the way his time is arranged on the show leaves room to work on a record. He's been taking great pains to remind everybody of that, so hopefully that's the way it will come out."

Yet Hamilton also admitted that things could change, saying, "There's a lot of not knowing what's going to happen, but that's how it's always been for us . . . Steven is an incredible I-can-do-anything kind of guy. But he's taken a big bite, and I'm looking forward to seeing him chew it."

AEROSMITH completed a North American tour last month in Canada and the rest of the band members are now back home, waiting for their vocalist to carve out time to return to the studio and make the group's first album since 2001.

Tyler and the rest of AEROSMITH butted heads last year, after his fall from a stage on South Dakota led to a canceled tour, a trip for Tyler to rehab and threats by the singer to embark on a solo career. Things were smoothed over for this past summer's trek, but tensions have been raised again by Tyler's "Idol" involvement.