STEVEN TYLER: AEROSMITH Bandmates Were 'Jealous' When They Found Out About 'Idol'

The announcement that AEROSMITH lead singer Steven Tyler was joining the judging lineup for "American Idol" season 10 was was made before the Los Angeles round of auditions at the Forum Wednesday morning. According to Billboard.com, each of the three judges — Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson — received an introductory clip reel before they were brought on stage to chat with host Ryan Seacrest.

When asked about the rumors that his "Idol" judgeship was causing a rift with his AEROSMITH bandmates, Tyler responded, "With the band, we've been married for 40 years now — five guys — which makes it even worse than women, and I could go for an hour and explain that. At first they were jealous, they heard it through the press and not through me. But then I said to them, 'Four months ago you were looking for another lead singer.' So things go up and down. I spent a stint in Betty Ford [clinic receiving treatment for substance abuse]. But as the band goes, we live on the tail of a comet. And I've been on tour with these guys for 40 years, and they've been judging me every day. And sometimes it hurt — a lot of times — most times, I came out through the wormhole stronger. So it's a real journey with those guys and they would say the same about me. I'm sure they're real happy for me; I mean, this is gonna do nothing more than take it all up another step or two. And it's good; I like it."

Watch a video clip of Tyler talking about how his AEROSMITH bandmates have reacted to his judgeship at TMZ.com.

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry told the Calgary Herald on September 7, "('American Idol') is one step above Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . . . I'll tell you one thing, when we put this band together, this is not something that (Steven Tyler) would do."

In an interview with The Star-Ledger, AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton stated about Steven doing "American Idol", "I hope it doesn't hurt the new momentum we've built up on this [most recent] tour, because that's been so important for us as a band. But I wouldn't want to be the one standing in the way of this for him. Steven is someone who absolutely lives to be in front of an audience, and the people closest to him know how witty and entertaining he can be. I don't know if 'American Idol' will be rock 'n' roll enough for him, but it is an opportunity for millions of people to see another side of Steven Tyler."

AEROSMITH drummer Joey Kramer recently told Billboard.com that he sees Tyler's involvement with "American Idol" in a positive light, explaining, "We've been talking about it the last couple of days, and it's made me come to realize what a positive impact it could have for (AEROSMITH). The possibilities are kind of infinite with something like that happening, us being exposed to a whole new generation of people. So we'll see what happens. It should be interesting."

Perry, however, has seemed in recent interviews to be shocked and a little upset about the news. He told a Tampa, Florida radio station last month, "I was taken totally by surprise. First of all, why would he wanna do that instead of cruise on with AEROSMITH? We've got an album that we wanna do, we wanna do another tour . . . We've got so many things lined up, and then this happens. So many things go through your head. I've been with the guy for 40 years, and he couldn't even . . . He said, 'Well, they told me not to tell anybody.'"

Perry added, "If that's what you really have to do, let's talk about it, let's plan it out, you know what I mean? We've all got families, we've all got different things going on, we've all got different things we could do. It's like getting hit over the head."

Relations have been tense in the AEROSMITH camp since last year, when a stage injury forced Tyler off the road and eventually into rehab, even as he alienated his bandmates by talking about taking two years off to pursue a solo venture. The group retaliated with threats to find a new singer. Eventually the two sides reconciled, although the "Idol" news may stir things up again.