Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top

by Joey Kramer

Overview

“If ‘sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll’ is what you want, it’s what you’ll get in these photo-laden pages. Kramer’s style is honest, straightforward and pulls no punches.”
— Publishers Weekly

Cash meets The Heroin Diaries in Hit Hard: Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer’s moving and inspiring story of fighting personal demons, as well as a wildly glamorous, crazy, drug-addled, behind-the-drum-set look at one of the greatest bands in rock n’ roll history. From never-before-told Aerosmith war stories across their entire 40 year career to Joey’s own struggles with addiction and depression, Hit Hard is only the second authorized biography of the band—following the New York Times bestseller Walk This Way—and the first autobiography from any Aerosmith band member.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061566622
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/29/2010
Pages:	239
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.58(d)

About the Author

Joey Kramer is the legendary drummer with the most successful band in American history—Aerosmith. Since 1970 he and his partners have sold over 150 million albums, and today their multigenerational, global audience is bigger than ever. In addition to the Grammys and the twenty-one multiplatinum albums, Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and they are the subject of several documentaries, including a film dedicated to Joey and his lasting influence, called It's About Time. Joey lives south of Boston, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Foreword xi

Introduction: Scared Shitless 1

1 Two Imposters-Love And Abuse 17

2 Is That A Belt In Your Hand Or Are You Happy To See Me? 37

3 Brown Rice And Carrots 61

4 Nothin' So Good There Ain't some Bad In It 81

5 Drug Addicts Dabbling In Music 103

6 I Never Met A Drug I Didn't Like: Has Anyone Seen My Career Lately? 125

7 One Disease, Two Disease, Three Disease More 147

8 Dear Dad 173

9 Nothing So Bad There Ain't Some Good In It 195

10 Now That That's Over 213

11 Epilogue: From Ten 'Til Now 235

Editorial Reviews

If ‘sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll’ is what you want, it’s what you’ll get in these photo-laden pages. Kramer’s style is honest, straightforward and pulls no punches.” — Publishers Weekly

“I love this book; this is an important book, because it’s not bullshit. Joey had the balls to see what underneath the hood, and to fix it. Being a rock star was easy compared to that.” — —From the Foreword by NIKKI SIXX, author of The Heroin Diaries

From the Publisher

I love this book; this is an important book, because it’s not bullshit. Joey had the balls to see what underneath the hood, and to fix it. Being a rock star was easy compared to that.

From the Foreword by NIKKI SIXX

"I love this book; this is an important book, because it’s not bullshit. Joey had the balls to see what underneath the hood, and to fix it. Being a rock star was easy compared to that."

Nikki Sixx

Being a rock star in the music business oftentimes is not all it's cracked up to be, as Aerosmith drummer Kramer aptly shares in his memoir. Much of the story centers on his drug and alcohol abuse, and his love/hate relationship with his father, his wife and bandmember Steven Tyler. He delves sporadically into the discovery of his own musicianship and creation of his sound, but the main theme is recovery-as an addict and again as a sober but emotionally unhealed man who suffers a nervous breakdown: "I felt like someone was peeling back my skin, ripping off scar tissue." Having been with Aerosmith since its inception and naming the band himself, Kramer recounts climbing to the top of the musical ladder, the fall from grace and virtual disappearance of the band to the climb back up, but this is not an autobiography of the band. It's a sideman taking front and center. If "sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll' is what you want, it's what you'll get in these photo-laden pages. Although the tale is a predictable one, Kramer's style is honest, straightforward and pulls no punches. (July)

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Publishers Weekly

The story of Kramer, drummer of the legendary rock band Aerosmith, follows the familiar rock star trajectory of childhood musical talent, struggling early years, a stratospheric rise to fame, spiraling drug addiction, and the inevitable comeback and sobriety in middle age. Kramer's tale is somewhat distinctive in that during Aerosmith's resurgent years, he fell into a deep depression. Kramer focuses on his personal life—a difficult relationship with his father, dealing with fame and riches, and the near breakdown that he suffered in the late 1990s. Using the language of therapy and recovery, he writes about the "gift of desperation" that eventually led to healing and happiness and his wish to share his story with others who might be suffering from similar issues. VERDICT Readers hoping for a more comprehensive discussion of Aerosmith's songs, albums, and concerts may want to start with Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith, but devoted fans of the band will certainly want to read Kramer's book, as he is the first member to publish his own memoir (lead singer Steven Tyler's is scheduled for this fall).—Jim Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ

—Jim Collins

Library Journal

Joey Kramer, the drummer in one of the most popular rock bands of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Aerosmith, has undoubtedly lived the rock-and-roll life. And like many who've charted these mythically self-destructive waters, he's been to the brink and back. This memoir puts it all in perspective from the point of view of the shy teenager whose love-hate relationship with his father instilled in him so much self-doubt that even years of stardom, and years of addiction, did little to overcome it. Holter Graham reads this like an insider, giving Kramer's bittersweet words a hard-boiled quality that underscores the message of his cautionary tale: Fame ain't all it's cracked up to be. J.S.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2009 - AudioFile