Renewed spirit of Joey Kramer

Joey Kramer turned fifty last June, but you'll never give him that much. Like the band he co-founded at the age of nineteen, he is timeless - youthful and energetic. But it has something that brings age and experience.

Both Kramer and Aerosmith have been through a lot. Joey overcame drug addiction and an emotional crisis. The group itself went through many ups and downs - painful changes in musicians, periods of complete unpopularity. But today both Joey and Aerosmith "stand" very high.

A Bronx-born self-taught drummer, Joey is now in excellent physical and emotional shape. In 1998, "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" became the band's first super hit in over thirty years of band history. They recently won an American Music Award and played a chapter in the Superbowl. Great success marked their work "Jaded" from the new album Just Push Play. Both the band and their fans are full of optimism.

Team frontman Steven Tyler said, "Being part of Aerosmith is the happiest and hardest part of our lives." Joey Kramer absolutely agrees: "People think it's a luxurious life. And that we are the happiest guys in the world. Yes, we really are the happiest guys on earth. But I want to tell you that it's hard work. And it's not the kind of job you just go to every day. It's a lifestyle."

Modern Drummer - "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" gave the band a kick in the ass in a good way. I mean career. But at the same time, the song is completely uncharacteristic of an Aerosmith hit.

Joey - A good song is a good song. But, interestingly, the song came out at a time when we had been on tour for a year already. The song became a hit and we had to stay on tour for another year. After listening to the song for the first time, I didn't like it. But after Joe and Steven changed a couple of things with the composer...

MD - Ballads are not something you usually play and are difficult to sing - too much space.

Joey - Yes, they are not easy, but over the years I have learned to play them, and now this is one of my strengths. Now I love ballads. As soon as Steven sang this song, it became "ours".

MD - As far as I know, it was a difficult time for you.

Joey - Yes. I had a crisis for five years. And while working on Nine Lives, I reached the level of an emotional bankrupt. There were things in my life that I couldn't deal with, or rather didn't want to. This concerned personal relationships that were developing incorrectly. There was nothing I could do about it. was on tour all the time and that was my excuse. But in the end, it all came up and hit me hard. I had to undergo treatment in California. Usually I don't talk about it, but I found it helps a lot - if you don't keep everything to yourself, but talk about it with someone. I get incredible positive feedback from people this way.

MD - Depression is a terrible thing.

Joey - I got to the point where I couldn't do anything but cry. I was at the bottom. But my father taught me as a child: "You can slow down, but you can't stop." After California, I began to understand what was happening to me. The most difficult problem was that I did not understand why I felt the way I felt. And today I realize that all this is the most positive experience that I have ever had.

MD - How is it?

Joey - It is very important to evaluate everything from a positive perspective of life experience over time. It is very easy to say - "I am a goat, and all goats." It is very difficult to look at yourself positively in such a situation. But I have learned it. I have learned to treat myself the same as everyone else.

I used to do self-flagellation all the time. No matter what I did, it wasn't good enough. A lot of this worked for me for a long time. I mean my game. But it drove me crazy. Why not step back and say, "Oh, that's great!" This is what I learned and what is on the last record.

For the first time in my entire career, I can be proud of what I've done. This does not mean that everything that I have done before is not good. But usually six months after the release of each album, I began to scourge myself: "I should have played it differently, but ..." It's all because of the attitude towards myself.

People might ask, "What does all this have to do with drumming?" For me, this has everything to do with the game, because if I feel good about myself, I do my job well. This is what I tried to do when I was using drugs. Drugs allow you to feel good about yourself without getting in touch with things that can really help you become aware of yourself. Now I do not use drugs and do not drink. I look life in the face. Life can be a bitch sometimes, but it can also be beautiful. And when I'm at peace with myself, it helps me play better. When I get into the studio and know that I know what I'm doing, when I know the material well, I'm fine. And if I'm fine, I play well.


Joey Kramer has been drumming for DW for ten years. This is DW Custom White Satin Flame.

  • 8 1/2 X 14 snare
  • 9 X 13 volume
  • 16 X 16 volume
  • 18 X 22 bass

Zildjian cymbals (for 25 years now).

  • 14" Rock hi hat
  • 20" Medium Thin Crash (2)
  • 20" Medium Crash (2)
  • 13" Z Custom hi hat
  • 21" Custom Mega Bell
  • 20" China Boy High Sticks Zildjian Joey Kramer model

    Based on materials from Modern Drummer magazine.
    Translation - Yevgeny Ryaboy.