Aerosmith Drummer Joey Kramer Tells Life Story in Aptly Titled Book "Hit Hard"

Joey Kramer, the drummer from Aerosmith, quickly found common ground this morning with the I-Man.

"I did a lot of cocaine and vodka," said Kramer, whose book is called "Hit Hard: The Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top."

Like Imus, Kramer has been sober for nearly 23 years, the last 4-and-a-half of which he spent writing this book, which he described as, "the story of my life, the story of the band, the story of rock and roll, and the story of my escapades through anxiety, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, and the confusion between love and abuse."

So, basically, "Hit Hard" is some light reading.

Kramer, who grew up in the Bronx, knew he wanted to be a musician when, at age 14, he saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Craving that sort of camaraderie, he learned to play the drums because as a "frustrated little kid," it gave him physical outlet.

Luckily, the drums came naturally to Kramer, who found "the pocket" with ease. "When the drummer plays in the pocket, it creates a space for the other musicians to lie in, or on," he explained. "It's not so much about playing the drums as far as fills, or trying to be melodic with the drums, but more so creating that rhythm. It's more like..."

Searching for a way to better express himself, Kramer wondered if he could drop an F-bomb. He could, but his first appearance on this show would quickly become his last.

Kramer moved to Boston in the early 1970s to hone his craft, and spent just three months at the Berklee School of Music before dropping out. But it was in Boston where a mutual friend introduced him to future bandmates Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton.

"After about three or four rehearsals, I decided it wasn't really happening," said Kramer. Perry and Hamilton felt likewise, and brought another drummer up from New York to play in their band. His name was Steven Tyler, and Kramer knew him from high school.

"He used to be a really good drummer," Kramer said about Tyler, who instead became Aerosmith's lead singer. "Steven gave me a lot of pointers, and was very helpful to me when we first started the band."

Aerosmith has had tremendous success over more than three decades together, but success is rarely drama-free, especially in the music industry. Band members left, and then returned; addictions surfaced, and were, in some cases, conquered. Recently, Tyler injured himself falling off a stage in South Dakota, then hinted he'd go solo. Many believed Aerosmith was kaput.

Kramer dispelled everybody of that notion this morning, saying,  "Everything is copasetic right now in Aerosmith land. We're getting ready to announce our plans this week."

Until then, get your Aerosmith fix by reading "Hit Hard," which Kramer summed up like this: "It's about spending your life trying to go north in a southbound lane."

Sounds like every single morning on this show.

-Julie Kanfer