Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry appeared in the new issue of Guitar World and discussed his role in the band. Perry and Brad Whitford were both interviewed, and Perry pointed out Whitford’s lead ability, which is often overlooked by the fans.
In the interview, the guitarist made it clear that he refused his designated role in the band, while stating that the two guitarists always switch parts during songs:
“We’ve always kinda shifted back and forth where maybe Brad takes the first part, I take the second, he takes the third, and I take the fourth.”
Perry complained about fans thinking he is the lead guitarist while praising his bandmate:
“That’s basically what we did on ‘Love in an Elevator.’ And then, during the breakdown, that’s me playing. But it’s always rubbed me the wrong way when people put Brad down and only refer to me as the lead guitarist. We’re both guitar players in the band, you know? Brad is a wicked soloist. In my book, some of the best solos in our catalog are ones Brad did.”
The rocker also pointed out the fact that they never talk about who will play what despite 50 years of playing together. He also acknowledged that the band wanted to have different guitar sounds, hence the different guitar preferences:
“It was more about who would play a Strat and who would play a Gibson. Because we wanted to have two different guitar sounds in there… In my mind, we could be like the Yardbirds in those rare times when you had Jimmy [Page] and Jeff [Beck] together. That’s what we wanted Aerosmith to be.”
Some fans on Reddit also realized the comparison people have been making between the two. Three years ago, a fan wrote about the attention Perry has been getting but not Whitford. Some people referred to Perry as the lead guitarist, while one shared that Perry is referred to as the lead guitarist because he has a signature sound.
So, the debate about the roles of the two guitarists is still ongoing, and even though Perry clarified the confusion, it seems like the fans will keep comparing the two.
