Through the Years: 10 Wildest Quotes by and About American Idol’s Steven Tyler

1. June 6, 1974: In his RS review of Aerosmith’s second album, Get Your Wings, Charley Walters praises Tyler as a singer “whose discipline is evident no matter how he shrieks, growls, or spits out the lyrics.” You’ll see what he means on Aerosmith’s “Train Kept A Rollin.”

2. February 22, 1979: Perusing the RS archives proves that Tyler has been speaking his mind throughout his career. For example: “The problem with rock & roll today is that nobody wants to move. I mean, look at them... Foreigner, the Atlanta Rhythm Section. Onstage they just stand there. Don’t they know how to move?” In this clip, Tyler shows that he still knows how to move, although the belly dancer gives him a run for his money. Here's another singer who tops the charts: Katy Perry, this "California Gurl" Before She Was Famous!

3. August 28, 1986: In his review of Run-DMC’s Raising Hell, which featured a career-reviving collaboration with Tyler and Aerosmith, Mark Coleman writes that the rap trio from Queens “grab Aerosmith’s ‘Walk This Way’ and drag guest stars Steven Tyler and Joe Perry into the '80s, kicking and screaming.”

4. April 5, 1990: In The Band That Wouldn’t Die, by David Wild, Tyler says that even Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead thought Aerosmith was taking too many drugs. “They were worried about us, so that gives you some idea about how fucked up and crazy we were.”

5. November 3, 1994: David Fricke interviews Tyler for RS, observing that “Steven Tyler may be the fastest mouth alive. At full speed, the snap, crackle, and atomic pop of his conversational style is a thing of wonder—a torrent of fiercely held opinions, impulsive contradictions, vivid adolescent reminiscences, street-corner profanities, colorful sexual metaphors, and explosive laughter.” Check out this hot gallery of Heavy Metal Rock Stars, Before They Were Stars!

6. March 15, 2001: In Tom Moon’s RS article “Aerosmith Uncut,” Tyler comments on his longevity: “As long as I can play, I will. Just as a dog would lick its balls.”

7. April 20, 2007: Even when endorsing a product, Tyler can’t resist a little innuendo, like in this video for Monster Cable, where he says, “Some people say it’s all about the monster cable in my pants.” Ba-dum-bum.

8. November 27, 2008: When RS ranked Tyler 99th on their list of the “100 Greatest Singers,” he got serious. “As Tony Bennett said, ‘Without heart, there is no art.’ I wear my heart on my sleeve.” Hottie Angelina Jolie took a turn onstage in sixth grade! Here's a video of Jolie singing karaoke!

9. May 12, 2011: “Tyler means [what he says], all of it, and he can make you buy into it too,” writes Brian Hiatt in the RS profile “The Emancipation of Steven Tyler.” As for Tyler himself, he puts it thusly: “You haven’t lived unless you’ve had winters with frostbite and summers of 100 degrees. And that’s me.”

10. January 26, 2011: Idol fans were worried that Tyler wouldn’t work out as a replacement for Simon Cowell. That was until they heard gems like these: “I’ve never heard anybody squeeze the flavor of that song... you squeezed it out so slow, it was like Vanilla Fudge and ‘Eleanor Rigby.’ ” Steven Tyler replaced Simon Cowell as a judge on American Idol in 2011. The show defied all expectations and rose in the ratings. Tyler’s unflinching autobiography Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? was released on May 3, followed by his first solo album, It Feels So Good, on May 10. He even has his own iPhone/iPad app called AppSoLewdly. Not bad for a 63-year-old who’s been rocking since before many of his fans were born.