Gotta Be A Relapse - Updated

I say Steven's taken the old 12-backward-steps move....

Aerosmith Says Steven Tyler Has Quit

The sweet emotions that the members of Aerosmith once felt towards each other have apparently come to an end. In an interview with The Las Vegas Sun, the group’s lead guitarist, Joe Perry, said that the singer Steven Tyler quit after a concert in Abu Dhabi. “Steven quit as far as I can tell,” Mr. Perry told The Sun. “I don’t know any more than you do about it.”

Mr. Perry was responding to remarks that Mr. Tyler made in an interview with Classic Rock, a British music magazine, in which Mr. Tyler said that he was preparing to focus on a solo career. “I don’t know what I’m doing yet,” Mr. Tyler said, “but it’s definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself - Brand Tyler.”

Mr. Perry said he had had difficulty confirming this with Mr. Tyler because the singer doesn’t return his phone calls. “He’s notorious for that,” Mr. Perry told The Sun. “That’s one thing I’ve learned to live with. I try to overlook it.”
Aerosmith canceled several concerts over the summer amid an injury-plagued season after Mr. Tyler fell from a stage on Aug. 5. A publicist for the band referred questions to its management, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(NY Times)

Musto (Musto!) reports

Is wiry, big-lipped frontman Steven Tyler walking this way right out of Aerosmith? That seems to be the case according to some of the signs popping up in the media--like the fact that he quit.

Are these the photos of a sober man?

But ... well, THIS affected my life:



Joe and Steven ... so much cooler than the rest of the band.

UPDATE: Mr G Baker leads us to this link and it's confirmation of my susupicions

Pople who know the deal with Tyler say two things are contributing to his downfall: much loathed girlfriend Erin Brady and newish best pal, Justin Murdock, 35, heir to the Dole Pineapple fortune. Friends say Murdock, who’s been photographed going into nightclubs with Tyler, is helping the historically drug addicted singer live on the Pineapple Express by allowing him to party hard.

... I’ve made several calls to Tyler’s new manager, but none have been returned. I am told that Tyler’s situation these days is much like Michael Jackson’s was in the years before his death. “The people who work for him are afraid to do anything,” one source says.