Steven Tyler: Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?

Every time that I look in the mirror

All these lines on face getting clearer

The past is gone

It went by like dusk to dawn

Sing with me

Sing for the years

Sing for the laughter

Sing of the tears

Dream On, the greatest rock ‘n’ roll song to ever grace the earth! It’s lyrical, passionate, can be interpreted in practically any way, and is just downright genius. The man from whose mind burst forth that rock ‘n’ roll wonder is Steven Tyler and this is his autobiography; the aptly titled Does the Noise is My Head Bother You?  

From a humble, if not so much clean, beginning in Sunapee to the stadium rocking screaming sensation that we all know and love, Steven Tyler writes about a life completely lived: his life. From his musical family, to his first band, to the formation of Aerosmith, to the infamous drug abuse and numerous stints in rehab, to his marriages and his children, this is a real rock ‘n’ roll memoir! 

A personal story behind me is that my name is Hannah and my mum named me that because it was an old name and when I came into the world, it seemed to her that I had been here before. It’s a very apt name really, and I have only recently come to the conclusion that is explains my taste in music, which practically mirrors that of my parents. Throughout my life, I have been a fan of Queen, David Bowie, Suzanne Vega, Tom Waits, and of course, Aerosmith, so when I discovered this book, I simply could not wait to add it to my library. It’s a wonderfully rock ‘n’ roll read: hard, jagged, stoned, high, passionate, musical, lyrical, and then personal. 

I found it hard to get into at first because Steven does tend to jump around a lot from one anecdote to another and it does read like an explanation or conversation; going off on tangents when something triggers some memory or reminiscence. It’s bloody entertaining though and gives the book a very close and personal vibe, like Steven himself is standing in front of you, telling you his life. 

What impressed me about the book too, was the fact that it was brutally frank and completely unfiltered. Steven just seems to have a case of verbal diarrhoea and completely overwhelms you with confessions and anecdotes of a very personal and sometimes edgy nature, things that I personally would never feel comfortable confessing. But it makes the book excruciatingly real, completely shattering any illusions about band unity, the trashy glamour of being a rock star; it really makes you understand the phrase “one man’s dream is another man’s nightmare”. 

Filled with absolutely everything from drugs, romance, music, drama, conflicts, anecdotes, history, name-dropping, comedy, and pretty much anything else you can think of, Steven Tyler: Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? is a fantastically frank and rock ‘n’ roll read that just will have you laughing, swooning, raging, and captivated from page one.