Joe Perry on American Idol: “I don’t want Aerosmith’s name involved with it”

Whether Aerosmtih frontman Steven Tyler ends up on the judging panel of “American Idol” or not, you can be sure of one thing: Bandmate Joe Perry won’t be tuning in. In fact, the guitar god says that if he had a choice, Aerosmith wouldn’t even be mentioned on the show.

“It’s [Tyler’s] business, but I don’t want Aerosmith’s name involved with it,” Perry told the Calgary Herald. “It’s a reality show designed to get people to watch that station and sell advertising. It’s one step above ‘(Teenage Mutant) Ninja Turtles.’”

Granted, this objection isn’t strong enough for Perry to deny the show’s contestants the rights to sing Aerosmith songs -- “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing” has been performed six times over the course of the season, and “Dream On” has been featured twice. But having a band member himself judging the show seems to be a bridge too far.

If Tyler does take the judging gig, Perry says the band won’t be put on hold. “I’m not going to sit around for two years waiting for him to come back to Aerosmith,” Perry says. “(You’ve got) four guys that are great together, and if you find the right singer, there’s no reason you can’t go and entertain people.

You can read more about the band’s bad blood -- including Perry’s explanation of the recent incident that saw Tyler tumbling off the stage -- in the Calgary Herald.