America's SweetHeart

I was born in the 60's, and lived through the 70's rock years, but I never liked rock music as a youth. I went for more easy listening like the Carpenters, Barry Manilow, etc. I attribute part of that to being exposed to classical music while learning to play the piano. I just couldn't get in to any music that had screaming, or whining, or monotonous lyrics. I enjoyed much more complex musicality. I did enjoy some of the rock music on the radio, but I couldn't understand most of the lyrics, and I couldn't tell you who was singing them. I just didn't have that rock and roll in me. When I was in middle school, the band "Kiss" was popular, and I thought they were silly. Grown men dressing up like Halloween....it just didn't make sense to me. I'm still a little behind the times, and refuse to listen to "screamy" music. I also abhor rap, which in my mind falls more in the area of "poetry out loud", than it does music. It's only as an adult that I have gained more of an appreciation for rock and roll.

I've been enjoying watching "American Idol" this season. I have a confession to make: I am in love with Steven Tyler. I don't mean like romantic love, but he comes across as such a nice person, and I would describe him as a sort of "America's sweetheart". I didn't know who he was when he started the show. I decided to google his name, and only then knew that he is/was the lead singer for Aerosmith. Another confession: I couldn't name even one Aerosmith song. But as I have been reading more about Steven Tyler, and watching him on Idol, I have been hearing the songs and have been saying to myself, "Oh THAT'S Aerosmith!"

I would hope that my children wouldn't look to his early years for a role model, but I give him credit for pulling himself out of the hole he had dug for himself. I watched an interview with Matt Lauer today, and was really impressed with how Steven Tyler has gotten his life together. You can watch it by clicking here.

What else do I like about Steven Tyler? I like his free spirit. I like that he can wear really creative colors and patterns, and really wild clothing, and pull it off! I like that at 63 years old he still seems young. I like that he is so positive in his comments to all of the contestants on Idol. I like his open personality, and his willingness to smile. You watch; soon you will see him on the front of some magazine like "People" with a title that says, "People's Most Interesting Person". Or maybe with the title I wrote above, "America's Sweetheart". :)