When Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry first laid eyes on the black Guild X-100 BladeRunner guitar, it was love at first sight. The band had been working on songs for its 1987 album Permanent Vacation when a distributor for Guild Guitars brought over the almost other-worldly looking instrument called the BladeRunner.

Joe Perry with his beloved BladeRunner Guitar (ZACH WHITFORD)

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“It was just so obtuse and different, I had to grab it,” says Perry, who collects Italian-made guitars from the 1950s and 1960s and is fascinated by guitar shapes, especially when they depart from the norm. “I wouldn’t let the guy leave unless he gave it to me, which he did. It was an amazing example of somebody’s wild idea of a different way to make a guitar,” says Perry. “It was remarkably comfortable to play and sounds really good for a certain type of playing.”

So when it came time to film the groundbreaking “Walk This Way” video, Perry knew exactly which guitar to use. The video features Aerosmith and Run-DMC separated by a wall as they each attempt to jam their respective music. In the video, the wall is eventually broken down. The rappers and rockers make music together standing on one stage in rap/rock harmony. “When we filmed the video we really didn’t have any idea how important it was going to be,” says Perry of the video directed by Jon Small. “We didn’t know that the song was even going to be on the record when we recorded it.”

The collaboration was historic. Run-DMC became one the first rap artists to be on MTV and later was the first rap act to have a Billboard Top 10 hit. “It opened the door to a whole other genre of music, which is really important,” says Perry, who credits producer Rick Rubin with having the vision to create the video. At the time, MTV mostly played videos of white artists. Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Prince were the few exceptions. “And the weren’t playing any rap,” explains Perry.

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The Guild X-100 BladeRunner continues to have a special place in history. It is currently on display at the Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One of the first major art museum exhibitions dedicated entirely to iconic instruments of rock and roll, the instruments on view belong to Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Jett, Lady Gaga, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Page, Kate Pierson, Elvis Presley, Prince, Keith Richards, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and many others. Co-organized with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the exhibit will travel to Cleveland in November 2019.

Earlier this year, Aerosmith launched their 35-date MGM Las Vegas residency, Aerosmith: Deuces are Wild at the Park Theater at the new Park MGM resort. Next month the show travels east for a special edition Aerosmith: Deuces are Wild-East Coast Run at MGM National Harbor, National Harbor, Maryland, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey and MGM Springfield, Massachusetts. “It’s something very different than we have ever done before,” says Perry about the MGM show. “The offer to play in Las Vegas was hovering weight over our shoulders for the last bunch of years. We thought, well, let’s give it a try. We had played in Las Vegas many times at 12,000 seat arenas, but it’s a one night gig. Another stop on the road.” To actually build a show, like a Broadway or Las Vegas show, we wanted it to be something a step above.”

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In fact, the show features state-of-the art audio and video technology along with never-before-seen visuals and audio from Aerosmith archives. “I believe there are around 10,000 pounds of metal hanging above our heads. The people who do the video for the computer graphics for Game of Thrones designed some of the visuals,” Perry says. Aerosmith was also inspired The Beatles’ Love by Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. “We got [Giles Martin], the music director for that show who worked with George Harrison to do some of the sound design for our show. We found the best people we could for every aspect.”

With all those concert dates Perry continues to maintain a key ritual when he is gearing up to get stage. “When I wake up. It’s kind of a countdown to the show when I have to walk out there,” he shares. “We usually do a meet and greet or an interview. Then I like to spend the last hour or so playing my guitar, getting into the that space. I just have to play and get my fingers warmed up.” He also says that his wife, Billie, also greatly factors into his pre-show routine. “I ask my wife, Billie, what shirt I should wear,” says Perry. “I don’t know what will work. She sees what I look like in the lights and what I’m going to move in better. So I divide my time between that and playing my guitar. So usually I’m pretty psyched up by the time I walk on stage.”

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