A Ride on the Tail of a Comet: A New Memoir by Steven Tyler

Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll infused with metaphysics.

If you're offended by the F word or by illicit sex, then this book is not for you. If you want a book that reveals the mind of a musical genius in all of its drugged-out glory, then by all means pick up a copy of "Does the Noise in my Head Bother You?" [HarperCollins, $27.99], a memoir written by Steven (don't call him Steve) Tyler of Aerosmith fame.

Tyler, who played a major role in defining a generation of rock music as lead singer and songwriter for Aerosmith, takes the reader on a wild ("I live on the tail of a comet") ride through his life, with home base being the lakeside town of Sunapee, N.H. That's where he and guitarist Joe Perry hooked up and began their climb onto the international stage.

As much as you might be turned off by the book's excruciatingly honest description of the touring band's debauchery (Tyler calls it his "way-out-o-sphere"), you might also be impressed with what seems to be his deep understanding of life, one that's infused with the spiritual (he's a fan of Kahlil Gibran) and the literary (his mother's reading of Kipling and others when he was a child "lit the fire that would keep me warm for the rest of my life").

Tyler opens the door to a world we can only imagine and dares us to explore it with him. There are demons galore in this tale, but, as Tyler writes, "How do you expect me to write lyrics without demons?"