Steven Tyler on American Idol Season 10: "Not All Great Singers Make Great Rock Stars — Some of the Voices That Aren't the Best Do"

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler joined American Idol as a judge for Season 10 — the first season with Tyler and Jennifer Lopez replacing Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul — with the two-night premiere airing January 19 and 20 at 8/7C on FOX. Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler joined American Idol as a judge for Season 10 — the first season with Tyler and Jennifer Lopez replacing Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. The two-night, three-hour premiere aired January 19 and 20 at 8/7C on FOX. Tyler's all-time Idol favorites are Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. He also confirmed that Aerosmith would be touring South America and Japan in November and working on a new album.

On what kind of judge he will be: "I will bring a Rock and Roll element to the show which is my personality. I have a good ear for all music. It is not just a one-type phase judging. I am good for all different music and listening to voices and the spirit of and the imperfections of someone's voice. Not all great singers make great rock stars. Some of the voices that aren't the best make great rock stars. I am taking what these kids give me — cutting it up in three different pieces: (1) Can they sing a mean pitch? (2) Do they have character? (3) Do they have a star quality about them? Folded all into one, that would be my expertise."

On his judging style: "I am not going in there to be a harsh judge or an overly bearing judge. I am just bringing my Italian I-know-how-to-work-a-room Aunt Phyllis honesty — 40 years the front guy in Aerosmith who judged the hell out of himself. I made a good career out of it. You will see a love affair, a camaraderie you have not seen in 10 years. I am really happy that I get along with Randy so well and J-Lo is a fox. She is also streets with a good big heart."

On regrets and his personal life: "In my personal life, I have no regrets. Everything that came my way has cut me into what I am today. What I am today is a grateful recovering drug addict-alcoholic. I am not without my faults, my marks and my scars. I am proud of them. I have showed people them for 40 years — that is why they love my music, because I am honest."

On his early judging regrets on Idol: "I made some harsh comments the first week and they snapped back saying, 'What do you mean?' There were only two of those, because I didn't want that to happen again. I couldn't tell them they were no good without substantiating why. A couple times I said, 'You just don't have it.' They asked me, 'Why?' I could not tell them why. I didn't see the star and I did not have the guts to tell them that. After that I was ready to go and I jumped back in both feet."

On his dream show concept: "Someday I am going to have my own show called Different Type of Survivor. They will put me in a bottle and throw me into the ocean to be called 'Message in a Bottle.' Put me in a giant bottle and see what shore I land, then I marry the person, and we will see what our kids look like. I don't know, but I am ready for anything."

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