Just a Spoonful of Aerosmith Makes the Emeril Go Down?

By JULIETTE ROSSANT MTV's For The Record recently reported that Emeril Lagasse will host Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry on the Food Network's "Emeril Live" (episode EM1H12 of June 27, 2004). The gimmick is that they will cook with a hotsauce called "Joe Perry's Rock Your World Boneyard Brew." Of late, rockstars, like chefs, have been hawking food and beverage products. During my research for Super Chef, I talked with one rockstar manager who had helped launch food and beverage products not just for chefs but also rockstars, even opening a sports bar. In fact, the Super Chef chapter on Todd English opens with his attempt to land a chef cooking show on an MTV channel -- and MTV dutifully mentioned Joe Perry's appearance on Emeril. Of course, this is not the first time that a rockstar has appeared on "Emeril Live": Sammy Hagar appeared years ago to promote his tequila Cabo Wabo (episode EM1G32, which will re-run on August 28 and 29, 2004). Nor is Emeril a stranger to rock'n'roll himself: his first calling was as a rock drummer, though now he seems a bit more mainstream in his musical tastes. (Compare photos or click on each for source pages -- personally, I prefer the "Boston" look from the 70s to the Liberace look of the 00s.) There should be a certain, commonsense element in branding -- so wouldn't the Red Hot Chili Peppers be more credible rockstars when endorsing a hotsauce?... Video files: Sammy Haggar jams with Emeril's band (Real 2.4K) Sammy Haggar concocts with Emeril (Real 2.5K)