AEROSMITH Drummer Talks About His Foray Into Newbury Street Retail

Boston magazine recently conducted an interview with AEROSMITH drummer Joey Kramer about the Technical store which he opened recently in Boston with John Nichols. Located on Newbury between Exeter and Fairfield streets, the shop's stocked with a wide — and weird — range of streetwear, from hats and hoodies to sneakers and skateboard accessories. (Nichols, a friend of Kramer's son Jesse, opened the first Technical in Norwell a few years ago.)

Q: So, do you skate?

Kramer: Um, not really. I'm just afraid to break my thumbs and my wrists, you know? Then I'd be in a fine how-do-you-do.

Q: How'd you get involved in Technical?

Kramer: I met John four or five years back, after he started the store in Norwell. The thing that caught my eye was the passion he had about the skateboard culture. He was definitely a quality-before-quantity guy.

Q: The South Shore store is kind of a hard-core skate shop. What's the new location like?

Kramer: It's geared toward the foot traffic on Newbury Street. There's stuff in here that I would wear, that I do wear.

Q: Such as?

Kramer: Well, in particular, a brand of watches called TW Steel that I found overseas. And another watch from Toy Watch with a skull and crossbones, and T-shirts from Upper Playground and Spacecraft.

Q: Would you wear it onstage?

Kramer: To me, it's definitely more everyday clothing.

Q: Do you think the skater ethic is similar to the '70s rock ethic?

Kramer: They're both word-of-mouth, underground-culture-ish but spread quickly. In this world, you have to be cautious about advertising: If skaters think it's for everybody, they won't come.