Steven Tyler: American Idol Was "Not My Cup of Tea"

Now that Steven Tyler has left his judging position at American Idol, he admits the show was "not my cup of tea."

Tyler, who's now turning his full attention to the gig that made him famous in the first place — being the frontman for Aerosmith — says the Idol job had its ups and downs in a new interview in Rolling Stone.

"I loved it and hated it," Tyler, 64, tells the magazine. "It was a great job, I sat next to J. Lo and I made a ton of money."

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But on the flipside, Tyler said, "It was just hard work: seven-hour days and then I went and did the [Aerosmith] album for eight hours after that." (Aerosmith will release Music From Another Dimension, their first record in 11 years, on Nov. 6.)

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Interestingly, it was a public conflict with his Aerosmith bandmates that spurred him to sign a contract with American Idol in the first place, Tyler says. "It was something to do while the storm blew by, to be honest," he says.

And in response to criticism that he and fellow departed judge Jennifer Lopez were too soft on some of the contestants, Tyler says: "The show's about kids and what you do to nurture their talent. They wanted me to take the piss out of the kids and I don't have that in me. That's not what I'm about."

Will you miss Tyler as an Idol judge?