Steven Tyler and Mick Fleetwood Lobby Hawaii Legislature for Privacy Laws
Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler and Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood recently appeared at a hearing in Hawaii to lobby legislators on behalf of stronger privacy laws for celebrities. The rockers spoke on behalf of Senate bill 465, which is now officially known as the Steven Tyler Act.
Tyler spearheaded the bill after he purchased some property on Maui and began experiencing problems with paparazzi, who are currently allowed to use long-rage photo lenses and audio equipment to get photos and stories about celebrities in the state of Hawaii, as long as they don't physically trespass. Tyler's bill mirrors a law that's already on the books in California, where celebrities cannot be photographed or pursued in their own homes or in other areas where they have a reasonable assumption of privacy.
The Aerosmith singer acknowledged that a lack of privacy is part of his job, to an extent. "It's part of the dealio," he said at the hearing. "But when I'm in my own home, and I'm taking a shower, or changing my clothes, or eating, or spending time with my children and I see paparazzi shooting at me with lenses this long, and then see that very picture in People magazine, it hurts."
The rocker added that he managed to get all of his children together at his home in Hawaii this past Christmas, which has been a rarity for the family. The special occasion was ruined by the paparazzi who stalk him, which caused the family to be essentially trapped in his house. "It meant so much to me, and they didn't want to go out," Tyler said, adding, "It's not just me. When I leave the house, they follow me downtown, and they're shooting with one hand and driving with the other, and they could hurt someone else on the island."
Those are the very reasons the laws are already stricter in California. The laws there first passed in 1998, a year after Princess Diana was killed in a car accident while being pursued by photographers. It was modified again in 2009 after a group of paparazzi drove Britney Spears off the road while following her.
Fleetwood is a longtime resident of Hawaii, and he says the proposed legislation would help preserve the spirit of hospitality the islands are known for. "The sense of aloha means to welcome people," he stated. "We love what we do, and we're blessed -- and cursed to some extent. But we accept that, because that's our life, and it's our pleasure more than often."
The legendary drummer said that shouldn't extend to private, personal space. "To have it translate across a border to your privacy -- your absolute and reasonable privacy -- it is abhorrent, and it's not what these islands should stand for."
Watch Steven Tyler and Mick Fleetwood Lobby Hawaii Legislators