Aerosmith - Dude (Looks Like A Lady)

What this video is

Released in 1987 as the lead single from Aerosmith's ninth studio album Permanent Vacation, 'Dude (Looks Like a Lady)' marked the band's commercially triumphant late-'80s comeback after years of drug addiction and poorly received records. Co-written with Desmond Child — the first time Aerosmith worked with an outside songwriter — the track reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on Mainstream Rock Tracks. The…

Why it matters

A foundational artifact of the late-1980s hard rock MTV video canon, this clip represents the template for theatrical, performance-plus-vignette rock video construction. It was instrumental in repositioning Aerosmith as MTV-era video stars and showcased Marty Callner's signature…

The director

Martin Henry Callner (August 25, 1946 – March 17, 2025) was an American director born in Chicago and raised in Cincinnati. He began his career at Cincinnati's WCPO-TV in 1969, moved into HBO stand-up specials in 1975, and transitioned to music videos in the…