Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit Hole

'Walk This Way': Did Run DMC and Aerosmith Change the Course of Rock?

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Sit with Kevin and Butch as they discuss the making of Run DMC's take on the Aerosmith classic rocker "Walk This Way." Run DMC was dead set against recording it, but producer Rick Rubin won out. By sheer will, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were able to fly in to add vocals and guitar to the track, making it a pioneering mash-up of rap and rock. Did it change the course of rock music history? A few notes:

  • Beer of the week is Against the Grain Citra Ass Down 2IPA.
  • Butch talks about about who the hosts are and what they do outside of the podcast. (It's brief, we promise.)
  • Silly Putty enters the conversation.
  • The guys talk about their perceptions of Aerosmith in the 1980s before the song was released. They were among many 1970s bands that had difficulty finding a niche in the new decade.
  • Run DMC thought the band's name was Toys in the Attic. They had no idea what the song was called, either.
  • Originally, Run DMC just wanted to use the song's beat to "rap about how great they were." When they first heard the lyrics, they dismissed it as "hillbilly gibberish."
  • Enter Rick Rubin, and the rest, as they say, is rock history.
  • Check out the book "Walk This Way" about how the song changed American music for a much deeper dive down the rabbit hole.
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    Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit HoleBy Kevin Gibson/Butch Bays