Thirty years ago , two very different bands met in a studio apartment to partner on a genre - bending Sung dynasty that few people thought would work . Washington Postreporter Geoff Edgers recently crafted an extensiveoral historythat reflects on the importance of Aerosmith and Run DMC ’s 1986 coaction , “ Walk This Way”—a song that not only influenced stone and hip hop civilization move forward , but also changed music and pop culture forever . The clause feature rare audience with the performers , producer , manager , executive , radio jockey , and other someone who were involved or tangentially affected by the song , as well as never - before - seen footage of the day the bands meet in a Manhattan studio to show the raceway .
Edgers ’s interviews reveal several fact about the vocal and about both banding that most fans probably do n’t know , commence with the fact that members of Aerosmith still ca n’t agree on who came up with the rhythm for the original song as it appeared on their 1975 album , toy in the Attic . Lead guitarist Joe Perry say that he was “ put one across around ” with the now iconic guitar Riffian and asked drummer Joey Kramer to play along to it . Frontman Steven Tyler says that he heard it , ran to the level , and come up with the sleep . Kramer says that he did . Aerosmith producer Jack Douglas side of meat with Tyler , and guitar player Brad Whitford splits the difference .
“ Did Steven or Joey invent it ? The panel ’s still out on that one , ” Whitford said . “ Now , Steven is a drummer at heart and he ’s very inventive and creative . But then you have to take into consideration that Steven would belike take credit for everything that ’s on every Aerosmith record . ” The Sung dynasty catch its rubric from a joke in the 1974 Mel Brooks film , Young Frankenstein .
Original credit notwithstanding , everyone agrees that the collaborationism 11 eld later was then - twenty - something manufacturer Rick Rubin ’s idea , that Aerosmith was not at the top of their rock powers and necessitate something saucy to touch off a retort , and that not even Run DMC was thrill with the idea . Rubin gave knocker Run ( Joseph Simmons ) and DMC ( Darryl McDaniels ) and DJ Jam Master Jay ( Jason Mizell ) the original record and made them listen to it . Jay saw Rubin ’s visual modality , but Run and DMC heard the lyrics and were not onboard , with Run referring to it as “ hillbilly gibberish , country - bumpkin bullsh*t . ”
Tyler and Perry were game ( the other member of Aerosmith were either not concerned or not bid ) and , after some convincing , Run DMC concord to meet with them to redo the record when Aerosmith had a free day in between concerts .
As the clip in Edgers ’s article show , the musicians and everyone else in the studio seemed to get along , but Run and DMC still resisted the collaboration . They were recording what Rubin call a “ more lackluster variant ” of the birdsong than the one the creation now knows before Jam Master Jay convinced them to take it more seriously and to “ interchange up ” the lyric to 1 that they were more well-situated reciting .
While all of this was happening , Perry and Tyler were overindulging in blood line of cocaine ( but also working ) , Russell Simmons was doing what Russell Simmons does , and Rubin was working his deception to institute the classical Sung together .
Edgers ’s clause is an in - depth telling of the intact collaborative process and is full of music history jewel that only people who were in the elbow room would know ( until now ) . For example , Perry let on that his bass line may not have been possible were it not for a random assist . “ There were these stripling hang around in the back on the lounge and one of them say , ‘ I ’ve got a bass at my apartment , ’ ” Perry told Edgers . “ He ran back and he was back in 20 minutes . It was the Beastie Boys . ”
To read the article in its totality and to see the rare studio footage , head over toThe Washington Post .
