To hear the entire episode, press play below or download and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify. ( Find the Walk This Way book here)įrom the beginning, it’s a complex and contentious tale - the members of Aerosmith still can’t agree who came up with the song’s signature beat (Douglas sees it as a “collaboration” between Steven Tyler and drummer Joey Kramer), and Run-DMC never wanted to record the song in the first place, famously referring to the lyrics as “hillbilly gibberish.” The original song’s producer, Jack Douglas, gives a blow-by-blow of its genesis on the episode, while Washington Post reporter Geoff Edgers - author of the deeply reported new book Walk This Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song that Changed American Music Forever - joins host Brian Hiatt to dig deep into the narratives behind both versions of the song.
Tickets and a full list of dates are available on the band’s website.A new episode of our podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, spotlights the story of “ Walk This Way,” from Aerosmith’s original 1975 recording to their Rick Rubin-produced collaboration with Run-DMC in 1986. With all of the fanfare now over, Aerosmith is set to return to its “ Deuces Are Wild” Las Vegas residency at the Park Theater at Park MGM Resort beginning January 29th. Despite the aforementioned spat with Kramer, the entire band still took to the stage to accept the award together, until Kramer returned to his seat prior to the band’s set as he is legally barred from performing with the group. holds up a Kobe Bryant jersey to pay tribute to the legend during their performance with #GRAMMYs /hHhNcVG3NhĪerosmith’s performance wraps up an award show blitz for the band, as the members were collectively honored as MusiCare‘s “Person of the Year” on Friday in Los Angeles. #rundmc & #aerosmith #walkthisway #musiclegends #grammyawards #midem What a great moment!! ?Ī post shared by Alexandre Deniot on at 2:09am PST As verses were traded on the forefront of the stage, records were scratched in the background and one of the DJ’s held up a Kobe Bryant jersey in memory of the former Los Angeles Laker who died in a helicopter crash earlier that day.Īerosmith & Run DMC – Living On The Edge & Walk This Way (LIVE) – GRAMMY AWARDS 2020 /EnQIjrCLM0 members Reverend Run and DMC to once again go line for line on the rock anthem. But when the two groups teamed up to record a mashup of Aerosmiths 'Walk This Way,' they changed the course of music history. Worlds once again collided as Tyler and Perry were joined by remaining Run D.M.C. In 1986, Run-DMC were rap superstars while Aerosmith was a 70s rock band on its last legs. Next, Aerosmith busted into “Walk This Way”, and after the first verse, a visibly confused Tyler asked “what’s happening” when the band stopped playing, and guitarist Joe Perry implored, “let’s try something different,” before Run D.M.C. burst through a fake brick wall in imitation of the music video for the groundbreaking 1986 rap-rock collaboration.
Despite the surrounding drama, Aerosmith took the stage with the remaining original lineup for a rendition of 1993’s “Livin’ On The Edge”, where frontman Steven Tyler received some vocal assistance from Lizzo for the chorus. Both the original Aerosmith version and the Run DMC cover (featuring Tyler and Perry) appear on various Aerosmith compilations as well as Run DMC albums.
The classic rock hitmakers were scheduled to perform as part of a celebration of 50 years together-well, mostly together besides the recent ousting of drummer Joey Kramer. In the Run DMC cover, a turntable and drum machine are added in to reflect the additional hip hop influence on the record. Related: Gary Clark Jr., The Roots Perform “This Land” At 2020 Grammys
Aerosmith and Run D.M.C. reunited at Sunday’s 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for a rendition of their classic “Walk This Way” mash-up.