Last night at Paradise Garage, watching the usual beautiful crowd move to unusual rhythms, I had an epiphany about Profile Records' latest release. Run-DMC's "King of Rock" isn't just an album - it's a manifesto in Adidas.
Larry Smith (that quiet genius behind Whodini) has orchestrated something deliciously dangerous here. Oberheim DMX beats wrestling with power chords like lovers after too much champagne. The purists are horrified, darling, which means we're onto something perfect.
"Perfect pop," Andy whispered at Danceteria last week, sketching Run-DMC's silhouettes on a napkin, "Like Campbell's Soup with a beat."
You should see the video on MTV - featuring our dear Larry "Bud" Melman playing museum guard to Run-DMC's art terrorists. Pure poetry. Like that time Diana Vreeland let Madonna crash the Met Gala. Some boundaries beg to be crossed.
Speaking of forbidden pleasures, Yellowman's appearance on "Roots, Rap, Reggae" reminds me of Kingston nights with Grace Jones - when genre was just another rule waiting to be broken. adjusts vintage Persols thoughtfully
"Darling, mixing rap and rock is like wearing Chanel with Levi's... completely wrong until it's completely right." - Karl Lagerfeld, last night at Studio 54
They've even put it on compact disc - first rap album to embrace the future. Like switching from Dom Pérignon to Cristal... controversial, but inevitable.
Some say mixing rap and rock is like serving red wine with fish. But darling, rules were made by people who never danced until sunrise.
straightens tie while watching the downtown crowd discover uptown style
Dictated but not read, somewhere between the Paradise Garage and possibility...
Now Playing: King of Rock - Run-DMC | Magic's Wand - Whodini | La Vie en Rose - Grace Jones