Interview: Bram van Splunteren – Filmmaker and Journalist

Date of Interview: 05/14/2012

Bram van Splunteren is a Dutch filmmaker and journalist. His hip-hop documentary – Big Fun in the Big Town (1986) – captures a series of extraordinary events during an incredible week in New York: Doug E Fresh beatboxing and philosophizing on the street in Harlem, Grandmaster Flash scratching records on his living room table, and LL Cool J discussing love raps at his grandmother’s house in Queens. Twenty-five years after its initial broadcasting on Dutch public television, 5 Day Weekend has made this rare, historical footage commercially available for the very first time.

In support of Big Fun in the Big Town’s worldwide release (DVD: May 22, 2012), Bram van Splunteren spoke with Clayton Perry about his passion for filmmaking, early radio resistance to hip-hop music, and the vital support received from Def Jam publicist Bill Adler.

Interview: Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (of Run DMC)

Date of Interview: 06/03/2010

In the world of hip-hop, one group stands supreme: Run DMC. Although Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell stood upon the shoulders of several rap giants, their countless contributions to the genre are unparalleled in scale and scope.

Run DMC was the first rap act to earn RIAA gold, platinum, and multi-platinum    albums; the first rap act to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine; and the first rap act to receive a GRAMMY Award nomination. Run DMC also received heavy rotation on MTV – starting with their first rap rock video, “Rock Box,” to the unforgettable crossover smash “Rock This Way.”

More recently, outside of the music arena, Darryl McDaniels has ramped up his role as a social and political activist – tackling issues within foster care and the adoption arenas in particular. Even so, in spite of his jam-packed calendar, DMC managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on the 25^th Anniversary of Krush Groove, the influence of Ken Webb, and Run DMC’s prophetic induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.