First, what are you up to now – what projects should we be made aware of?
The two most immediate ones are- first, I have a new cookie company called Darryl Makes Cookies – DMC Cookies. These are the coolest cookies in the universe! I wanted to do cookies because I don’t like doing what everyone else is doing – and I just want to make people smile.
I’ve been sober now 24 years so I can’t do champagne and alcohol. I like cookies – they make people happy and help make the world a better place by making people happy! We have chocolate chip cookies now and in November we’ll have Christmas Holly cookies. We’re finally going to put fruitcakes out of existence! These are the real deal and relevant to everyone. After that we’ll have oatmeal, vegan and gluten-free ones too.
And musically?
Yeah! The main thing I have happening now is in January I’m dropping the first single off of my new album America. The album will have Joan Jett, Sammy Hagar, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Ice T., Bumpy Knuckles, Blacktop Mojo and more! It’s representative of what America really is – it’s showing real America. None of that divisive bullshit! We’ll be working with Agnostic Front – real hardcore New York music!
The album drops in June and in January the first single drops – Sebastian Bach will be on vocals, and we’ll also have Nick Mars, Duff McKagan …we’re knocking down generational walls. The song is “She Gets Me High”.
You’ve done so many projects – music of course, but cookies, documentaries, books, comics – how do you decide what to pursue and balance it all?
I’m 60 years-old and I realized what works for me. I’m not doing it for money or to be well-known. I’m just like that 12 year old kid in his bedroom – I just want to go and enjoy life! That’s my super power – I realized things after rehab. After Down with the King – when Pete Rock brought us back – that’s when I suffered a lot of depression. I was trying to please everyone. People kept telling me I needed to be on tour, needed to be on the radio. But I just wanted to be happy and less stressed out. Someone told me once that adults are too stressed – they just need to go out and play tag sometimes!
So, I’m not doing that anymore – I’m not doing things to please everyone else. Even when I started to write my music, I did it for me. Run didn’t even know I was writing at first. I just did it for me.
You’ve been inspired by a number of different forms of music including rock and folk – how did you incorporate those varied influences into what you’ve done musically and artistically?
Growing up I didn’t hear a lot of music I could relate to. My parents listened to Marvin Gaye and James Brown – that was cool stuff but I couldn’t identify with it then. From kindergarten until eight or so I was listening to Jim Croce, John Fogerty, Procol Harum, Joni Mitchell… they sang about everyday things I could relate to as a kid. It wasn’t all about sex and love.
So, I listened to a lot more White singers then. Once hiphop came along I was reintroduced to the music my mother and father listened to. But folk music was what I could first identify with then.
What is the one big wish project for you?
Probably if I could record with Paul McCartney. They used to say we were the Beatles of hip-hop. Well I’d love to record with a real Beatle and make something mind-blowing.
But now I’m really excited to record with the Agnostic Front. We all come from the same feelings – we all want to do something that no one else can fuck with. We all have the same vibe and auras. We want to do real hardcore New York music no one fucks with.
I wanted to also talk about the charity work you do more and the personal challenges you had with depression and substance and alcohol. How have you managed to navigate that in an environment that really would exacerbate that – what were you able to do to overcome it?
That’s right – it’s tough in this environment. All of my success has come from doing what felt good to me. You don’t have to fit in to achieve your goals and it took me a while to learn that. I wanted to be a people-pleaser and that makes others happy, but suppresses your own emotions. That’s what my therapist told me. You have to live your truth. You don’t need things outside of yourself like substances or approval to fit in. My therapist told me that I had so many times that I could have quit Run DMC and didn’t when I wanted to. Now, I do nothing that I don’t feel good about. I get offered a shitload of money at times to do stuff I don’t want to do and I say no, and that drives my agent crazy. But I need to do the things that I feel good about.
How do you do that in a business that makes it so hard?
You’re right – it is hard in this business. But it’s hard in all communities – with all people. Destructive behavior is celebrated. When a guy does 50 shots no one stops him at 10 and asks what’s wrong with him. What’s going on with him – with his life and family. We celebrate that behavior.
Have to talk sports – you’re known to be a big Steelers fan of course. What brought that dedication to Steelers football on?
I was just a huge fan of them as a kid, growing up. Franco, Lynn Swann, Rocky Bleier, Bradshaw – Jack Lambert was my favorite player! He was like a fucking hockey player playing football! If you disrespected the waterboy he’d throw you to the ground! They were the first humans that seemed like superheroes to me!
Lambert was crazy and Ham was the super quiet guy – the Derek Jeter of the Steelers. Swann was like Spiderman. Ever since the 70s I’ve been a huge Steelers fan. When I had the chance to meet Jerome Bettis he told me how honored he was to meet me – that my music inspired him – and I was just as excited to meet him! People ask me why I am a Steelers fan when I grew up in New York. I just tell them “Fuck the Giants! I love the Steelers!”
Any good experiences with the team and players that stand out most?
Three years ago I got to do the draft – they called and asked me if I wanted to announce a draft pick. They knew I was a Steelers fan. That’s when the draft was in Cleveland.
Well, I walked all over Cleveland in my Steelers jersey and when I was in town they’d cuss me out – the whole town was cursing at me! Then the funny thing is they’d see who I was and apologize and tell me how much they loved my music and inspired them!
I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton – an old 80-year old woman cussed me out when I was wearing the jersey in the lobby! She didn’t know who I was and everyone was laughing and crying. People told me I should have waited to put on the jersey when I got to the arena!
But when I got to the arena I got to sit and talk with Franco for a while – he put me on the phone with his kid and told me that I had a big presence in his household growing up. It was beautiful – everyone who walked into the arena would go say hi to him.
I also got to hang out with Rod Woodson, John Stallworth and Troy Polamalu at the first game of the season. Troy’s kids and aunts and uncles – they were all so approachable – I got to meet three generations of his family!
And I got to meet Antonio Brown. I was so disappointed when he left the team – he could have won so many Super Bowls in Pittsburgh!