Russell Simmons:
"If Dick Clark met the newest, most aggressive young band, he would see it as creative people many times see new trends. Like, 'I seen it before; it's just young people's culture, it's rebellious for the sake of it sometimes.' He sees that as an evolving theme in music. Young people breakin' away from the old. So when he had Run-D.M.C. it was like his 15th generation of new sh*t, you know? He was very appreciative and understanding of the music."
Nelson George:
"Since the 1950s, Dick Clark has been the epitome of mainstream American pop. That's what American Bandstand was all about. What that said was that Run-D.M.C. was having such a cultural impact that Dick had to open up the doors."
