Danny Boy O’Connor: On “Jump Around,” Breaking at the Olympics and “The Outsiders”

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You may not immediately recognize the name Danny Boy O’Connor. But if you’ve turned on a radio or attended an in-person sports event in the last 30 years you certainly know his music. As a co-founder of the group House of Pain, he was on the ground floor of the group’s biggest crossover hit, “Jump Around.”

As you’ll hear in this conversation, he was a connoisseur of music growing up in New York and then Los Angeles. He also was immersed in hip hop culture, including the breaking scene. So when the sports version of break dancing takes center stage in Paris, he’ll be watching with keen interest. In this episode we’ll talk a bit about what breaking has meant to him and what it continues to mean to participants around the world.

But we’re also going to talk a surprising amount about tourism, specifically what O’Connor has accomplished in an effort to preserve the legacy of the book and movie version of “The Outsiders.” Years after House Pain, he found himself on tour through Tulsa where the book was based, and found the house used in the film as the home of the brothers who make up the main characters. Shocked at what had become of the home, he led an effort to purchase and restore it, an effort that has now led to a museum to the franchise, which also saw a Broadway musical version debut last year that took home a Tony Award for Best Muscial. In the process of restoring the home, O’Connor not only fell in love with the town, but he has become one of its biggest tourism advocates.

In this episode, we’re going to talk about all of these things and you may come out surprised at how the worlds of music, sports and tourism can often interact seamlessly.
Among the topics in this episode

• Danny’s childhood in New York and Los Angeles (4:05)
• Stepping out from the mainstream (6:05)
• How hip hop saved his life (9:05)
• The convenience of working at a record store (10:33)
• The origins of “Jump Around” (7:15)
• The Los Angeles Angels use of “Jump Around” during their World Series run (14:34)
• How “Jump Around” has become an arena staple (15:27)
• What it’s like to hear the song in public (16:25)
• Danny’s connection to breaking as part of hip hop culture (17:01)
• The recent World Break Classic in Tulsa (19:33)
• Thoughts on breaking as a competitive sport at the Olympic Games (20:31)
• Combining the nature of breaking between sport and recreation (22:46)
• Danny’s arrival in Tulsa and how it became home (25:40)
• Realizing that Tulsa was home to his favorite book, “The Outsiders” (26:55)
• Discovering pop culture spots at various tour stops (28:42)
• How the book and movie still resonate with younger generations (31:56)
• Turning the book into a Broadway musical (32:32)
• His appreciation for tourism as an industry (35:53)
• How Jack White from the “White Stripes” helped fund the museum project (37:59)
• The benefits of tourism in smaller markets (41:20)

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