Category Archives: Beastie Boys

BEASTIE BOYS: ILL COMMUNICATION TURNS 25

BEASTIE BOYS: ILL COMMUNICATION TURNS 25

STILL ILL Mini-Doc Live HERE

Debuting at #1 upon its May 1994 release, Beastie Boys’ fourth album was an unstoppable force, pervading every aspect of pop culture. Its charge to the top of the charts was led by “Sabotage” and its legendary Spike Jonze/Nathanial Hornblower ’70s TV police drama tribute, as ROLLING STONE dubbed Ill Communication 1994’s “soundtrack for summer.” Crowds and critics alike were floored by highlights “Sure Shot,” “Root Down” and “Get It Together,” as a VIBE (RIP)—in the magazine’s first cover story on a white artist–hailed Beastie Boys as “perhaps the most consistently innovative musicians to emerge out of hip hop.” It was a claim that Ill Communication has justified for years to come, and 25 years later Ill Communication’s impact has resounded with generation after generation.

Surviving members Adam “Adrock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond sat down and reflected on the making of the album with Amazon Music’s Nathan Brackett.

The documentary also features archival footage and commentary from musical collaborators Mario Caldato Jr. and “Money” Mark Nishita.

For more on the anniversary visit Amazon Music’s dedicated Beastie Boys Page HERE.

Photo Credit: Ari Marcopoulos

BEASTIE BOYS STORY: Third Brooklyn Event Added Due To Popular Demand

BEASTIE BOYS STORY

Third Brooklyn Event Added Due To Popular Demand

Tickets For New Date On Sale Thursday March 21st at 10am Local Time

https://www.beastieboysbook.com/

With their previously announced Philadelphia and two Brooklyn shows having sold out instantly, Adam “Adrock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond have confirmed a third night in Brooklyn for Beastie Boys Story – A 2 Person 1 Man Show About 3 Kids Who Started a Band Together – As Told By Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz. Directed by Spike Jonze. 

The full itinerary is as follows:

April 5: Philadelphia, PA – The Tower Theater (SOLD OUT)
April 8: Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre (SOLD OUT)
April 9: Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre (SOLD OUT)
April 10: Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre 

Tickets are on sale to the public Thursday, March 21st at 10am local time. More information at BeastieBoys.com and Ticketmaster.com, or visit BeastieBoysBook.com.

BEASTIE BOYS STORY As Told By Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz

BEASTIE BOYS STORY
As Told By Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz

Directed By Spike Jonze

Live On Stage

Philadelphia & Brooklyn Event Dates Confirmed

Tickets On Sale March 16th

https://www.beastieboysbook.com/

Due to overwhelmingly popular demand, Adam “Adrock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond have confirmed three dates for Beastie Boys Story As Told By Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz.

The full itinerary is as follows:

April 5: Philadelphia, PA – The Tower Theater
April 8: Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
April 9: Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre

Watch the announcement video here:
https://youtu.be/GGwwjGZOzrA

Tickets are one sale to the public TOMORROW—Saturday, March 16th—at 10am local time. More information at BeastieBoys.com and Ticketmaster.com, or visit BeastieBoysBook.com.

BEASTIE BOYS BOOK TOPS NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS LIST

BEASTIE BOYS BOOK TOPS NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS LIST

 

“a compendium of anecdotes, recipes, impish riffs and shaggy-dog stories and a heartfelt elegy to a much-missed friend… this scrapbook will help to consolidate a sprawling and complicated legacy.”—THE NEW YORK TIMES 

“Wild, moving… resembles a Beastie Boys LP in its wild variety of styles…”—ROLLING STONE

“as Nutty, Irreverent, and Fun as You Think It Would Be…”—VOGUE 

“As freewheeling and funny as their albums… a beautifully messy (and large) talisman containing within it many of the great joys and surprises that come with listening to the Beastie Boys”—THE AV CLUB 

“sincere moments of reflection about their music, their friendship and the guy who taught them to fix radiators, to care about human rights, to own up to mistakes and to grow up.”—NPR MORNING EDITION

Beastie Boys Adam “Adrock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond can now add “bestselling authors” to their long list of bona fides. In the week following its October 30 release, Beastie Boys Book (Spiegel & Grau) has ascended to #1 on The New York Times Best Sellers List—topping both the Nonfiction Print Hardcover and Nonfiction Combined Print & E-Book Best Sellers charts.

Horovitz and Diamond are currently in the midst of the rapturously received Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct event tour. The show features Mike D and Adrock reading from the book and in conversation, with a live score by Mix Master Mike and a staggeringly thorough Beastie Boys exhibit, curated by Beastie Boys & Beyond the Streets with Sonos providing sound, playing a mixtape curated by Adrock and Mike D.

The last currently scheduled Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct dates are November 29th at O2 Forum Kentish Town and November 30th at EartH in London.

Written by Adrock and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more, Beastie Boys Book is a panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys for the first time in the band members’ own words. Horovitz and Diamond offer accounts of their transition from teenage punks to budding rappers; their early collaboration with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin; the debut album that became the first hip hop record ever to hit #1, Licensed to Ill—and the messy fallout as the band broke with Def Jam; their move to Los Angeles and rebirth with the genre-defying masterpiece Paul’s Boutique; their evolution as musicians and social activists over the course of the classic albums Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty and the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits conceived by the late Adam “MCA” Yauch and more.

With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album, Beastie Boys Book is so much more than a musicians’ memoir. Alongside Horovitz and Diamond’s personal recollections are an overwhelming assortment of rare photos and original illustrations, a cookbook by chef Roy Choi, a graphic novel, a map of Beastie Boys’ New York, mixtape playlists, and many more surprises.

About the Authors:
Beastie Boys is a trio consisting of Michael “Mike D” Diamond, Adam “Adrock” Horovitz, and the late Adam “MCA” Yauch (1964–2012), formed in 1981 as part of New York’s hardcore punk underground. The group’s first full-length album, Licensed to Ill, was the first rap album to reach #1. With seven multi-platinum albums from 1986 to 2011, including Licensed to Ill, Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty, To the 5 Boroughs and Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, Beastie Boys are one of the longest-lived hip hop acts worldwide. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, received the MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 1998, and have won three Grammy Awards.

For more information, go to www.beastieboysbook.com and http://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/232195/

BEASTIE BOYS BOOK: LIVE & DIRECT with ADAM HOROVITZ & MICHAEL DIAMOND

BEASTIE BOYS BOOK: LIVE & DIRECT

with ADAM HOROVITZ & MICHAEL DIAMOND

Adrock & Mike D Announce Six Nights of Readings, Conversation, Q&A with Special Guest Moderators, Live Score by Mix Master Mike & More

Every Ticket to Include Physical Copy of Beastie Boys Book

Out October 30, Available for Pre-Order at www.beastieboysbook.com  

Tickets On Sale Friday, September 28

In celebration of the October 30 release of Beastie Boys Book (Spiegel & Grau), Adam “Adrock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond will embark on the six-night four-city Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct event tour.

Each night of Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct will feature readings, conversations between Mike D, Adrock and a special guest moderator, Q&A sessions–all with a live score provided by Mix Master Mikeand a brand new Beastie Boys exhibit, curated by Beastie Boys & Beyond the Streets in partnership with adidas Skateboarding. Sonos will provide the sound experience at each exhibit, playing a mixtape curated by Adrock and Mike D.

As if that’s not enough, every ticket for Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct comes with a physical copy of Beastie Boys Book—to be redeemed upon entrance to the event.

The full itinerary is as follows:

    10/29 – New York – Town Hall – Tickets*

    10/30 – Brooklyn – Kings Theatre – Tickets

    11/3 – Los Angeles – Montalban Theatre – Tickets

    11/4 – Los Angeles – Montalban Theatre – Tickets

    11/5 – San Francisco – City Arts & Lectures at Nourse Theater – Tickets

    11/30 – London – EartH – Tickets

Tickets are on sale to the public beginning Friday, September 28 at 10am local.

* Town Hall tickets are on sale 12 noon local time.

Written by Adrock and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more, Beastie Boys Book is a panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys for the first time in the band members’ own words. Adam “Adrock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond offer revealing and very funny accounts of their transition from teenage punks to budding rappers; their early collaboration with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin; the debut album that became the first hip hop record ever to hit #1, Licensed to Ill—and the album’s messy fallout as the band broke with Def Jam; their move to Los Angeles and rebirth with the genre-defying masterpiece Paul’s Boutique; their evolution as musicians and social activists over the course of the classic albums Check Your HeadIll Communication, and Hello Nasty and the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits conceived by the late Adam “MCA” Yauch and more.

With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album, Beastie Boys Book is so much more than a musicians’ memoir. Alongside Horovitz and Diamond’s personal recollections are an overwhelming assortment of rare photos and original illustrations, a cookbook by chef Roy Choi, a graphic novel, a map of Beastie Boys’ New York, mixtape playlists, and many more surprises.

Beastie Boys Book hits stands on Tuesday, October 30. Pre-order is available at www.beastieboysbook.com and http://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/232195/

Socials:

https://www.facebook.com/beastieboys
https://twitter.com/beastieboys
https://www.instagram.com/beastieboysbook/
http://blog.beastieboys.com/

OPEN LETTER FROM BEASTIE BOYS’ MIKE D & ADROCK TO GOLDIEBLOX

Like many of the millions of people who have seen your toy commercial “GoldieBlox, Rube Goldberg & the Beastie Boys,” we were very impressed by the creativity and the message behind your ad. We strongly support empowering young girls, breaking down gender stereotypes and igniting a passion for technology and engineering.

As creative as it is, make no mistake, your video is an advertisement that is designed to sell a product, and long ago, we made a conscious decision not to permit our music and/or name to be used in product ads. When we tried to simply ask how and why our song “Girls” had been used in your ad without our permission, YOU sued US.

PALMETTO PLAYGROUND TO BE RENAMED ADAM YAUCH PARK IN HONOR OF MUSICIAN AND NATIVE BROOKLYNITE ADAM YAUCH

DATE: Friday, May 3, 2013

TIME: 11:00 a.m.

LOCATION: Palmetto Playground Atlantic Ave., Columbia Pl., State St, BROOKLYN

EVENT & PHOTO-OP: Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey will join Borough President Marty Markowitz; State Senator Daniel Squadron; Council Member Stephen Levin; Member of the Beastie Boys, Adam Horovitz; parents of Adam Yauch, Noel and Frances Yauch, and members of the Yauch family; and John Silva of Silva Artist Management, to rename Palmetto Playground in Brooklyn Heights in honor of musician and Brooklyn native, Adam Yauch.

DETAILS: Adam Yauch grew up in Brooklyn Heights, on State Street, and learned to ride a bicycle in the park that will now bear his name.A pioneer in the worlds of music, social activism and film, Adam Yauch was not only a founding member of the Beastie Boys, but also established the Milarepa Fund that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and created the film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Adam Yauch Park (formerly Palmetto Playground) is located in the southernmost portion of the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights.  The playground includes full and half basketball courts, a community garden, a greenhouse, a small fitness area, an open play space, drinking fountains, and a dog run.

ADAM YAUCH 1964-2012

It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam “MCA” Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself to play bass in high school, forming a band for his 17th birthday party that would later become known the world over as Beastie Boys.

With fellow members Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Adrock” Horovitz, Beastie Boys would go on to sell over 40 million records, release four #1 albums–including the first hip hop album ever to top the Billboard 200, the band’s 1986 debut full length, Licensed To Ill–win three Grammys, and the MTV Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award. Last month Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Diamond and Horovitz reading an acceptance speech on behalf of Yauch, who was unable to attend.

In addition to his hand in creating such historic Beastie Boys albums as Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and more, Yauch was a founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and  activism regarding the injustices perpetrated on native Tibetans by Chinese occupational government and military forces.  In 1996, Milarepa produced the first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which was attended by 100,000 people, making it the biggest benefit concert on U.S. soil since 1985’s Live Aid. The Tibetan Freedom Concert series would continue to stage some of the most significant benefit shows in the world for nearly a decade following in New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Taipei and other cities.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, Milarepa organized New Yorkers Against Violence, a benefit headlined by Beastie Boys at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, with net proceeds  disbursed to the New York Women’s Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) September 11th Fund for New Americans–each chosen for their efforts on behalf of 9/11 victims least likely to receive help from other sources.

Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch directed iconic Beastie Boys videos including  “So Whatcha Want,” “Intergalactic,” “Body Movin” and “Ch-Check It Out.” Under his own name, Yauch directed last year’s Fight For Your Right Revisited, an extended video for “Make Some Noise” from Beastie Boys’ Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen as the 1986 Beastie Boys, making their way through a half hour of cameo-studded misadventures before squaring off against Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Beastie Boys of the future.

Yauch’s passion and talent for filmmaking led to his founding of Oscilloscope Laboratories, which in 2008 released his directorial film debut, the basketball documentary Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot and has since become a major force in independent video distribution, amassing a catalogue of such acclaimed titles as Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy,  Oren Moverman’s The Messenger,  Banksy’s Exit Through The Gift Shop, Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze’s Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak, and many more.

Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and his daughter Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents Frances and Noel Yauch.

BEASTIE BOYS ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME STATEMENT

“We’re in the rock and roll hall of fame? That’s f—-n’ crazy and awesome ! While we are very proud of the music we make, we have to acknowledge the inspiration from our families, friends and musicians like the slits, bad brains, x-ray spex, the treacherous three and too many others to possibly name. And most of all, we give thanks to New York City and the world of musical influence it provided for us.”

BEASTIE BOYS: HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART TWO DELUXE VERSION

RECORD STORE DAY SPECIAL RELEASE AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 25 AT YOUR FINER INDIE RETAILER

LIMITED NUMBER AVAILABLE FOR PRE-SALE NOW AT BEASTIEBOYS.COM

The definitive Beastie Boys album of the second decade of the new millennium is getting deluxe banquet treatment for Record Store Day:

As of November 25, Beastie Boys’ Hot Sauce Committee Part Two Deluxe Version (Capitol) will be unleashed on independent record stores, including nothing less than Blu-Ray and DVD versions of the entire album and all accompanying remixes, all in both standard and 5.1 audio.

And as they (used to? still?) say in the late night infomercials: Wait! That’s not all! The Hot Sauce Committee Part Two Deluxe Version video content also includes all versions of both the time traveling epic FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT REVISITED–described by TIME as featuring “more stars than a Judd Apatow flick”–and the Spike Jonze directed thriller DON’T PLAY NO GAME THAT I CANT WIN–which moved ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY to exclaim “G.I. Joe can suck it–the Beasties make way better action figures in this hilarious Spike Jonze-helmed epic (A+)”

And there’s STILL MORE: All of the above comes packaged in a breathtaking hardcover 130+ page book containing exclusive behind the scenes photos of the making of FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT REVISITED.

Finally, a very limited number for Hot Sauce Committee Part Two Deluxe Versions will be available for pre-sale via Beastieboys.com starting November 7 – in a special package deal including an official Beastie Boys Stuyvesant Phys. Ed T-Shirt as rocked by Adrock back in the day and his various alter egos in FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT REVISITED.

If somehow you’ve slept on the record THE NEW YORK TIMES was kind enough to call “the Beasties’ most tolerable album in years,” now is the time to put things right…