Beastie Boys Book

Oh my God, what a memorable reading experience!

I was a bit concerned going in, what with the silliness and apparent lack of coherence of many of the band's interviews over the years. But Adam Horovitz (ADROCK) and Michael Diamond's (Mike D) look back on their career makes for a fun and fascinating memoir. The book is also a loving tribute for their bandmate Adam Yauch (MCA) who died of cancer.

True to the Beastie Boys' eclectic style and nature, this book covers a lot of ground and often goes on odd and unexpected tangents. It certainly can get weird at times, but can you expect anything different from ADROCK and Mike D!?! Still, I loved everything about this work written by the Beasties. Some of the essays and other pieces from the assorted contributors often felt superfluous, however.

They return to every era of the band, from their growing up in NYC, to forming their own punk band, to discovering and falling in love with hip hop, to recording their first songs and staring on the path that would see them release their first album, License to Ill, and everything else that followed. I really enjoyed how they elaborated on the creation of every record they produced and what went on with their lives at that particular time.

A must for any fan of the Beastie Boys!

Here's the blurb:

A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself--by band members ADROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more.

Formed as a New York City hardcore band in 1981, Beastie Boys struck an unlikely path to global hip hop superstardom. Here is their story, told for the first time in the words of the band. 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 Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty and the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits conceived by the late Adam "MCA" Yauch; and more. For more than thirty years, this band has had an inescapable and indelible influence on popular culture.

With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album, Beastie Boys Book upends the typical music memoir. Alongside the band narrative you will find rare photos, original illustrations, a cookbook by chef Roy Choi, a graphic novel, a map of Beastie Boys' New York, mixtape playlists, pieces by guest contributors, and many more surprises.

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.