2004 August - Interview Magazine

[liberty_a320]

Hey, everyone... keep on the lookout for the August 2004 issue of Interview Magazine... Beasties on the cover!

http://i19.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/25/ae/6a_1_b.JPG
(Photo from eBay)

You can check eBay (http://search.ebay.com/beastie-boys-magazine_W0QQsofocusZbsQQsbrftogZ1QQfromZR10QQsotr Z2QQcoactionZcompareQQcopagenumZ1QQcoentrypageZsea rch) for some copies on sale... or wait for it to come out at a book/music store near you! :D

[liberty_a320]

Download first page of interview here (http://www.interviewmagazine.com/images/BEASTIEBOYS89.pdf). Will post scans as soon as I get my hands on a copy of this magazine.

[computer_action]

Looks like a fun interview. Can't wait to read the rest.

[Audielicious]

Holy Hell. That's a beautiful cover shot. :eek: Gracias!

[RiCeBoY102]

Just readin that is pretty funny. Wow. That must of been an odd occurence.

[alexandra]

i'd kick Simmons' ass if i could.

[CraftyLady6]

Yeah, it didn't read as the most comfortable interview, that's for sure.

[liberty_a320]

Yeah, this interview should be rather... er... interesting... now that I actually read the PDF. :p

[lakes78]

The interview sucked ass (n) russell simmoms sucks even more major ass. "I miss you guys thats my biggest regret, the way things ended."....whatever wah, wah, wah,wah wah. he was such an ass.

i actually thought that the interview might be different than all the other horrible interviews (its not the beastie boys fought, but its the damn journalist who ask the same dumd ass questions) because jackass russell simmons was doing it. (that was very wrong of me to assume)

like what the fuck russell "so do any of you guys have kids?" "are you guys still messin around with different women?" " how many songs are on the record."
i mean did he just say to himself
"i want to sound cool so let me think of some stupid shit to say."

in the begining it seemed like it had a point, he kissed their ass(which he was supposed too, for all the fucked up shit def jam did with trying to screw them over on royalties) but then it turned into a train wreck.

i wasn't even in the room but i could feel the tension, and i think russell was trying to ease it but he did not succeed at all. i would have prefered for Interview Mag. to just show pictures, or have Elton John, a beastie boy fan, or some dude at a cheese shop to it.

russell simmons definately gets the "gas face" for that interview and Interview Mag. gets one for publishing it :eek:

well i think i've said enough, i am going to step down from my soap box!

ps REMEMBER TO VOTE, and REGISTER to VOTE if you are not registered! ;)

[liberty_a320]

i would have prefered for Interview Mag. to just show pictures, or have Elton John, a beastie boy fan, or some dude at a cheese shop to it.

Funny how you mention Elton John, since in the same mag, he interviews Joss Stone. :p But yeah, I bought the magazine today, but I'm at a friend's house and won't be able to scan it until maybe tomorrow... but yes, Russell Simmons is a royal prick.

[liberty_a320]

Since the magazine is wider than my scanner, I just decided to type out the interview, starting from where the PDF left off. I did manage to get the dominant photo (Photoshopped it a little since the pic is quite dark in the magazine):

http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/liberty_a320/interview1.jpg

Make sure to read this PDF of the first page of the interview (http://www.interviewmagazine.com/images/BEASTIEBOYS89.pdf) before reading below.

Russell Simmons: Well, I got a pink seersucker suit, a pink silk suit, and a pink corduroy suit.

MCA: You got a pink Hummer?

RS: Pink is a big color this season! Just like lavender will be next year. For Phat Farm [Simmon's clothing company], we have projections about what the big colors will be, and sometimes we add our own.

Adrock: You have heat seekers who hang out at 7-Eleven and tell you what the kids are up to?

MCA: Here's an inside tip: The people on the street are talking about beige.

RS: So, Mike, are you still practicing yoga? Do you read all the propaganda and meditate and everything?

Mike D: I don't really like to talk about it that much.

RS: We have to keep repeating our sutras over and over again to keep us from going nuts.

MD: No, I am nuts. It's different.

RS: Reverend Run [Simmons's brother Joe Simmons or Run-D.M.C., also known as Joey] is the one who constantly reminds me all day with his collar on and reminds me not to go nuts.

MCA: Who's the devil? Who's on the other side?

RS: Everybody's on the other side. So, are you guys still into fuckin' around with the women, or is that all over now because you're married?

A: I've been in a relationship for years, Russell, and I'm very happy. Like the kids say, it's all good.

RS: "It's all good" - kids always have the best expressions.

MCA: Yeah, like, "Word up."

RS: So, I saw Fahrenheit 9/11, the Michael Moore movie, the other day. That shit's crazy, man! George W. Bush looks so stupid in the film - his expressions, everything. It made him look as stupid as possible.

A: They didn't have to work hard to do that.

RS: But you guys have some Bush stuff on To the Five Boroughs. Now Eminem's got Bush stuff, everybody's got Bush stuff.

MD: Well, that's kind of helping us that there are other people doing stuff like that, too.

A: It smells like lemon Pledge in here.

RS: It's not lemon Pledge - it's just this candle.

MD: It smells like Mr. Clean.

MCA: Or exotic oil - you know, the freaky stuff, Russell. [all laugh]

RS: You know, I was at a radio station, and there was a white guy, about 36 years old. So he comes in, and he's like, "Oh, my God, the Beasties are coming out with an album, and I'm very excited. I'm gonna buy it, and I haven't bought an album in years." You guys have fans like that. It's evidenced by the sales of your catalog records. People always have to go and buy another copy of every one of your albums whenever a new medium comes along. They want to own the property. This guy was, like, a core Beastie Boys fan, so I told him I'd get him your old shit.

A: Why would you tell him not to buy our records?

MD: That's cold, Russell: [laughs] "Don't buy it - I'll send it to you for free."

RS: I didn't say that!

MCA: Well, you can keep our new one.

A: You can call us back and tell us how many songs we've got.

RS: So, what do you guys think about socially conscious rappers? It seems to me like the most ghetto rappers are the ones saying the most profound shit. Talib Kweli will be like, "Pay attention. I'm conscious." But then you listen to G-Unit and they say stuff that is inspiring.

MD: People always ask us this question like, "Oh, what do you think of hip-hop now?" basically looking for us to say, "Oh, hip-hop's really wack," or, "Hip-hop's not conscious enough." But I feel like there're always going to be hot records, just like they're also always going to be wack records. There are a lot of hot records right now, though.

RS: You know, I talk to Reverend Run about that, and he always says that we were never as good as these guys are now. He's like, "How were we better than Chingy? How could I have been better than 50 Cent?" And the fact is that these kids have grown up on rap their whole lives. The shit that's on top right now is pretty good.

MCA: How is Joey?

RS: Joey is doing good. He's selling a lot of sneakers [Phat Classics, Run's Phat Farm line of footwear]. He's got work. You know, Joey sits there every day, on that couch where you're sitting, and uses the phone until two o'clock in the afternoon, when he goes to yoga.

A: Is Joey here right now?

RS: No, today he went to a 1:30 class. So all of y'all - you still love what you do, right?

MD: Yeah, when we're making music that's different.

RS: Well, you got a hot album. With eight songs.

A: I said at least eight songs. Eight songs is a lot! How many albums have eight songs?

RS: None.

A: That's what I'm saying.

RS: What's amazing to me is that in the beginning, people would say to me, "Them white boys you got are a novelty." Y'all wasn't gonna be shit. But now you've hung out with the Dalai Lama, been with tons of women, traveled around the world, been rock stars. That's some shit to think about.

MCA: I'm not quite clear where you're going with this, Russell.

RS: I'm just saying that everyone was sure that you weren't gonna be shit.

MCA: Wow, thanks a lot, Russell.

RS: No, but what I'm saying is that y'all became great. Y'all became history. Even when you die, people will be talking about Beastie Boys. What do you think about that? When you're dead, they'll be talking about you - I'm countin' on it.

MD: I can't believe you're hittin' on us with that.

RS: You could be lying up in a box any day.

MD: We're all gonna die. You know, that's one of the big things in our society that we don't own up to.

RS: You know, there's also the anti-Semitism. There is a lot of that out there. What do y'all think about that?

MD: The weird thing to me is that in the world now you've got so many kids who've grown up on hip-hop, and all the different cultures involved in it, that there should be a greater degree of awareness about things like that. Hopefully it will become a non-issue.

(continued in next post)

[liberty_a320]

RS: Listen, it's like when Run-D.M.C. got on MTV, there were no black people on there at all. Except Michael Jackson.

A: What about Billy Ocean?

RS: No, there were no black people.

A: Come on, Russell. What about Lionel Richie?

MD: Or Rick James, bitch!

RS: No, in 1983 or 1984 there were no black people on MTV. But hip-hop had more to do with healing race relations and making kids more tolerant than any organization or group out there. You went on tour with Run-D.M.C. - another piece of history - and for the people who grew up loving both groups, it didn't matter that one was white kids and the other was black. That was the beginning of what you see now, where black people from the projects and trailer-park people - you know, 50 Cent and Eminem - see themselves as the same. More than anything, hip-hop did that. It's funny there aren't that many white rappers. There will be a lot more.

MCA: We'll see that a coupld generations down the road because the people who are 18 years old right now grew up their whole lives with hip-hop - I'm talking about people in white, mainstream America.

RS: But there are also a lot of young kids right now who are organizing to keep George W. Bush in office, and they're a different breed. They're these conservative kids who are really rigid, who don't watch MTV because young people program it. No art is touching them.

MCA: Well, the conservative coalition groups and their college campus people are not looking to pump with MTV or 50 Cent.

RS: Look what happened with the Dixie Chicks last year [who came under fire from conservative groups for criticizing President Bush]. You can't have these people being attacked. It's like when Eminem got in trouble recently for shit that he had said 11 years ago. I had to run out there and give him a pass and promote him as the person I know him to be. Kids can't think he's a racist. The effect of that is too big, in my opinion.

MCA: He's obviously not one. By the way, what happened with that march against mandatory sentencing that you were trying to organize? [Simmons has been lobbying for a repeal of the Rockefeller drug laws in New York State, which do not allow judges any discretion in the sentencing of drug offenders.]

RS: We're still working on it. It's called the March on New York. It will take place on August 30, the first day of the Republican convention. Puffy is going to host it.

MCA: Are you trying to get the mandatory sentences completely dropped or just lowered?

RS: Judges should have some discretion [in sentencing], because the district attorneys have used the mandatory sentences to threaten innocent people. They say, "If you're found guilty, you're going to go to jail for 20 years." So once you're accused of a crime, you have to do whatever the fuck they say to do, because if you go to trial and lose, you'll end up doing 20 years.

MCA: Seems like they should just end the mandatory bill. So, why do you got things like this on your desk? [holds up a miniature silver statue]

MD: You've got, like, Ben Franklin's drug-dealing scale over there.

A: Do you play Boggle? You have, like, a san hourglass thing.

RS: I don't know why some of that shit's here. It was just sitting here, and it never got moved. So, what are you guys doing with your Tibetan Freedom stuff? [From 1996 to 1999, and in 2003, Beastie Boys organized the Tibetan Freedom Concert to protest the Chinese occupation of Tibet.]

MCA: We did a concert in Japan last year and another one in Taiwan.

RS: You're a practicing Buddhist, Adam - do you meditate? [MCA nods yes] What about you, Adrock? What are you?

A: I'm a New Yorker, Russell. So, we don't get any free Phat Farm clothes?

RS: Y'all don't want no clothes, man. Y'all wear small-boy shit. [points to Mike D] Look at his shoes. Maybe we make some sneakers that you would wear.

A: Yeah, I'm hip with the kids.

MD: Why don't you get us some suits? Adam [Adrock] wants his in pink, though.

RS: Pink is over.

[The phone rings. Simmons picks up.]

Speakerphone: Russell, you need to wrap it up. The kids are here.

RS: The kids are here! Tell the kids to come in here right now.

MCA: What kids?

RS: From Junior Achievement.

A: I wish we had those suits. We could have worn them.

[The door opens and 20 teenagers file into Simmons's office.]

RS: Hi, Junior Achievement! Come on in. I would like to introduce to you some people. That's my man Adrock, that's Mike D, and that's MCA. They're old friends who are all happy to be here because they have a new record.

Junior Achievement Kids: Congratulations!

[computer_action]

RS: Everybody's on the other side. So, are you guys still into fuckin' around with the women, or is that all over now because you're married?

Wow... Since when is it okay to fuck around with women and be married? Especially when you have kids? Russell needs to get his head checked. This coming from a man who is married and has children, just foolish.

[balohna]

Wow, Russel was trying to be nice and all but his ignorance got the best of him and he came off sounding like an ass.

[Pyper]

He did come across very ass-like.

Thanks very much Liberty for the pic scan and typing all that out. Much appreciated.

[b-grrrlie]

Thanks, Liberty, for typing out all that! (y)

What an ass Russell makes of himself!

[Brother McDuff]

[B]
i actually thought that the interview might be different than all the other horrible interviews...;)

I think that this was a phat interview. Not necessarily by the questions asked or the journalism, but because it really gave the reader's a sneak peak of the bboy/russel simmons "beef". I've never sensed that much aggression from the boys ever. It was an interesting piece to say the least.

[Arwen]

hey i just got an issue of that when i was in california with my dad and my brother took us around and i we went o tower records and i was like OMG BEASTIE BOYZ! i grabbed all of the magazines i could that had the boyz on them, including the interview on ym, interview magazine and mean magazine :D
who is this russel simmons? this guy is such an ass asking some of those personal questions, trying to get MCA to answer and stuff, like leave the guy alone :mad: :rolleyes:

[euphrates]

yeh... i creamed myself when it showed up. which is rare,
that magazine hardly ever pays off the cost of the subscription.

great interview. i can't tell if they hate 'im or love 'im tho...
lot'sa like... i dunno. good stuff, tho. the pix are keen.

[euphrates]

who is this russel simmons?

blasphemy.

it tells you who he is, right at the beginning of the interview.
(but cha should know, by now)

[Onlooker]

Geez.

I've known for a while now that Russell Simmons is a complete fool.
He has a marble toilet for christs sake.
I like how they pushed his buttons a few times there, he certainly deserves it and it doesn't seem like they respect him very much. I bet there was some heavy air in that room.

[computer_action]

Geez.

I've known for a while now that Russell Simmons is a complete fool.
He has a marble toilet for christs sake.
I like how they pushed his buttons a few times there, he certainly deserves it and it doesn't seem like they respect him very much. I bet there was some heavy air in that room.

Thats the same exact vibe I got while reading this. I mean like its just words but I could so feel their uncomfort at answering some of the questions. Especially from MCA. I felt like he disliked it least. Just a weird vibe. Maybe the whole thing he said about his daughter threw him off. I know I would be, that's just false.

[Arwen]

blasphemy.

it tells you who he is, right at the beginning of the interview.
(but cha should know, by now)

oh...well, i kinda skipped the intorduction part cuz i was so excited to read the interview, i was like blah-introduction-blah-blah

anyways, there were some more pictures on the interivew page, if anyone wants me to scan them i will, but i didn't like how the pics though, the guys looked great, but the first page was dark and the others were kinda faded (n) but the cover pic was nice...MCA...*drools*
I LURVE YOU MCA!

[ericg]

Oh shit, here I go...Just heresay- I'm sure it goes without saying but...
And probably arguable.....
As pioneers and practitioners, ever since their rise with Run-DMC, the Beasties have doctrinally revolutionized and truly fashioned the hardscape in hip hop and just plain basic form for (sound, motive, persona, etc...) evolution of liberality and omnipresent wherewithal of humanity and all rights therin in it's most stately (state of the art) manner.
As is indicative of the most profound awareness parallel with the mainstream... (forces micro to macro and macro to micro- one truth) the mainstream still haven't yet really consumated the "premise" right and due in equitable virtues.... once and for all.
And because of this, the state of the word has been in fucking dissolution for too long time. What a small world.

Perhaps they should never have done an interview with the likes of him in the first place....they quantum leaped long ago...what is it we don't know???? It's one thing (and good) to be reading from the same book and on the same page in affinity for what's just...(right) from a relatively honest and "sound", for lack of better word, position or premise......................

Another (not so good) when it's allowed to become so implicit that common sense is not revered and fallacy is tolerated in any...fine, they've shown the interview, it served it's purpose and that's it-not again. I'll always believe in the Beastie Boys, no matter what...that's just part of my mind, wherewithal and they occupied this notion out of faith............................................. .................................................. ...well, and just 'cause, they know better...the Boys have fought and made an outstanding precident concerning and yes, they went into it with sound positivity as they simply remained professional and gave Russell a chance and he fucked it up and now we know, if you did'nt have a clue why things which we think are so right in the world today from a "superficial" standpoint....is really the devil fooling everybody... Russell went the wrong way with it all and should get down. Dissemination of funds to where appropriate, and his crap rap feigns can get the same treatment and grow up. Stop trying to infiltrate like they're new shit. I mean the time is now what will happen, either the bad will continue getting away with it and not even covertly...did Russell threaten the lives of the Beastie Boys in effect there?..And talking about MCA's daughter...like a confrontation or interview with the devils own or something diabolical there like it's LA confidential. I sensed he tried it out out of having a little brains with a lot of bodyguards and money as he's criminal in his existance at this point. It only inspired the boys for interview purposes of getting it out what they've had to deal with and overcome all these years.... I loved to see Simmons get his ass beat (intellectually) by each one of them, in turns almost. All the while he thought not to think or know...was ignorant to life,big or small, and had to be pleading something in his little depths or some ridiculous...

Fuck, it's so serious, good and evil and where people stand. Obviously Russell is pro evil empire and is a moron in efforts with the BUllSHit, even if he fronts his def poetry jam and only thinks in terms of his farm shoes, phones anybody...and the beasties are more demographically empowered and almost reserved and patient at certain times...if I may say.

Get it right people. I know the response to this will be what? None of that made any sense to me...that's funny. So true north and more props to the beasties and hell apparently with simmons.
Now, in a more digestable synopsis...as I've said on Moby's and 311's boards political boards...the beasties should team up with all in affinity (and much in place at the present as you're either for Bush or not...obviously good or obviously evil....and with moveon, Nader, micheal moore, 311, dmb, keane,...myriad of authors, actor(esses), musicians, engineers, industrialists, even members of the armed forces to everyday citizens etc....that paved the way for humanity in all apptitudes and faculties unite under one umbrella grounded with American foundation and the best legal backing with the right agenda in every nuance and set the precident for this nation no matter who gets in....take back what's right in this small world and raise stock and fund benign energy resource and intelligent media.....and start, for first example in Iraq with benign energy resource since.... and all over the globe...for the people,.... in an effort with Divisions of the military with all it's strength to team up with the Peace Corps perhaps and make reconstruction and restoration a new agenda....while still keeping defense and military integrity....you'd find that the world would be for something so right and not in the shit affair it is......so much...get on it....besides many jobs and training for this endeavor.... the infinite myriad of sustainable resources (to 3rd world countries)and the end to much pollution and well being of the people of the world would enhance the consumation of potential of humanities in ways if you'd just believe in...just as if not more importantly hold accountable and jail the current administration and corporate elite and disseminate their wealth to the commonwealth....for the world to see and know...and do it with well grounded legalize(le-gal-eze) by the Constitution, Bill of Rights etc in no uncertain terms.....supreme justice.............time's running out....it's possible...get funds for benign energy "engines" in cars....as a cross-over or immediate transition at first in America etc.....as far as that goes....stop building more of the problem...all I'm saying is it's necessary, possible, and the only right fucking answer.

ahhhhhh, well I'm burned out, as half of this probably really sounds too trying, half assed and pretentious or scribble scrabbley, but check out what I wrote if you want in 311 and moby's political forums... l like regular posters here infinitely better opposed to moby's boards on the whole, but check it out if you're so inclined.fuck I'm delirious and I haven't brushed my teeth or taken a shower or anything all day...gotta go.peace out
Oh If you erase this "page" of mine admin...I'll sort of understand, I think, I mean it's not in the right forum you may think exactly or whatever but..hope I did justice to something and made sense somewhere.sorry I could've and will say it better in time. :mad: :( :o :eek: :)

[stillill]

Are you coked out?

[ericg]

well fuck now that you say that, I want to go work on it for people like you.Is it not formatted like you'd like, too sporadic? It's an auful lot to put together and throw up, but could be the most beneficial concept you'll ever read, even if it does look like the wires were crossed a little. No I'm not coked up. It's an auful lot condensed maybe too roughly, but I'm just very very deliriously tired (I can barely see straight looking at this monitor anymore)and started something that I had to finish one way or another. I'm drinking a diet coke---horrible, does that count? Try reading it again and making SOME sense of it....yeah it does come off a little wack if you look at it like that, but if the world blew up tomorrow and aliens found it remaining, maybe they'd think there was some hope after all for what they'd been witnessing this last century and more imparticular this last decade! Oooooor they could say, "that poor spaced out son of a bitch thought he was really on to something. I wonder if he really knows what the hell he's talking about. :eek: :confused: ."Anyway...

[ericg]

Ok it's out of the ballpark and I ran to 3rd first. Fuck it. Gimme a break, I've only got the forces of good and evil battling in my head and just wanted to win the war for good. And things make sense to me like that. :o :rolleyes: ;) :D

[Raina]

I definitley sensed some tension in that interview, but i would never know since I wasn't there.


anyways, there were some more pictures on the interivew page, if anyone wants me to scan them i will, but i didn't like how the pics though, the guys looked great, but the first page was dark and the others were kinda faded (n) but the cover pic was nice...MCA...*drools*
I LURVE YOU MCA!

If you could, I would really appreciate that! :)

[Lindsey_1535]

Those are great! :)