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View Full Version : Q & A- Austin Convention Center, March 15 2006


YoungRemy
03-15-2006, 09:33 PM
http://www.mp3.com/news/stories/3694.html

Beasties bring the randomness

By Jim Welte | more stories by this author
March 15, 2006 at 05:52:00 PM


Brooklyn rap trio, appearing at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival to promote Awesome: I F***in' Shot That!, touch on an array of unrelated topics.

AUSTIN, TEXAS--Pampers, the woes of the New York Knicks, the movie Purple Rain, Russell Simmon's hangover cures, Dolly "Partner" getting robbed at the Oscars, and Clear Channel's connections to Scientology.

That's the subject matter you get when you put the Beastie Boys on oversized comfy chairs in a roomful of inquisitive fans without a moderator.

The legendary Brooklyn rap trio, appearing at South by Southwest (SXSW) to promote their new concert documentary, Awesome: I F***in' Shot That!, took questions from hundreds of fans today without a moderator, and result was summed up in one fan's question.

"I have a two-part question," the inquisitor chimed in. "Do you guys smoke pot? And the second part is, 'Do you want to hang out later?'"

"I don't personally, but I would be interested in seeing your stash," MCA (Adam Yauch) responded.

"Do you have a Bart Simpson bong?" Mike D (Mike Diamond) chimed in.

Another fan asked the group to play at her house party next weekend

There were plenty of less ridiculous questions, however, mostly focusing on the band's perspective on its career and, of course, the movie, but rarely did the material stray far from comedy.

"It's about a guy coming back from Vietnam," MCA said sarcastically.

Yauch, who helmed the new film and edited down the dozens of hours of footage over the past year, said his only regret about the film was not telling the lucky fans to begin filming before the concert started to get footage outside the venue and leading up to the start of the show.

The biggest challenge, he said, was getting samples cleared from a legal perspective.

"Our DJ, Mixmaster Mike, was throwing in all kinds of beats that aren't on the records," he said. "So we had to clear all of that. Some of it was beats that a friend of him gave him and he didn't know where it came from, so that process took a while."

But most of the session was filled with non-sequiturs and drivel.

"Nothing against [Three 6 Mafia], but we just said that we think Dolly was robbed," Ad-Rock said. "Someone was clearly the victim there."

The trio went on to comment on the state of the hapless Knicks, Ad-Rock's theory that Clear Channel Communications has connections to the Church of Scientology, the greatness of Prince's Purple Rain, Mike D's faux endorsement of Pampers, and the fact that the greatest thing they ever learned from famed hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons was how to cure hangover.

They did, however, mention the best hip-hop lyric they'd wished they'd written.

"When Big Daddy Kane says, 'Put a quarter in your ass 'cause you played yourself,'" MCA said.

kleptomaniac
03-15-2006, 09:37 PM
i love those guys :)

Laver1969
03-15-2006, 09:47 PM
Nice find YR!

shiner13
03-15-2006, 09:51 PM
LOVE IT, Thanks for posting that!

midzi
03-16-2006, 04:46 AM
from http://www.indiewire.com/ots/2006/03/dispatch_from_s_3.html

At the interview, Adam Yauch (MCA), Mike Diamond (Mike D), and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) mostly joked their way through the hour-long session. In a rare serious moment, Yauch (the director of the film using the pseudonym Nathaniel Hornblower) explained that the film was particularly challenging in terms of clearing rights to the many samples used by DJ Mixmaster Mike, in their songs.

Later, the band was asked whether they are still "keeping it real" in Brooklyn, despite their tremendous successes. Noting the many changes in the gentrifying New York City borough, Beastie Mike D quipped about the area, "They are actually not keeping it real in Brooklyn anymore," and adding about himself, "I know more about the playground than the underground."

YoungRemy
03-16-2006, 09:58 AM
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002197990

Beastie Boys Keep It Light At SXSW Q&A

March 16, 2006, 9:25 AM ET

Todd Martens, Austin, Texas
Mike D professed his love for the Prince film "Purple Rain," MCA talked about drinking with hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons and Ad Rock dished on his favorite books during a spirited hour-long discussion with fans yesterday (March 15) at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

Little news came out of the Q&A session, with fans asking the trio to talk about their early inspirations or discuss their views on Three 6 Mafia winning an Oscar. "Nothing against them," Ad Rock said, "but we think Dolly Parton was robbed."

The Beastie Boys are in Austin to promote their film, "Awesome: I F*ckin' Shot That!," which was assembled from footage shot by fans during a 2004 concert at New York's Madison Square Garden. For the sequel, Mike D joked, the act will let its fans keep the cameras for a week.

Fans largely kept the questions light, and the Beastie Boys were more than happy to oblige. When one fan pressed MCA on his belief in Buddhism, the rapper opted not to reveal much to the crowd, which had earlier given the Beastie Boys a standing ovation. Yet the fan persisted, and asked if he was ashamed of the some of the lyrics in early Beastie Boys songs. "That stuff is goof," MCA said. "I think most people know it's a goof."

On the subject of politically charged material, one fan asked the Beastie Boys if there was an issue about which the group would like to educate listeners. "I don't know if we were ever out trying to educate people," Ad Rock said. "If we say something in a song, it's because we're thinking about it."

Later on, Ad Rock recommended fans read "Fuzz One: A Bronx Childhood," an autobiography from graffiti artist Vincent Fedorchak. When the session turned toward the topic of Brooklyn, one fan asked if the trio was still in touch with the neighborhood, and if they believed they was still "keeping it real"

"They're not keeping it real in Brooklyn anymore," Ad Rock quipped. Added Mike D, "I know more about the playground than the underground right now."

For all the news and happenings at South by Southwest, visit the new Billboard.com blog at JadedInsider.com.

YoungRemy
03-16-2006, 10:01 AM
The Dallas-Fort Worth Star Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/entertainment/14112362.htm



Awesome, I asked that

The Beastie Boys were in a joking '80s retro mood at their Wednesday news conference. They really didn't talk much about what they were there to promote: their new concert film, Awesome: I [Expletive] Shot That!
They said their favorite song is Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock's classic It Takes Two; Mike D kept bringing up how great Prince's Purple Rain is; and they thought Dolly Parton should have triumphed in the Oscar's Best Song sweepstakes.
-- Cary Darling

midzi
03-18-2006, 12:31 AM
from http://blog.bibrik.com/archives/2006/03/sxsw_beastie_boys_au.html#trackback

SXSW - Beastie Boys Audience Interview
The final panel of today is an interview with the Beasties boys. Queuing was mandatory, but the attendance appears to be the same as the Bruce Sterling monologue on Tuesday.

Whilst knowing a fair bit of their music, I've never been a fan enough to work out who was who...so I took just general notes about the conversation. I found it interesting that they did not really say too much in this interview...they entertained for sure, they made the audience laugh. But as none of these questions were prescreened (live from the audience) they had to skip over things, either because they had no desire to answer or could not for legal/sponsorship reasons. I guess for similar reason, photography by the audience was limited to a little bit at the start and end.

Despite that it was an entertaining hour...here's some of the notes that I took during the talk. One of the key reasons for the interview was the release of a concert documentary - "Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That!" They had given out 50 cameras to fans at a concert and thentook a year to edit all the footage together and release it.


Q: they have released 30 a capella tracks for people to remix; they let 50 fans shoot their movie..how do they feel as artists if people take their music. They have broken ground..hopes it will come the norm..will other people do this?
A: it's a tough call..you make the art..it's your thing...and people can put their spin on it..but they still need the money!
it's cool having people doing their thing with your thing.

Q: did you run into obstacles to create the finished product (the movie)
A: sample clearance was a bitch...the DJ was throwing in all kinds of beats when live which were not on the recordings...and they had to figure out what it was..and then get clearance.

Q:After the Anthology...what was the inspriation for Solid Gold Hits...you had already done the Anthology...why do it twice...
A: Can't give the answer (aside...the label made them do it) but we preferred the Anthology as how it was meant to be put together

Q: are you going to be running another label
A: I hope not...
Q: how was the deal with EMI
A: it was good to work with friends and get stuff they liked out there. But trying to reconcile and have it be a business was not so fun.
Q: any mistakes to learn from?
A: keep it small and keep it simple

Q: so much footage...how long to edit
A: took a year. they screening here only was in stereo..not the full surround sound...so you did not get the full experience

Q: do you have a professional opinion on the sound quality on MP3s
A: we're not professional...mp3 are useful...sometimes people want good stuff, othertimes no

Q: do they find it difficult to produce from scratch...or easier to sampling
A: smapling is easier to do, but legally a problem
Q: is it still worth it
A: yes, it is how we grew up... like using samples and it makes it all come together. certain grooves and sounds - you can try all day, but samples often have a certain magic.

Q: read in remix that they were using Reason...what are your thoughts about using software instead of instruments/boards etc
A:e ach have their own sound...Reason gives convenience..but all the others have charateristics...
Q: which one is the most inspiring
A: good when on airplane...good for travelling and moving. right thing at right time. now anyone with laptop can do it.

Q: how pleased are you with the result of the movie..would they do something better/different?
A: told people start shooting earlier..give people more tapes and batteries to extend..(the support act were not in it).
expecation that the support was in. it would have been good to give the cameras before the show...