Interview Magazine

[gumkojima]

since no one visits the press section anymore ...

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/beastie-boys/

[frank1271]

great read

[cj hood]

HOROVITZ: Also, maybe To The 5 Boroughs just wasn’t that good. I mean, we thought it was great, but looking back on it, there were some duds on there, so maybe that’s what it is.

[Willyboy77]

Cool interview thanks bud(y)

[Maradona]

Great read, thanks.

So...Horovitz doesn't like "What Comes Around", apparently.

[Mr. Juice]

It always baffles me when fans, writers, or even the Beasties, call TT5B a "serious" album. Am I missing something?

There's a lot of serious references on the album, but on the whole, rapping about cheese, Sasquatch, Miss Piggy, zits, and crawling into a fellow entertainer's crawl space is funny to me.

[dave790]

I love that record. I'll say it before, and I'll say it again. That said, We Got The and...well, actually I quite like Crawlspace these days. So yeah, I guess We Got The could be considered a dud.

edit: oh and great read thanks! and i think the serious elements are maybe more to do with the minimalist style and relative simplicity of the music. rhyme the rhyme well has some wacky rhymes but it's tone is rather overcast. then again, brouhaha...shazam...how contradictory can i be?

[roosta]

very nice interview.

Very interesting to hear them talk about TT5B like that.

[gumkojima]

TT5B is my favorite Beastie Boys album -- music, artwork, videos and associated projects, individually and as a whole. I only skip "We Got The" and occasionally "Oh Word?". It's serious because of the overt and rampant political messages.

[SP1200]

That picture of the guys all airborn is a great shoot.

[eieio]

Great interview. Bout TT5B... Not my fav. album... don't really have a fav. beasties album. Like em all. Maybe it is influenced by the time and politically charged being from that period but it is still fun with old school flavor... look at 'Hey F You!'

MC's are like clay pigeons and I'm shootn' skeet
I just yell pull and MMM drops the beat
You people call yourselves MC's but you're garbage men
Takin' out the trash when you pull out the pen

Who doesn't love this, or Crawlspace or Rhyme the Rhyme Well?
Granted there are some misses on the TT5B but can't argue with the tone or agenda... just doesn't make for great listening sometimes. In essence, when I listen to the Beasties I have high expectations but I rate and judge the tracks more so than an album...

[roosta]

I like TT5B, but it's probably their worst album. Doesn't mean its not good, that's how good the Beasties are, but it's the album of theirs I listen to the least.

[SoundScientist]

I love that record. I'll say it before, and I'll say it again. That said, We Got The and...well, actually I quite like Crawlspace these days. So yeah, I guess We Got The could be considered a dud.

edit: oh and great read thanks! and i think the serious elements are maybe more to do with the minimalist style and relative simplicity of the music. rhyme the rhyme well has some wacky rhymes but it's tone is rather overcast. then again, brouhaha...shazam...how contradictory can i be?

Fact...'We Got The' is the only Beastie Boys song I skip almost every time I listen to the album. Every other album I listen to start to finish with no problems. That song really and truly is their worst song. The rest of that album is hot ta deaf...but they should have swapped Brr Stick Em or something for We Got The.

[JoLovesMCA]

I love the honesty and the fact that they can comfortably critique their own work. (y)

Personally I don't always like to say "worst" when it comes to their music because this album holds a few of my all time favorite Beastie songs. An Open Letter, Crawlspace, Rhyme the Rhyme, Oh Word!!!

Over-all it's really great, but at the same time there are some tracks that just weren't as sharp as your typical Beastie tunes.

I SOMETIMES skip up to four tracks which is four too much.... but the rest of the album is top notch! :p

[Porkys1982#1fan]

What might we say is wrong with 'What goes Around"?

Fine track, fine track me friends.

[eieio]

What might we say is wrong with 'What goes Around"?

Fine track, fine track me friends.

Agreed. I second What Goes Around... Never crossed my mind as being unworthy of Paul's Boutique.

[Kid Presentable]

Thanks for linking the interview. Interesting thoughts on 5B. I backed the fuck out of that album, and it will always represent a time and place in my heart (like their best work).

But, in the most freudian sense, I recently made what I would consider my attempt at a semi-realistic 'setlist' playlist (still ended with Intergalactic and Sabotage fml) and didn't realise until I had saved it that there were no 5B tracks on it. PB and LTI yes, but not a one from that album. It was a weird realisation.

[cj hood]

1."Ch-Check It Out" – D. Weakest lead off single ever.
2."Right Right Now Now" – B. Political, but in a good way.
3."3 the Hard Way" – B. Good, but simple.
4."It Takes Time to Build" – F. ugh!
5."Rhyme the Rhyme Well" – A. could hang on any bboy record.
6."Triple Trouble" – B. i hate & like the beat at the same time.
7."Hey F?*! You" – D. Tried to hard to be hard.
8."Oh Word?" – C+. too simple
9."That's It That's All" – C+. Bush line ruins it.
10."All Lifestyles" – D. to kumba ya for me.
11."Shazam!" – B+. solid track...live version on Conan kills!
12."An Open Letter to NYC" – B+. this track alone gets the whole 911 message across. no need for the other political bs.
13."Crawlspace" – B. it's a'ight!
14."The Brouhaha" – B. see above.
15."We Got The" – D. see #10
16."Now Get Busy" – D. repeating samples...really?

[Kid Presentable]

Time to Build is still dope musically (probably the best production on there), and being bound to a period in time doesn't hold back a strong message.

[gumkojima]

Thanks for linking the interview. Interesting thoughts on 5B. I backed the fuck out of that album, and it will always represent a time and place in my heart (like their best work).

But, in the most freudian sense, I recently made what I would consider my attempt at a semi-realistic 'setlist' playlist (still ended with Intergalactic and Sabotage fml) and didn't realise until I had saved it that there were no 5B tracks on it. PB and LTI yes, but not a one from that album. It was a weird realisation.

Great points, KP. Totally understand. Love those realisations, especially spelled correctly with the "s". That's how I grew up. :)

[gumkojima]

Time to Build is still dope musically (probably the best production on there), and being bound to a period in time doesn't hold back a strong message.

My and one of my life-long friend's immediate favorite track the night it streamed on MTV. I was obsessed with that track.

From a purely artwork standpoint, I identified having been an architecture major ... the toy-like nature of the cover (and the amazing original book, which a friend bought me) provided hours of fun posing objects againt the cityscape backdrop and holding mico-photoshoots. Target discount department stores in the States stocked lamps with a line-drawing cityscape at a different scale.

[Kid Presentable]

My and one of my life-long friend's immediate favorite track the night it streamed on MTV. I was obsessed with that track.

From a purely artwork standpoint, I identified having been an architecture major ... the toy-like nature of the cover (and the amazing original book, which a friend bought me) provided hours of fun posing objects againt the cityscape backdrop and holding mico-photoshoots.

The artwork definitely gave it a somewhat concept-album feel

I think Lee Majors alone has wound up doing a better job of encapsulating (my understanding of) New York with a Beastie Boys filter applied, though.

[beasties#1fan]

i dont know why people are dissin TT5B, i love that album. I dont "skip" songs, like each one of the songs are good in my opinion.