A little ramble about Yauch

[MIKEtotheD]

It is with a heavy heart that I write this, as all of us are feeling.

The reason I'm starting this thread, as opposed to posting in the main one, is that I was hoping more people would share stories about how the Beastie Boys, and Yauch in particular, have touched their lives.

I came across them at the ripe old age of eleven, back in 2004.
They have been the soundtrack to my life, from the sixth grade onwards.
I had the privilege of seeing them three times over the years, all in Toronto.
The first time I saw them, I was given VIP tickets and a signed magazine by Cey Adams and the crew.
I will remember that night as long as I live, and there was nothing that could have made twelve-year-old me happier than being waved at by Yauch while he was on stage.

Although there are other stories I could tell, I would much rather hear all of yours.

Rest in the sweetest peace, Yauch.
We all love you.

Sincerely,
Shelby

[Kid Presentable]

Thanks for sharing, that was a nice story.

I been thinking more about how he can continue to shape my life. I've been wallowing in self-pity over a divorce, not putting in the effort at work and generally taking life for granted. I'm gonna turn that around, put out some good energy as best I can from here on out.

First step will be accepting my new life fully and using this new perspective to positively influence those with whom I make contact.

Second will be re-focusing on my work; I work with not-for-profits and I've taken for granted the rare ability I have been afforded to positively influence the lives of the disadvantaged.

Third (and it's a platter of things) will be saying hi to the pretty girl at the gym, being a good friend to my nearest and dearest, telling my parents I love them and travelling a lot more.

[benchillin]

I came across them at the ripe old age of 14, back in 1986.
They have been the soundtrack to my life, from the 9th grade onwards.
I had the privilege of seeing them 6 times over the years, all in Texas.
The first time I saw them, was with L7 in Austin 92.
I will remember that night as long as I live, and there was nothing that could have made me happier than being pointed at by Adrock while he was on stage.
I met Yauch at the last show i saw, well we shook hands and I said ILOVEYOU, way before that he had replied to i letter wrote asking about a LTI lyric way back when I was in college..and i used to love reading his post on this message board.

when they cancelled their headlining act for ACL a few years back due to health conditions i started to cry/cope

[LuciferHam]

I shall ramble as well.

I never had the chance to see them live, living in New Zealand and being either too young or too poor to travel and see them the times they came to my shore. Which was only once, in 2005. I fell in love with them at the age of seven after seeing the Intergalactic video debut on Top Of The Pops.

I kept the hope that I would have the chance to see them live, and it seemed like that dream would almost become a reality leading up to the release of Hot Sauce.

They have deeply effected my life and guided me, particular through the strong friendships and creative partnerships they kept fresh for 4+ decades.

Yauch himself showed me how one could be successful and keep a modest, grounded ego, while still having the confidence and determination to effect change, be it through his humanitarian work towards a free Tibet, his genre bending all encompassing music and creative work, and through his moral convictions.

He was introspective on his own life and addressed the controversies of his early career by spreading messages of equality, peace and acceptence for people of all types and creeds. He is the model of how one can live life to the fullest.

I may not be able to see the man in concert but I plan to travel to his home city, walk around the buildings and places that had such a strong influence on his life, and hopefully meet some inspiring, like-minded people.

Of course its not at all about what I wanted, theres more to the man then just music or having the chance to see him in concert. I say this because I don't want to come off as sounding selfish by saying thing such as how I never had the chance to see them live. I guess I'm slightly guilty for having such thoughts after a tragedy such as this. He is not just an idol, a hero, a legendary musician, but he is a much loved husband, dad, brother and friend. To all that knew him personally this loss is most tragic.

I'd better end this slightly all over the show ramble here for now. Theres probably more I want to say, but I'll leave it for when I can word it more eloquently.

[greedygretchen]

I hosted an impromptu tribute to Yauch last night. Left work early I was so distraught. It was so awesome to hang with my friends and fellow beastie fans and reminisce about our favorite performances, and memories. Thinking about Yauch and how much he grew- and they grew and we grew with them- and how my heart swelled with pride when I heard him say "to all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends, I wanna offer my love and respect til the end..." A far cry from "girls". I made over a two hour playlist, speeches were made, beer(Bud & Miller!) was spilled in honor. Fuck man it's the end of an era. I made over a two-hour playlist but here are just the top 12in order in tribute.

1. Posse in Effect
2. Pass the Mic
3. Time to Get Ill
4. Finger Lickin' Good
5. The Brouhaha
6. The New Style
7. Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
8. Sure Shot
9. Shadrach
10. Bodhisattva Vow
11. Beastie Boys
12. B-Boy Bouillabaisse

RIP Yauch MCA

[Beastiefreak]

Hi, everyone.

I haven't logged in here very often during the past few years (except for MCA's, Mike D's and Adrock's birthday's, of course) but I do read this board frequently. Reading all these lovely memories of Yauch has been very moving. I've been in such a huge shock for the past couple of days, that I wasn't able to say much. I'm still in shock, of course, but now I also feel ready to say more.

Unfortunately I never got to see the Beastie Boys perform live, either, but I still have lots of great memories. Of course my greatest memory is of the time when I was turned into a Beastie Boys-fan by Hello Nasty. I was 14 years old and I was going through some hard times back then. I was often just thinking about my problems, but Hello Nasty finally gave me something else to think about. I had never heard anything like it before. A whole new world of music opened up for me. After entering that world, I didn't have time to think about my problems anymore, because I got so focused on learning everything possible about the Beastie Boys. Pretty soon I was completely sold on Licensed To Ill, Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication as well. After some time, I also started listening to other bands like the Beastie Boys.

So, MCA, Mike D, Adrock: thank you for making Hello Nasty and introducing me to the world of hip hop. Thank you for the fantastic 1999 Glasgow concert, which I saw from the tv. That concert was fucking amazing, so of course I recorded it. I still have that VHS tape, which also has other Beastie Boys -stuff recorded on it, like funny interviews and performances. I will always treasure it.

Thank you for all the funny interviews which really helped me (and will continue to help me), when I needed cheering up.

Thank you to my brother, who brought the Beastie Boys to my attention.

Yauch: Thanks for all the great memories. I never got to meet you in person, but for 13 years you've been a huge part of my life through your music and interviews. Your warm, sweet and funny personality always managed to cheer me up when I was feeling down.

Your music truly changed my life. My deepest condolences to your wife, daughter, parents and Mike D and Adrock. Rest in peace, Yauch.