nycsports
05-09-2012, 08:33 AM
I wrote this back in 2008, shortly after meeting Adam Yauch:
When I read in the New York Post that Beastie Boy Adam Yauch was going to do a question and answer session on June 27, 2008 at the AMC Loews Village 7 movie theater in New York City following the showing of Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot, I just knew that I had to go. I asked my girlfriend Holly to go with me to the opening night showing of Yauch’s high school basketball documentary, and she agreed to go even though she is not a basketball fan. We took the train from New Jersey to New York, and arrived just in time for the 9:20 PM show.
Ninety minutes after Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot began, the overhead lights came on, the credits began to roll, and not a single person got up to leave the theater. We were all waiting eagerly for the question and answer session with Yauch. The credits continued to roll a few minutes after the lights turned on, and still Yauch was nowhere to be seen. At that point a few people got up and left the theater. Moments later, someone said, “Well. . . Thanks for coming,” in a soft-spoken and somewhat hoarse voice. I looked to my left and saw Yauch walking down the aisle. He stopped in the front of the screen, about ten feet away from where Holly and I were sitting. Yauch raised a cordless microphone to his mouth and tried to address the crowd by speaking into it. The microphone did not work however, so he conducted the entire Q and A without it.
Yauch thoroughly and articulately answered several questions from the audience, then he said, “I’m sure everyone’s got things to do.” He went on to say that he didn’t want to keep us, so Yauch answered one last question, and then thanked the crowd for coming out to see his movie. The crowd applauded, and that was the end of the Q and A. Yauch walked up the left-hand aisle, stopped about half way towards the exit and began talking to some people while the theater emptied. Before Holly and I got up from our seats, I asked her to get her camera out because I wanted to ask Yauch if we could get our picture taken with him. After Holly got her camera ready, I walked up to Yauch and asked politely, “Would you mind taking a picture with us?” “Sure,” he said without any hesitation.
I looked around quickly for someone to take the picture. There was no one around, so Holly said, “I’ll take one of you two.” Right after Holly took the picture, Yauch asked Holly, “Do you want one too?” Holly said yes and handed me the camera. As Holly and Yauch were looking at the camera, Yauch held up the microphone that was still in his hand, and I took the picture. After I took the picture, I shook hands with Yauch, and thanked him for posing for pictures with us.
Holly and I left the theater after we thanked Yauch. The experience was thoroughly enjoyable and memorable, because Yauch was not only extremely nice and down to earth, but he was also very humble. This was perhaps most evident when someone asked Yauch what type of projects he was currently involved with. His response was, “Working on a record with my band.” It was sort of funny to hear Yauch say this, because I’m sure that everyone in the theater knew that the band he was referring to is the Beastie Boys.
When I read in the New York Post that Beastie Boy Adam Yauch was going to do a question and answer session on June 27, 2008 at the AMC Loews Village 7 movie theater in New York City following the showing of Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot, I just knew that I had to go. I asked my girlfriend Holly to go with me to the opening night showing of Yauch’s high school basketball documentary, and she agreed to go even though she is not a basketball fan. We took the train from New Jersey to New York, and arrived just in time for the 9:20 PM show.
Ninety minutes after Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot began, the overhead lights came on, the credits began to roll, and not a single person got up to leave the theater. We were all waiting eagerly for the question and answer session with Yauch. The credits continued to roll a few minutes after the lights turned on, and still Yauch was nowhere to be seen. At that point a few people got up and left the theater. Moments later, someone said, “Well. . . Thanks for coming,” in a soft-spoken and somewhat hoarse voice. I looked to my left and saw Yauch walking down the aisle. He stopped in the front of the screen, about ten feet away from where Holly and I were sitting. Yauch raised a cordless microphone to his mouth and tried to address the crowd by speaking into it. The microphone did not work however, so he conducted the entire Q and A without it.
Yauch thoroughly and articulately answered several questions from the audience, then he said, “I’m sure everyone’s got things to do.” He went on to say that he didn’t want to keep us, so Yauch answered one last question, and then thanked the crowd for coming out to see his movie. The crowd applauded, and that was the end of the Q and A. Yauch walked up the left-hand aisle, stopped about half way towards the exit and began talking to some people while the theater emptied. Before Holly and I got up from our seats, I asked her to get her camera out because I wanted to ask Yauch if we could get our picture taken with him. After Holly got her camera ready, I walked up to Yauch and asked politely, “Would you mind taking a picture with us?” “Sure,” he said without any hesitation.
I looked around quickly for someone to take the picture. There was no one around, so Holly said, “I’ll take one of you two.” Right after Holly took the picture, Yauch asked Holly, “Do you want one too?” Holly said yes and handed me the camera. As Holly and Yauch were looking at the camera, Yauch held up the microphone that was still in his hand, and I took the picture. After I took the picture, I shook hands with Yauch, and thanked him for posing for pictures with us.
Holly and I left the theater after we thanked Yauch. The experience was thoroughly enjoyable and memorable, because Yauch was not only extremely nice and down to earth, but he was also very humble. This was perhaps most evident when someone asked Yauch what type of projects he was currently involved with. His response was, “Working on a record with my band.” It was sort of funny to hear Yauch say this, because I’m sure that everyone in the theater knew that the band he was referring to is the Beastie Boys.