[pm0ney]

I finished the book last night. I thought it was amazing, really. It was like, a much more fleshed-out version of the small booklet that came with Sounds of Science (which I read, and re-read constantly as a teenager). A few thoughts:

I thought Adrock's critique of To The 5 Boroughs was dead-on. It was exactly what everyone had said about the album all along. Way too computer-ish compared to the monoliths they had released before. I also thought it was sort of...curious that Adrock's favorite album was Hello Nasty. It's pretty well known that he was the major creative force behind the majority of that album. I'm not complaining, it's an amazing record. Just thought that was funny.

An editorial mis-step was definitely that Mike disappeared for the last quarter of the book! Where was the editor saying "Mike, you're input fell off a cliff here..." By the time I was nearing the end it didn't really feel like a Beastie Boys book as much as an Adrock memoir. He's a more natural writer than Mike, and his pieces were definitely more entertaining to me, but it was still great to hear Mike's opinions on stuff. It was actually pretty ironic... Adrock always came off as the one guy in the group who didn't really give a shit about the history of the group, or the music. He always had the attitude of like, "yeah, I don't really remember that, what's for lunch?" It was beautiful to see him as an endless reservoir of memories and anecdotes. All the while, he was immediately present in all of it.

I thought they covered the relevant time periods with appropriate measure. The formative years and early success are obviously the most immediately visceral for a band, and I think the amount of time dedicated to Rat Cage and Licensed To Ill-era was nice. Even the Beasties themselves, who clearly view their later work with more love, can't get around the fact that Licensed To Ill was fucking huge and is still an immortal record.

I really envy the lives they have lead. Reading about how they lived at the G-Spot, and worked out of G Son for all those years is the stuff of legends. I think their gratitude for such an absurdly blessed life came off well. Hearing about how Yauch lived in a tiny little apartment as a multi-millionaire, or how Adrock drove around in a beat up Toyota Carolla was very endearing.

The one thing that came through more than anything else in this book, was just how fucking obsessed and in love with music these guys are. I've never seen a band as obsessed with music as our three guys. Their love for music just drips off every page. You can't hide from that sort of authenticity. It's impossible. This is, fundamentally, why I believe they are so revered and loved. Authenticity is in their bone marrow.

Finally, I loved hearing about the sweet sixteen party in Roslyn, Long Island. I grew up two minutes away from there and I just imagine being in the baby seat of my moms car at some point in the mid 80's, and some how, some way, a limousine pulls up next to us at a red light, and the Beastie Boys are in the backseat, drunk and on their way home from a house party down the street.

Seriously though, as a life-long fan of the group, I couldn't imagine a better capstone to a career. And hey, New York Times bestseller! It was amazing. I'll be reading this book for another fifty years.

Yauch with the bass strapped to his back... Perfect.