beastie book (spoilers)

[Brother McDuff]

the Nas element in TMR def feels disconnected to me. could tell from jumpstreet that it was an email affair. the bboys' versus border embarrassing at times as well, if im to be completely honest. Nas phoned his verse in too (almost literally), and im pretty sure they chopped his verse down from what he originally offered up, as the cadence is glaringly unnatural at times.

ultimately Nas feels shoe-horned into this one, whereas strictly our boys would have been more forgiving. that said, super duper psyched that they collabed with him anyhow, as it indicates a high degree of respect from both parties that they teamed up in the first place. a crossover of legends.

DPNG i thought was more fluid by comparison. didnt surprise me that Santi was more involved in the process for that joint, as indicated in the bible.....err, autobiography.

[Jiberish]

Originally Posted by Brother McDuff

DPNG i thought was more fluid by comparison. didnt surprise me that Santi was more involved in the process for that joint, as indicated in the bible.....err, autobiography.

That's how I feel about DPNG. To me it has a similar feel as GIT, where they fit their rhymes around their collaborator. She feels like she belongs on the track. She feels like a part of the track. Plus, it's a totally different type of beat/style of song for them, but it still sounds amazing.

[Extra Cheese]

Originally Posted by Brother McDuff

that said, super duper psyched that they collabed with him anyhow, as it indicates a high degree of respect from both parties that they teamed up in the first place.

Samesies but I also feel it was an easy road to take for the band. I honestly don't think anyone would've turned down an invitation from the band to get on a track. Especially from that 90's era, not cuz they necessarily like their music but rather they just have huge respect for the bboys.

[dave790]

Originally Posted by Jiberish

^ There two beats playing at the same time. I agree with KP.

I think there are three! The Bonham one, the beat played over the top, and also the hi-hat rhythm on the choruses.

I like TMR, but only the original version. New Reactionaries version is just a mess for me, and I never had any issue with Yauch's original verse. I understand we've all heard 'til the break of dawn' a zillion times but it's almost like a trademark.

One thing I'm not sure about is the write up in the book. It labels the song as the NR version, yet if you read what Horovitz writes he seems to be referring to the original version (and, indeed, a version of the song that existed before Yauch added the fuzzy bassline). There is nothing about why the remix came about - unless I'm reading it wrong.

edit: I also feel Mike D really delivers on TMR.

[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.

[dave790]

Great write up

I actually think Mike D is the MVP of the book though. Horovitz is entertaining throughout and, yes, perhaps more of a natural. But I still think Mike writes really well and actually covers more actual info. I feel like it was harder for him to write (as interviews have testified), but I really think he brings the narrative back into line throughout. A crying shame that he went missing for the final stages though, and personally I’d have liked more coverage of the post-1998 years in general. It reads like an Adrock overview - no bad thing, but I wanted more.

And, if I’m being completely honest, I wish there was more overall... It sounds ridiculously entitled in the face of near 600-page book. But if you break down Adam and Mike’s contributions (brilliant as they are), what are we looking at? 100-200 pages max? Some of the contributions work well (eg. Luc Sante) but many are dispensable for me. The white boy bouillabaisse is nothing, as is the oral history of cookie puss. Wasted pages! Just my opinion, but they are not even necessary diversions, yet alone good ones.

Can’t argue with the majority of the photos though And I’m knowingly being very harsh overall, I’m glad the book exists - but I’m just a sucker for hearing from Mike and Adam above all else. It’s a gift to the fans for sure and a brilliant process for both of the to go through. I’ll also never forget meeting them. I ultimately finished the book wanting more, which betrays both its undoubted strengths as well as its regrettable weaknesses.

[pm0ney]

Originally Posted by dave790

Great write up

I actually think Mike D is the MVP of the book though. Horovitz is entertaining throughout and, yes, perhaps more of a natural. But I still think Mike writes really well and actually covers more actual info. I feel like it was harder for him to write (as interviews have testified), but I really think he brings the narrative back into line throughout. A crying shame that he went missing for the final stages though, and personally I’d have liked more coverage of the post-1998 years in general. It reads like an Adrock overview - no bad thing, but I wanted more.

And, if I’m being completely honest, I wish there was more overall... It sounds ridiculously entitled in the face of near 600-page book. But if you break down Adam and Mike’s contributions (brilliant as they are), what are we looking at? 100-200 pages max? Some of the contributions work well (eg. Luc Sante) but many are dispensable for me. The white boy bouillabaisse is nothing, as is the oral history of cookie puss. Wasted pages! Just my opinion, but they are not even necessary diversions, yet alone good ones.

Can’t argue with the majority of the photos though And I’m knowingly being very harsh overall, I’m glad the book exists - but I’m just a sucker for hearing from Mike and Adam above all else. It’s a gift to the fans for sure and a brilliant process for both of the to go through. I’ll also never forget meeting them. I ultimately finished the book wanting more, which betrays both its undoubted strengths as well as its regrettable weaknesses.

Agreed about the vast majority of the supplemental material. I couldn't care less about most of it. The only thing I did enjoy was the cookbook. I would have rather had a breakdown of more album cuts, or some more material about the group than Amy Poehler's dumb quips about their music videos. Like you said, it would have been better to hear more from the boys themselves in replace of that stuff. Then again, it took them a hundred years to write this, so I think what we got was the absolute best they could do, for better or worse.

[dave790]

Yep, can't argue with that. And what we actually got from Adam and Mike was nonetheless excellent

[abbott]

so I have gone a budget that means I buy very little stuff for myself and I thought maybe someday I will find a BB Book at goodwill or some shit.

But, Merry Christmas ... I got the book as a gift so now I own it.

I have already read a few pages of shit you have not spoiled.

happy to be an owner

Now I just need run into one of the guys while I have the book in my hand to get it signed. I doubt it happens, but I doubted I would own the book.

[ericg]

i am fucking loving this book!!!!!!! i can't get enough.. i just pick it up and turn to any page and bam.. great stories and animated thought.. beautiful!was sick all day yesterday in bed so got a few hours of reading in.. not finished with it by a long shot. i mean it's transcendental transit central? lol

[Brother McDuff]

Originally Posted by ericg

i am fucking loving this book!!!!!!! i can't get enough.. i just pick it up and turn to any page and bam.. great stories and animated thought.. beautiful!was sick all day yesterday in bed so got a few hours of reading in.. not finished with it by a long shot. i mean it's transcendental transit central? lol

dont forget to do the audio book too! a whole different experience altogether.

[Laver1969]

Originally Posted by Brother McDuff

dont forget to do the audio book too! a whole different experience altogether.

Cosigning. The audio experience is amazing. To hear Mike and Adam tell the stories is great. A few of the guest readers are clunkers but overall it’s absolutely worth the extra $ for the audio version.