Michael Diamond (5) (1965–)

Beastie Boys played a huge role in my adolescence. In the mid-90s, my friends and I listened to Ill Communication on heavy rotation, with Check Your Head and Paul's Boutique in the mix, and an occasional appearance by License to Ill. This book was a nostalgic trip, like sitting around with old friends, hearing all their crazy stories.

Since Adam Yauch (MCA) died in 2012, the book is mostly Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock, my favorite) and Michael Diamond (Mike D) telling their story in alternating show more chapter/essays with some additional sections from celebs (Amy Poehler critiquing their videos! Roy Choi's recipes inspired by his favorite Beastie's songs!) It's a bittersweet tribute to Yauch, an apology for their early assholery, a celebration of their incredible musical and creative contributions to the world.

Yes, we were, and are, some lucky ducks. We were teenagers living in a chaotic city where anything was possible and everything was okay, even when it wasn't. ~MD show less

I can't begin to describe how epic this is. First a pair of disclaimers: I'm a 51 year old dude, and I didn't get into hip-hop until the early 2010's. And I didn't get into the Beasties until after Adam Yauch passed away and I became more aware of his involvement with Buddhism and efforts to support the liberation of Tibet.

Okay, so fast forward to this audiobook, listened to by a dude who is eager to have a greater appreciation of a band whose music I only have a basic knowledge of, but am show more curious about the 40+ celebrity narrators and understanding how these guys helped change the face of modern music.

This book is sort of the anti-memoir. Written by Michael Diamond and Adam Horowitz (the two surviving Beasties, with Adam Yauch having passed away from cancer in 2012), it feels like you're having a cup of coffee with these guys, listening to them recount antics, recording sessions, missteps, and life lessons. All this, read by Diamond and Horowitz, as well as celebs like Nas, Snoop Dogg, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Jon Stewart, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Rev Run, Steve Buscemi, Rachel Maddow, Ben Stiller, Elvis Costello, Spike Jones, Wanda Sykes, and more.

What I love about the book is, for all of the comical patchwork that holds it together, it really feels like a treasure trove for hardcore Beastie fans, like a lid is being lifted off their process and their most seminal moments so you can hear how they went from hardcore/punk fans to hip=hop fans to rappers and, ultimately, committed musicians themselves. You learn how important Run DMC and The Clash were to their lives and music, how Yauch's free spirit and curiosity took him around the world pursuing truth and adventure, and how some of the biggest songs came about. You hear from the fourth member of their band in the early days, a female musician who was (mostly) pushed out by Rick Rubin. You hear about how their first smash hit "Fight for Your Right (to Party)" was intended to be ironic, and how they really had to work hard to did themselves out of the fratboy image they'd created. And you'll hear how they - musically and publically - apologize for the misogyny and homophobia that plagued their first two albums. It takes a very earnest effort to rise above that and they did so with integrity and a track record from the 90's onward that proved their sincerity and commitment to Women's and LGBT causes.

I also haven't laughed this hard while listening to an audiobook in quite a while. These guys are legitimately funny, charming, and humbly aware of their place in the musical zeitgeist as well as how little it all ultimately means to their happiness.

If you are a fan, I recommend the audiobook in particular, if not for the superstar cast list, then at the very least for two particular chapters: one that offers alternate explanations of the future of "CookiePuss" (if you know the Beasties, you know Cookiepuss), and the other (read by Will Ferrell) that features a verbatim music review of "Ill Communication" by a music critic more committed to jazz/chamber music and the pot of soup he is faithfully cooking while reviewing the album.

This is a hell of a ride, and a joy to listen to. And I'm now a pretty major Beasties fan, not just because Yauch and I shared common spiritual interests, but I now better understand their contribution to contemporary music, and what cool f-ing guys they truly are. show less

This massive book of essays, musings, comics, photos, recipes, and more tells the story of Beastie Boys, by band members ADROCK and Mike D (MCA passed away from cancer in 2012), with contributions from Amy Poehler, Spike Jonze, Kate Schellenbach, just to name a few. This book does chronicle the shenanigans most casual readers may expect from the Beastie Boys, but being that this book is a gargantuan 600-page Beastie tome, I don't believe it was intended for a casual reader. It is for beloved show more fans of Beastie Boys and music in general, as well as a love letter to friendship and New York City (and a love note to Los Angeles, too).

The photos and various ephemera are enjoyable but I particularly liked the self-awareness put on display by ADROCK (Adam Horowitz) and Mike D (Michael Diamond) about their friendships, their place in time in NYC when they were kids, their luck at being in the right place at the right time, and their adolescent mistakes. All of their misogynistic jokes on their early recordings and videos still haunt them to this day and they gracefully retell many of the steps they took to fix their youthful transgressions with their friends. Early band member Kate Schellenbach is given a chance to tell her side of the story of why she felt she was "fired" from the band and her observations of that time. It's an affecting part of their story. And I clearly remember hearing their song Sure Shot for the first time with its infamous MCA verse, "I want to say a little something that's long overdue / the disrespect to women has got to be through / To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends / I wanna offer my love and respect till the end" and thinking to myself, 'They're growing up. That's cool.'

For me, Beastie Boys were and still are a big part of my musical life. I have enjoyed all of their music and videos since She's On It. I was 15 when License to Ill came out. My friends and I memorized all the lyrics on Paul's Boutique. Hearing Check Your Head for the first time in my car BLEW MY MIND! Ill Communication continued blowing my mind. I saw them at Lollapalooza in '94 at their Houston stop. I also saw their In the Round show in Austin at the Frank Erwin Center. To say the Beastie Boys are part of my life is an understatement. So, reading this book not only gave me more insight about their lives, it also sparked my own memories of my life as it was partly soundtracked by their music.

What a glorious soundtrack that is!

If you're a fan of Beastie Boys or music in general, then I highly recommend this book. show less

Must read for even casual fans. Great history of rap to hip-hop in NYC and how three young men atoned for riding the douche train to initial stardom.