BEASTIE BOYS : An Audiobook Review
I was a little too young to fully appreciate the Beastie Boys oeuvre growing up. Well, now that I think about it, most of my friends in high school were into them, so I was probably just a little too not-hip-enough to feel the New York combo in its heyday.
Anyways, I was aware of their music, and it’s unequivocally quintessential 90s, but I never really listened to their catalog from start to finish… That is, until I dug in their newly-released Beastie Boys Book during the xmas break.
I bought the audiobook version because :
a) I’m too lazy to sit for countless hours breaking my short-sighted eyes over the tiny print covering the 600 pages of the hardcover edition.
b) I’m cheap and the audio version was half the price.
c) The prospect of hearing the 2 surviving Beasties tell their story in their own voice was more appealing to me than hearing my voice drone on inside my own head.
OK. Listened to the book. Loved it. Are are my takeaways :
The main gimmick of the thing is that a majority of the chapters are read by entertainers. This goes from the necessary (contemporary LL Cool J, for instance) to the starfuckerish (Bette Midler, Rachel Maddow). It’s a device that’s meant to bring some life (and probably some unneeded legitimacy) to the book, but it’s ultimately an unfortunate one. As much as some people might be mildly amused to hear, say, Ben Stiller read a couple paragraphs here and there, I wish I heard the authors’ voices more, and B-list celebrities’ voices a bit less.
Also, the obligatory accompanying PDF is missing from the current Audible edition. That’s very regrettable since the BBB (for short) is a multimedia book and it’s supposed to include a graphic novel, rare photos, and I don’t know what else because I didn’t get the f@%#in’ PDF! Guess I’ll have to sift through a physical copy at a Barnes & Noble, or something. Only consolation : a pretty funny Spike Jonze chapter.
Beyond the remembrance of Adam Yauch that closes the memoir, Beastie Boys Book is full of enthusiastic anecdotes about the deceased Boy in question. Through the chapters, we uncover the loving portrait of an artist that couldn’t stay in place, an OG hipster (I use the term lovingly) who drove his bandmates to push the boundaries of what a band should be. IMO, that’s the best eulogy ever.
Much have been said of their apology to Kate Schellenbach, their former drummer from way back when the Beastie Boys was a hardcore punk band. My two cents on the matter : Meh.
My favorite parts of the book are the ones were they recount in great detail the creative process that lead to each album. Those chapters risk boring the uninitiated to tears, but I really enjoyed them.
Another takeaway : Hey, turns out Rick Rubin was kind of a dick in his 20s… But then again, um, who isn’t? Right?!
The book also covers some of the Beastie Boys entrepreneurial ventures. It’s fascinating to hear them talk about the streetwear brand X-Large, or the magazine Grand Royale. I’d listen to them for hours talk about how their iconoclastic spirit help them mold their entreprises. For Ad-Rock and Mike D’s next project, might I suggest a self-help business book. Perhaps The Four-Hour Beastie? Fellas, the ball’s in your court.
At the end of the book, I was like : “Why aren’t these guys still making music together?!” I feel like Yauch would want them to soldier on without him. They obviously still have stuff to say, and energy to say it. Horovitz might think it’s lame to be the old guy at the club, but be honest, isn’t it kinda lame to be the old guy anywhere? Might as well be at the club…
If nothing else, the Beastie Boys Book makes you want to rediscover their whole catalog and rewatch every single one of their amazing music videos. Worth it.