WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.120 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're really 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:05.339 getting into it, tackling the story of a group 00:00:05.339 --> 00:00:09.220 that just completely defied categorization. The 00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:11.880 Beastie Boys. We're looking at Adam Horvitz, 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:14.660 Adam Yalke, and Michael Diamond Adrock, MCA, 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:16.679 and Mike Dee. Yeah, it's a huge story. We're 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:19.440 going deep into their lives, their careers, both 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:21.480 together and apart, and just how much they ended 00:00:21.480 --> 00:00:24.160 up influencing, well, everything. Right, because 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:26.239 it's easy to just think, biggest selling rap 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:28.600 group since 91, which, okay, they are, according 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:30.399 to Billboard. But that's almost missing the point, 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:32.799 isn't it? Their story is really about constant 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:35.100 change, like radical evolution. We've pulled 00:00:35.100 --> 00:00:38.240 together a ton of biographical info, interviews, 00:00:38.539 --> 00:00:41.710 history. show how these three guys from New York 00:00:41.710 --> 00:00:44.310 City went from this pretty aggressive hardcore 00:00:44.310 --> 00:00:47.789 band. Yeah, hardcore pump. To pioneers across 00:00:47.789 --> 00:00:51.210 multiple genres, activists, filmmakers. I mean, 00:00:51.250 --> 00:00:53.509 the list goes on. It really does. We're not just 00:00:53.509 --> 00:00:55.530 hitting the album highlights. We want to unpack 00:00:55.530 --> 00:00:58.469 how these three very different creative minds 00:00:58.469 --> 00:01:00.890 work together, how they pushed each other, and 00:01:00.890 --> 00:01:03.250 how they use their platform. Exactly. It's about 00:01:03.250 --> 00:01:05.650 the synergy, the individual paths, the whole 00:01:05.650 --> 00:01:07.829 picture. So let's start right at the beginning. 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:11.299 back in the New York punk scene, late 70s, early 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:13.780 80s. Okay, so to really get the Beastie Boys, 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:15.680 you got to understand where they came from. And 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:18.239 it wasn't hip -hop. It started in 1979 with a 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:20.680 band called the Young Aborigines. Founded by 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:22.840 Michael Diamond, Mike Dee, right? He was on drums. 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:26.319 Yep. Mike Dee on drums. And the early lineup... 00:01:26.299 --> 00:01:29.760 It also had John Berry on guitar, Kate Schellenbach 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:33.260 on percussion. This was pure New York hardcore 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:37.280 punk. Think fast, loud, aggressive. And Adam 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:40.319 Yoke, MCA, he joined a bit later. In 81, yeah. 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:42.879 He came in on bass, replacing someone else. Yoke 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:44.840 was already part of that scene, a friend of the 00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:47.560 band. And apparently it was John Berry who actually 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:50.099 suggested the name Beastie Boys. And that acronym. 00:01:50.779 --> 00:01:53.340 Boys entering anarchistic states towards inner 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:55.700 excellence. That came later. Oh yeah, much later. 00:01:55.939 --> 00:01:57.480 They pretty much admitted it was an afterthought. 00:01:57.579 --> 00:01:58.920 Like, they needed something to fit the letters 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:00.980 after the name was already chosen. It sounds 00:02:00.980 --> 00:02:02.599 cool, but initially it was just a name. They 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:05.120 were punk kids first. Cure punk, you said. What 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:06.760 did that sound like? Who were they playing with? 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:09.539 Well, think bands like Reagan Youth. That kind 00:02:09.539 --> 00:02:12.180 of energy. Their first actual gig was on Yatch's 00:02:12.180 --> 00:02:15.219 17th birthday. And they got slots opening for 00:02:15.219 --> 00:02:17.939 some really big names in that world, like Bad 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:21.430 Brains. The Dead Kennedys. Wow. So legitimate 00:02:21.430 --> 00:02:24.069 punk credentials. Absolutely. And you can hear 00:02:24.069 --> 00:02:27.150 it on their first official release. The Pollywogs 00:02:27.150 --> 00:02:30.509 do EP from 1982. It's a classic piece of New 00:02:30.509 --> 00:02:33.610 York hardcore. Very raw. Very fast. But things 00:02:33.610 --> 00:02:36.490 started to shift. John Barry left in 82. Right. 00:02:36.550 --> 00:02:38.729 And that's when the final piece of the classic 00:02:38.729 --> 00:02:41.870 trio falls into place. Adam Horowitz, Ad Rock. 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:44.719 He was super young, only 16. He had been singing 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:46.740 for a band called the Young and the Useless, 00:02:46.979 --> 00:02:49.360 who often opened for the Beasties. And his arrival 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:51.699 seems to be the real catalyst for change, yeah. 00:02:51.780 --> 00:02:54.520 Moving away from pure hardcore. It definitely 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:56.800 coincides with it. The energy was shifting anyway. 00:02:57.060 --> 00:02:59.419 You know, hardcore was intense, but maybe limiting. 00:02:59.740 --> 00:03:01.360 And they started getting really interested in 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:04.000 what was happening with hip hop, with DJs sampling. 00:03:04.300 --> 00:03:06.939 Which brings us to Cookie Puss. Exactly. 1983. 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:09.419 It's basically a prank phone call they made to 00:03:09.419 --> 00:03:11.860 Carvel Ice Cream. Seriously? Yeah, seriously. 00:03:12.300 --> 00:03:14.139 They took the recording, put some rudimentary 00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:16.860 beats and early sampling behind it, wrapped over 00:03:16.860 --> 00:03:21.300 it kind of jokingly, and somehow this weird little 00:03:21.300 --> 00:03:23.979 comedy track becomes an underground hit in New 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:26.719 York clubs. That's wild. So that joke track actually 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:29.560 opened the door. Totally. It showed them and 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:32.479 others that they could blend that punk attitude 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:36.080 with these new hip hop sounds. And crucially, 00:03:36.379 --> 00:03:39.599 it caught the ear of a certain NYU student named 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:43.219 Rick Rubin. Ah, Rick Rubin, Def Jam co -founder. 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:45.360 Before Def Jam was even really a thing, yeah. 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:47.680 He started DJing for them live, and then of course 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:50.180 became their producer. He was instrumental in 00:03:50.180 --> 00:03:51.979 pushing them fully into the hip -hop direction. 00:03:52.219 --> 00:03:54.860 But embracing that new direction, that new identity, 00:03:55.340 --> 00:03:57.819 it had consequences. Kate Schellenbach was fired 00:03:57.819 --> 00:04:00.419 around 84. Yeah, that's a tough part of this 00:04:00.419 --> 00:04:03.080 story. And Ad Rock himself has expressed regret 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:05.520 about it later on. How did he explain it? He 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:07.479 basically said it was tied up in the image they 00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:10.060 were consciously building. As they moved towards 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:12.860 hip hop, especially the sort of mainstream kind 00:04:12.860 --> 00:04:15.479 of macho rap persona of the time, they adopted 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:18.819 this new tough rapper guy identity, as he put 00:04:18.819 --> 00:04:22.540 it. And in their minds back then, unfortunately, 00:04:22.860 --> 00:04:25.319 there wasn't room for a female drummer in that 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:28.540 specific image. It was regrettable and tied to 00:04:28.540 --> 00:04:31.600 the posturing of that era. Yeah. It really highlights 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:33.500 that the shift wasn't just sonic, it was about 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:35.579 crafting a whole new persona, maybe shedding 00:04:35.579 --> 00:04:37.759 some of their punk ideals in the process. I think 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:40.420 that's fair to say. So Schellenbach is out, Mike 00:04:40.420 --> 00:04:43.000 D moves from drums to primarily being an MC, 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:46.699 and you have the trio. Mike D, MCA, Ad Rock. 00:04:46.899 --> 00:04:49.459 Yeah. Solidified. And ready for Def Jam and, 00:04:49.459 --> 00:04:51.579 well, everything that came next. Hashtag tag 00:04:51.579 --> 00:04:53.339 two, commercial heights and creative independence. 00:04:53.540 --> 00:04:56.560 Which was licensed to Ill. I mean, 1986, that 00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:58.740 album wasn't just big, it felt like it changed 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:01.319 everything. It was a monster. Produced by Rubin 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:04.000 on Def Jam. Yeah. It took that rock energy, those 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:05.939 big guitar riffs, and smashed them together with 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:08.180 rap in a way that just exploded into the mainstream. 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:09.860 No one had really packaged it like that before. 00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:12.000 And the charts showed it. First rap album ever 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:14.759 to hit number one on the Billboard 200. And it 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:17.259 stayed there for five weeks. Five weeks. That 00:05:17.259 --> 00:05:20.180 was astronomical. It proved hip hop wasn't niche. 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:22.819 It was a massive commercial force. Sold what, 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:25.560 nine million copies eventually? Diamond status. 00:05:25.939 --> 00:05:29.620 Crazy numbers. But the tour. The tour was something 00:05:29.620 --> 00:05:32.660 else not exactly smooth sailing. Oh god. No. 00:05:32.660 --> 00:05:35.680 Yeah, the license to ill tour was pure chaos 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:39.060 Lawsuits arrests they were leaning hard into 00:05:39.060 --> 00:05:43.000 that bratty party animal anarchist image Maybe 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:45.160 a little too hard like ad rock getting arrested 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:49.100 in Liverpool exactly 1987 Merseyside police arrested 00:05:49.100 --> 00:05:51.680 him because a riot literally broke out like 10 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:53.439 minutes after they started playing. They were 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:55.319 pushing buttons and sometimes the buttons pushed 00:05:55.319 --> 00:05:57.319 back. And then there's the whole Volkswagen emblem 00:05:57.319 --> 00:05:59.699 thing. That's just iconic Beastie Boys lore. 00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:02.120 Isn't it? Mike D starts wearing this huge VW 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:04.660 emblem stolen off a car on a big chain. Just 00:06:04.660 --> 00:06:07.139 this random kind of dumb defiant fashion statement. 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:10.040 And then suddenly there's this massive spike 00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:12.899 in VW emblems being stolen off cars everywhere. 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:15.379 Fans were desperate to copy the look. It shows 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:17.610 the kind of immediate slightly absurd. cultural 00:06:17.610 --> 00:06:20.569 impact they had. But after that massive success, 00:06:20.910 --> 00:06:23.970 things got complicated right with Def Jam. Yeah, 00:06:24.089 --> 00:06:26.709 the relationship soured, reports were they weren't 00:06:26.709 --> 00:06:29.370 getting paid properly, royalties were missing. 00:06:29.909 --> 00:06:31.910 Classic music industry story, unfortunately. 00:06:32.250 --> 00:06:34.250 So they made a huge decision. They walked away 00:06:34.250 --> 00:06:35.949 from Def Jam. Which must have been terrifying, 00:06:36.110 --> 00:06:37.850 after having the biggest album in the country. 00:06:38.089 --> 00:06:40.170 Absolutely. But it showed their commitment to 00:06:40.170 --> 00:06:42.529 independence, even early on. They signed with 00:06:42.529 --> 00:06:44.490 Capitol Records and needed a completely fresh 00:06:44.490 --> 00:06:46.750 start creatively. Enter the Dust Brothers. Enter 00:06:46.750 --> 00:06:48.889 the Dust Brothers. There are. And enter Paul's 00:06:48.889 --> 00:06:53.589 Boutique, 1989. If License to Ill was a rock 00:06:53.589 --> 00:06:56.649 rap sledgehammer, Paul's Boutique was like... 00:06:56.509 --> 00:06:59.910 A psychedelic, multi -layered collage. It sounds 00:06:59.910 --> 00:07:01.769 nothing like the first album. Not even close. 00:07:01.949 --> 00:07:04.629 License to Ilf had those big, obvious rock samples. 00:07:04.949 --> 00:07:07.410 Paul's boutique was built on hundreds, literally 00:07:07.410 --> 00:07:10.810 hundreds, of tiny, obscure samples woven together. 00:07:11.110 --> 00:07:15.470 Funk, soul, jazz, rock, movie dialogue. It was 00:07:15.470 --> 00:07:17.750 incredibly dense and complex. The Dust Brothers 00:07:17.750 --> 00:07:19.629 were doing something revolutionary with sampling 00:07:19.629 --> 00:07:21.970 technology. More experimental hip -hop, really. 00:07:22.050 --> 00:07:24.790 Totally. But here's the twist. Commercially, 00:07:25.230 --> 00:07:28.829 it flopped. Hard. Really? After License to Ill? 00:07:29.009 --> 00:07:32.790 Yeah. Compared to 9 million copies, Paul's boutique 00:07:32.790 --> 00:07:35.529 sold relatively poorly at first. It was too weird, 00:07:35.850 --> 00:07:38.750 too intricate for 1989 radio. People didn't know 00:07:38.750 --> 00:07:41.089 what to make of it. It was seen as this big commercial 00:07:41.089 --> 00:07:43.730 failure. But history's been kind to it. Very 00:07:43.730 --> 00:07:47.329 kind. Immensely kind. Now it's hailed as a masterpiece. 00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:50.129 Rolling Stone puts it way up on their greatest 00:07:50.129 --> 00:07:52.350 albums list. Apple Music has it in their top 00:07:52.350 --> 00:07:55.410 50 ever. It's the ultimate example of a grower 00:07:55.410 --> 00:07:59.170 album. And critically, it gave them massive artistic 00:07:59.170 --> 00:08:01.629 credibility, even if it didn't sell millions 00:08:01.629 --> 00:08:03.829 right away. It proved they weren't just a one 00:08:03.829 --> 00:08:06.269 -trick pony. And that credibility, that freedom, 00:08:06.430 --> 00:08:08.329 it led them back to their roots in a way, didn't 00:08:08.329 --> 00:08:11.490 it, with Check Your Head? Exactly. 1992, after 00:08:11.490 --> 00:08:14.009 the insane complexity and probably the looming 00:08:14.009 --> 00:08:16.509 legal headaches of sampling on Paul's boutique, 00:08:16.569 --> 00:08:18.649 they kind of went, you know what? Let's just 00:08:18.649 --> 00:08:21.250 play our instruments again. So back to basics. 00:08:21.730 --> 00:08:24.490 Sort of. Yatch back on bass, Ad Rock on guitar, 00:08:24.649 --> 00:08:27.029 Mike D on drums. And crucially, they brought 00:08:27.029 --> 00:08:29.569 in Money Mark Nishida on keyboards, who became 00:08:29.569 --> 00:08:32.049 almost like a fourth beastie. And the sound, 00:08:32.190 --> 00:08:34.649 it wasn't punk, it wasn't pure hip hop. No, it 00:08:34.649 --> 00:08:38.350 was this amazing fusion, funk. jazz, hardcore 00:08:38.350 --> 00:08:41.850 energy, hip hop beats, all played live in the 00:08:41.850 --> 00:08:44.350 studio. It had this loose, kind of jammy feel, 00:08:44.370 --> 00:08:48.250 but still hit hard. Tracks like Gratitude or 00:08:48.250 --> 00:08:50.649 So What You Want. And that sound, that blend, 00:08:50.909 --> 00:08:52.610 people point to it as being really influential. 00:08:52.950 --> 00:08:55.470 Yeah. Like a precursor to new metal. Oh, absolutely. 00:08:55.629 --> 00:08:58.429 Think about it. Funky bass lines, heavy guitars, 00:08:58.850 --> 00:09:01.129 wrapped or shouted vocals, hip hop rhythms. You 00:09:01.129 --> 00:09:03.710 can draw a direct line from Check Your Head to 00:09:03.710 --> 00:09:06.250 bands like Rage Against the Machine, 311, maybe 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:09.740 even early corn or Limp Bizkit. They were blending 00:09:09.740 --> 00:09:12.039 these sounds before it became a whole sub -genre. 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:14.259 So they're setting trends again just by doing 00:09:14.259 --> 00:09:17.080 their own thing. And this desire for control, 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:19.419 it went beyond the music too. They started their 00:09:19.419 --> 00:09:21.759 own label. Brand Royal Records. They wanted total 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:23.580 creative freedom, not just for themselves, but 00:09:23.580 --> 00:09:25.679 to foster other artists they like. They signed 00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:28.980 acts like Luscious Jackson, Sean Lennon. a pretty 00:09:28.980 --> 00:09:31.379 eclectic roster. And the magazine, Grand Royal 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:34.100 Magazine. Which was brilliant, 1993 to 97. It 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:36.179 perfectly captured their whole vibe, smart, funny, 00:09:36.419 --> 00:09:38.799 obsessed with weird pop culture, music, style. 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:41.320 It was kind of like their blog before blogs existed. 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:44.259 And it actually has a weirdly specific claim 00:09:44.259 --> 00:09:47.639 to fame in the dictionary. Does. The Oxford English 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:51.100 Dictionary actually credits Grand Royal Magazine 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:54.419 with popularizing the term mullet head to describe 00:09:54.419 --> 00:09:58.289 the haircut. No way. Just shows their strange 00:09:58.289 --> 00:10:00.830 knack for influencing culture on all these different 00:10:00.830 --> 00:10:04.649 levels, from groundbreaking music to, well, hairstyle 00:10:04.649 --> 00:10:07.389 terminology. OK, but speaking of influence and 00:10:07.389 --> 00:10:09.149 pushing boundaries, we have to talk about the 00:10:09.149 --> 00:10:11.950 sampling lawsuit. Newton v. Diamond. That was 00:10:11.950 --> 00:10:14.250 a big deal. Huge deal. This was over their track, 00:10:14.429 --> 00:10:17.090 Pass the Mic, from Check Your Head. It involved 00:10:17.090 --> 00:10:19.289 the sample from a flute composition by a jazz 00:10:19.289 --> 00:10:21.870 musician named James Newton called Choir. And 00:10:21.870 --> 00:10:25.370 the issue was... They hadn't cleared it properly. 00:10:25.490 --> 00:10:27.629 Well, it's complicated They had cleared the license 00:10:27.629 --> 00:10:29.950 for the sound recording this specific performance 00:10:29.950 --> 00:10:32.929 captured on Newton's record But they hadn't separately 00:10:32.929 --> 00:10:34.769 cleared the license for the underlying musical 00:10:34.769 --> 00:10:37.669 composition the notes themselves The distinction 00:10:37.669 --> 00:10:40.090 between the recording copyright and the composition 00:10:40.090 --> 00:10:43.289 copyright exactly and the sample itself was tiny 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:46.409 Just three notes played over six seconds looped 00:10:46.409 --> 00:10:49.889 in the background Newton sued arguing that even 00:10:49.889 --> 00:10:52.789 that small part was his protected composition 00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:55.720 And how did it turn out? The courts eventually 00:10:55.720 --> 00:10:58.080 sided with the Beastie Boys. And the reasoning 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:01.100 was crucial for sampling law going forward. The 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:03.259 court basically ruled that the three note segment, 00:11:03.659 --> 00:11:06.279 that specific little melodic fragment, lacked 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:09.740 the necessary originality to be protected by 00:11:09.740 --> 00:11:12.320 composition copyright on its own. So it was considered 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:14.840 de minimis too trivial to count legally? Pretty 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:17.049 much. Even though they'd cleared the recording, 00:11:17.450 --> 00:11:19.610 the court said the composition snippet itself 00:11:19.610 --> 00:11:22.029 wasn't distinctive enough to warrant infringement. 00:11:22.470 --> 00:11:24.909 It was a landmark ruling because it offered some 00:11:24.909 --> 00:11:27.629 protection for artists using very short, perhaps 00:11:27.629 --> 00:11:29.970 less musically distinct samples. It showed the 00:11:29.970 --> 00:11:32.169 beasties were, again, right at the forefront 00:11:32.169 --> 00:11:34.850 of these evolving creative and legal landscapes. 00:11:35.250 --> 00:11:37.289 So once they'd established this level of artistic 00:11:37.289 --> 00:11:40.389 freedom and, frankly, influence, the individual 00:11:40.389 --> 00:11:42.970 members really started branching out more visibly, 00:11:43.129 --> 00:11:44.929 right? Showing their distinct personalities. 00:11:44.809 --> 00:11:47.970 Absolutely. And maybe nowhere more so than with 00:11:47.970 --> 00:11:51.090 Adam Yowch, MCA. He became this real force, not 00:11:51.090 --> 00:11:53.149 just musically, but as a filmmaker and activist. 00:11:53.450 --> 00:11:55.490 He seemed to have this bigger vision. The filmmaking 00:11:55.490 --> 00:11:58.610 pseudonym, Nathaniel Hearnblower. Yeah. He directed 00:11:58.610 --> 00:12:00.590 a lot of their music videos under that name, 00:12:00.870 --> 00:12:04.490 often the weirder, more conceptual ones, like 00:12:04.490 --> 00:12:08.129 Intergalactic or Savatage with Spike Jon's co 00:12:08.129 --> 00:12:10.450 -directing. And then he directed the full concert 00:12:10.450 --> 00:12:13.659 film. Awesome. I fucking shot that. in 2006. 00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:16.500 That was the one filmed by the audience. Exactly. 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:19.220 Gave out like 50 cameras to fans in the crowd 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:22.279 and edited their footage together. Super innovative, 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:25.360 very DIY spirit, even on that scale. But he didn't 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:27.019 just make films, he started a whole company. 00:12:27.220 --> 00:12:29.840 Right. Oscilloscope Laboratories. Founded in 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:32.600 2002. It wasn't just a production company, became 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:34.919 a really respected independent film distributor 00:12:34.919 --> 00:12:37.320 based in Manhattan. Distributing some pretty 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:39.799 serious films too. Oh yeah. Films like We Need 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:42.100 to Talk About Kevin, Wendy and Lucy. It showed 00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:44.539 he was serious about film as an art form and 00:12:44.539 --> 00:12:46.879 wanted to support challenging independent voices. 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:49.679 It felt like a natural extension of his worldview. 00:12:50.179 --> 00:12:52.679 And that worldview was increasingly shaped by 00:12:52.679 --> 00:12:55.799 his activism and spirituality. Definitely. Yok 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:58.250 became a practicing Buddhist. And that deeply 00:12:58.250 --> 00:13:00.710 informed his public life. He became one of those 00:13:00.710 --> 00:13:03.070 prominent Western advocates for Tibetan independence. 00:13:03.169 --> 00:13:05.590 Co -founding the Milarepa Fund. Yep. And organizing 00:13:05.590 --> 00:13:08.129 the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, starting in 96. 00:13:08.629 --> 00:13:10.830 These were massive events. The first one in San 00:13:10.830 --> 00:13:13.950 Francisco drew over 100 ,000 people. It was arguably 00:13:13.950 --> 00:13:16.110 the biggest benefit concert series since Live 00:13:16.110 --> 00:13:18.490 Aid. He really put his money and his platform 00:13:18.490 --> 00:13:20.690 where his mouth was. And he wasn't afraid to 00:13:20.690 --> 00:13:22.690 speak out directly either, even on big stages. 00:13:22.809 --> 00:13:26.159 Not at all. Remember the 1998 MTV Video Music 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:28.879 Awards? They won the Vanguard Award. And Yawks 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:31.240 used his acceptance speech time. Instead of thanking 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:34.240 people. To explicitly condemn the prejudice and 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:36.919 stereotyping facing Muslim people in the wake 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:39.659 of the U .S. embassy bombings that year. On live 00:13:39.659 --> 00:13:43.860 TV, on MTV. That took serious guts and conviction. 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:46.639 He saw the platform as a responsibility. Okay, 00:13:46.659 --> 00:13:50.070 let's shift to Ad Rock. Adam Horowitz. His path 00:13:50.070 --> 00:13:52.129 seems different, maybe more focused on music 00:13:52.129 --> 00:13:55.169 itself and performance. Yeah, I think so. While 00:13:55.169 --> 00:13:57.750 York was building institutions, Ad Rock seemed 00:13:57.750 --> 00:14:00.700 more focused on. like side projects and acting, 00:14:01.139 --> 00:14:03.379 staying connected to that sort of indie or underground 00:14:03.379 --> 00:14:05.519 scene. He had a decent acting career going for 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:07.779 a while. He did. Popped up in films like Lost 00:14:07.779 --> 00:14:11.259 Angels back in 89, Roadside Profits in 92. More 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:13.940 recently, he was in Golden Exits in 2017. Got 00:14:13.940 --> 00:14:16.419 good reviews for that. And documentaries, too, 00:14:16.419 --> 00:14:18.460 like Have a Good Trip. And musically, he kept 00:14:18.460 --> 00:14:20.679 doing other things besides The Beasties. Oh, 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:24.399 yeah. He had that side project, BS 2000, released 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:26.960 an album called Simply Mortified in 2000, did 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:30.340 remixes as 41. Small Stars plays bass in a band 00:14:30.340 --> 00:14:32.899 called The Tender Moments. It seems like he always 00:14:32.899 --> 00:14:34.720 needed these other outlets for different kinds 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:38.179 of musical ideas, often noisier or more punk 00:14:38.179 --> 00:14:40.340 -influenced stuff. And his personal life also 00:14:40.340 --> 00:14:42.259 reflects that connection to the sort of punk 00:14:42.259 --> 00:14:44.779 and indie world. Absolutely. He was married to 00:14:44.779 --> 00:14:47.500 Ioni Sky for a while, but since 2006, he's been 00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:49.899 married to Kathleen Hanna. The absolute legend 00:14:49.899 --> 00:14:52.419 from Bikini Kill and Latiguer, pioneer of Riot 00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:55.419 Girl. Exactly. And he was very supportive, appearing 00:14:55.419 --> 00:14:57.240 in the punk singer, that great documentary about 00:14:57.240 --> 00:14:59.700 her. It feels like a very genuine connection 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:02.379 to that whole independent didn't counter cultural 00:15:02.379 --> 00:15:05.419 ethos. There's also a personal detail. He started 00:15:05.419 --> 00:15:08.019 wearing a medical or bracelet after having a 00:15:08.019 --> 00:15:11.080 seizure in 2003. Right. OK. So then there's Mike 00:15:11.080 --> 00:15:14.539 D, Michael Diamond, producer, designer, maybe 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:17.659 the most unexpected path. Maybe. I mean, he definitely 00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:20.019 kept his hand in music production. He produced 00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:23.399 albums for Portugal, The Man, and more recently 00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:25.879 for the English punk duo Soft Play that used 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:28.460 to be called Slaves. So applying that Beastie 00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:31.299 Boys ear to other artists. Yeah. But he also 00:15:31.299 --> 00:15:34.019 had this really quirky side project. He recorded 00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:37.120 this completely bizarre country music album called 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:39.940 Country Mike's Greatest Hits back in 2000, just 00:15:39.940 --> 00:15:41.879 as a joke for friends and family. Country Mike, 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:43.779 I remember hearing about that. It's legendary 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:45.840 in its obscurity. But the really surprising turn 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:49.639 was his move into design, actual interior design. 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:52.100 Toilet paper, right. The Brooklyn -themed toilet 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:55.159 wallpaper. He designed it himself. And it wasn't 00:15:55.159 --> 00:15:57.620 just a little hobby. It was used in the big renovation 00:15:57.620 --> 00:16:00.159 of the Marquis Nightclub in New York. back in 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:03.379 2013. That's amazing. From hip -hop icon to luxury 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:05.919 wallpaper designer. It perfectly encapsulates 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:08.019 the refusal to be boxed in, doesn't it? Yeah. 00:16:08.139 --> 00:16:10.240 Just pursuing whatever interested them, regardless 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:12.419 of expectations. And he's still curating taste 00:16:12.419 --> 00:16:15.179 now with his podcast. Yeah. The Echo Chamber 00:16:15.179 --> 00:16:18.139 on Apple Music. It feels like a continuation 00:16:18.139 --> 00:16:21.080 of that grand royal spirit, exploring music, 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:24.320 culture, ideas. So you see these three distinct 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:27.590 threads. Yok, the visionary activist and filmmaker, 00:16:28.309 --> 00:16:30.309 Ad Rock, the musician and performer rooted in 00:16:30.309 --> 00:16:32.990 indie culture, and Mike Dee, the producer, curator, 00:16:33.149 --> 00:16:35.570 and designer. The band held them together, but 00:16:35.570 --> 00:16:37.970 their individual interests were incredibly diverse. 00:16:38.470 --> 00:16:41.529 Hashtag tag my V, the final albums and enduring 00:16:41.529 --> 00:16:44.389 legacy. So as they moved into the late 90s and 00:16:44.389 --> 00:16:46.730 2000s, they were still evolving, still putting 00:16:46.730 --> 00:16:50.090 out major work. Hello Nasty in 98 was huge. Massive. 00:16:50.149 --> 00:16:51.990 That's the one where Mix Master Mike officially 00:16:51.990 --> 00:16:54.250 joined on the turntables, adding this whole other 00:16:54.250 --> 00:16:55.950 layer of sonic wizardry. It went to number one 00:16:55.950 --> 00:16:58.759 pretty much everywhere. And it led to that incredible 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:01.240 Grammy night in 99. Yeah, that was historic. 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.220 They won best rap performance for Intergalactic, 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:06.880 which, OK, makes sense. But they also won best 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:09.599 alternative music album for the entire Hello 00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:12.660 Nasty record. Winning in both rap and alternative 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:15.680 categories, had that ever happened before? Not 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:18.319 like that. It was the industry basically throwing 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:20.619 up its hands and admitting, OK, we don't know 00:17:20.619 --> 00:17:22.579 what genre you are anymore, but you're masters 00:17:22.579 --> 00:17:25.700 of it. It cemented their status as completely 00:17:25.700 --> 00:17:28.720 unique genre destroying artists. And they didn't 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:31.019 shy away from politics either. To the five boroughs 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:33.799 in 2004 felt very much like a response to the 00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:36.240 post 9 -11 atmosphere in New York. Absolutely. 00:17:36.460 --> 00:17:38.579 They self -produced that one, and it had this 00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:41.319 heavier, more somber feel at times, and they 00:17:41.319 --> 00:17:43.220 directly addressed the political climate with 00:17:43.220 --> 00:17:45.960 the track In A World Gone Mad. Which they released 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:48.400 for free. Yeah, as a free download, specifically 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:51.839 to protest the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Again, 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:54.400 using their music and their platform very deliberately 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:56.660 to make a statement. Then came another curveball, 00:17:57.019 --> 00:18:01.079 the mix -up in 2007. Total curveball. An all 00:18:01.079 --> 00:18:04.220 -instrumental album. Just grooves, textures, 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:07.220 leaning heavily into their funk and jazz influences. 00:18:07.700 --> 00:18:09.799 No rapping at all. Which must have surprised 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:11.960 some fans. Probably. But it showed they were 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:14.420 still restless, still exploring. And it wasn't 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:16.960 just a vanity project. It won the Grammy for 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:19.559 best pop instrumental album. They could succeed 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:22.480 even without their signature vocals. But sadly, 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:25.319 that period of creative exploration was coming 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:29.079 to an end. Yeah. In July 2009, the news broke. 00:18:29.309 --> 00:18:31.829 Adam Yauch announced he'd been diagnosed with 00:18:31.829 --> 00:18:34.369 cancer, a cancerous parietal gland and lymph 00:18:34.369 --> 00:18:36.769 node. He sounded optimistic initially, didn't 00:18:36.769 --> 00:18:39.509 he, calling it very treatable? He did. But it 00:18:39.509 --> 00:18:41.970 immediately put everything on hold. Their next 00:18:41.970 --> 00:18:44.089 album release was delayed, tours were canceled, 00:18:44.349 --> 00:18:46.490 it cast this shadow over everything. And that 00:18:46.490 --> 00:18:48.690 next album, Hot Sauce Committee, that whole release 00:18:48.690 --> 00:18:50.609 got really confusing. Oh, completely. There was 00:18:50.609 --> 00:18:52.390 supposed to be a part one, then it got delayed 00:18:52.390 --> 00:18:54.690 indefinitely because of Yaak's health. So what 00:18:54.690 --> 00:18:56.450 eventually came out? They ended up releasing 00:18:56.450 --> 00:18:59.849 Hot Sauce Committee part two in 2011. But the 00:18:59.849 --> 00:19:01.890 joke was it contained all the tracks that were 00:19:01.890 --> 00:19:03.869 supposed to be on part one. They just skipped 00:19:03.869 --> 00:19:06.490 part one entirely. Which feels like a very Beastie 00:19:06.490 --> 00:19:09.109 Boys thing to do, even under difficult circumstances. 00:19:09.210 --> 00:19:12.160 Totally. One last bit of playful absurdity in 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:14.160 the face of everything. Just before things took 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:18.259 a turn, they received that huge honor induction 00:19:18.259 --> 00:19:20.680 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. 00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:23.680 A massive recognition of their entire career. 00:19:24.119 --> 00:19:26.880 But it was bittersweet. Yoc was too sick to attend 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:30.000 the ceremony. Ad Rock and Mike D went and they 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:32.200 read this incredibly moving letter that Yoc had 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:34.980 written. And then not long after? Yeah. Adam 00:19:34.980 --> 00:19:38.619 NCA Yoc passed away on May 4th, 2012. He was 00:19:38.619 --> 00:19:42.200 only 47. Just devastating. And that was effectively 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.140 the end of the Beastie Boys as a band. It had 00:19:44.140 --> 00:19:46.220 to be. Mike D. confirmed it later, I think, in 00:19:46.220 --> 00:19:49.079 2014. He said they just couldn't continue making 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:51.220 music under that name without Yoc. It wouldn't 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:53.960 be right. Their bond as a trio was too essential. 00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:56.259 But the legacy, obviously, is enormous. The tribute 00:19:56.259 --> 00:19:58.880 started pouring in. Yeah, tangible things like 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:01.059 renaming a playground in Brooklyn Heights, Adam 00:20:01.059 --> 00:20:04.240 Yoc Park in 2013, acknowledging his connection 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.440 to the community. And connecting back to Paul's 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:09.279 boutique, that street corner. Ledlow and Rivington. 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:13.400 a spot on the album cover. In 2023, it was officially 00:20:13.400 --> 00:20:16.579 co -named Beastie Boys Square. It brings that 00:20:16.579 --> 00:20:19.160 iconic image right into the physical landscape 00:20:19.160 --> 00:20:21.519 of New York. Their influence is just undeniable. 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:24.059 You hear it cited by artists across completely 00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:26.539 different genres. Eminem, Rage Against the Machine, 00:20:26.740 --> 00:20:29.700 Blur. The list is endless. They break down so 00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:31.940 many walls. They sold 20 million records in the 00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:35.160 US alone. but their impact goes way beyond sales 00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:36.900 figures. And the surviving members have done 00:20:36.900 --> 00:20:39.160 a great job curating that legacy too with the 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:41.460 book and the documentary. The Beastie Boys book 00:20:41.460 --> 00:20:44.339 from 2018 is incredible. This huge scrapbook 00:20:44.339 --> 00:20:47.000 style memoir and the Beastie Boys story documentary 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.680 from 2020 directed by Spike Jonze which was based 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:52.440 on their live stage shows. They've ensured the 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:54.940 story is told in their own unique way. Looking 00:20:54.940 --> 00:20:58.240 back at this whole journey we've discussed from 00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:03.119 punk kids to global superstars, filmmakers, activists. 00:21:04.019 --> 00:21:07.279 It really is about that constant evolution, isn't 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:09.519 it? And that fierce independence. Absolutely. 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:11.720 That thread of self -determination runs through 00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:14.759 everything, leaving Def Jam, starting Grand Royal, 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:17.480 Yash building a oscilloscope, Ad Rock sticking 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:20.700 to his indie roots, Mike Dee designing wallpaper. 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:23.519 It was always about controlling their own creative 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:26.079 destiny. And that commitment to control, to their 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:28.619 artistic integrity, it extended right to the 00:21:28.619 --> 00:21:30.839 very end, didn't it? In a really powerful way. 00:21:30.940 --> 00:21:33.140 It did. And it brings us to maybe the most thought 00:21:33.140 --> 00:21:35.269 -provoking aspect of their legacy, stemming from 00:21:35.269 --> 00:21:37.730 Adam Yatch's final wishes. Which raises a fascinating 00:21:37.730 --> 00:21:39.690 question for you, the listener, to think about. 00:21:39.789 --> 00:21:42.630 Right. Because Adam Yatch's will included a very 00:21:42.630 --> 00:21:45.710 specific clause. It explicitly stated that Beastie 00:21:45.710 --> 00:21:47.710 Boys music should never be used in commercial 00:21:47.710 --> 00:21:50.549 advertisements, ever. And they fought to uphold 00:21:50.549 --> 00:21:52.690 that, the lawsuit against Monster Energy Drink 00:21:52.690 --> 00:21:57.940 in 2014. They won $1 .7 million. because Monster 00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:00.180 used their music in a promo without permission 00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:02.559 after Yaak had passed. It wasn't just about the 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:04.920 money, it was about honoring Yaak's very clear 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:07.500 intention to keep their art separate from corporate 00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:09.400 advertising. So here's the final thought for 00:22:09.400 --> 00:22:11.359 you. Considering this group started with such 00:22:11.359 --> 00:22:13.599 a brash, almost commercial parody image with 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:16.039 license to ill, and gave us, you gotta fight 00:22:16.039 --> 00:22:18.960 for your right to party. An anthem co -opted 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:21.720 by countless commercials and frat parties, how 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:24.660 significant is this final stand? How much control 00:22:24.660 --> 00:22:27.319 should an artist or their estate have over the 00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:29.059 commercial use of their work after they're gone? 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:31.740 And how does this deliberate anti -commercial 00:22:31.740 --> 00:22:34.259 stance, embedded in Yaksha's will and defended 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:36.960 by his bandmates, reshape the ultimate legacy 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:39.759 of the Beastie Boys? That final act, fighting 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:41.539 to protect their work from being used to sell 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:44.130 energy drinks. Maybe that was the ultimate expression 00:22:44.130 --> 00:22:47.029 of boys entering anarchistic states towards inner 00:22:47.029 --> 00:22:48.950 excellence. Something to really chew on.