Beastie Boys Always On Vacation

Driving down to the beach with your friends on a gloriously hot, sunny, summer day; all the windows rolled down. Driving around by yourself late on a muggy summer night; driver's window rolled down. Laying flat on your back in your bedroom blasting the stereo on the first day of summer. 

BEA-STIE BOYS ALWAYS ON VACATION! 

This post is meant to embody these sentiments.

371 days ago the Beastie Boys ceased to exist when Adam Yauch, mostly known as MCA, lost a lengthy battle with cancer. May 4 will always be a day of remembrance and tribute for me. I don't expect to convert any Beastie Boys haters with this post (how could you not like them?!), nor do I intend to offer unbiased criticism of their music. This is a post of expression and appreciation. Rest in peace, MCA.  

This is my love letter to the Beastie Boys:

By no stretch of the imagination is it hyperbole when I say that the Beastie Boys are the most important band in my life. Their music embodied three best friends having the time of their life. And you, the listener, needed to feel what they were feeling. Pioneers of sonic diversity, everything from instrumental funk-jams to fast-paced raps shitting on inferior MC's were Beastie Boy creations. I was exposed to the magic at an early age (8?), when I would hear their records at my dad's house on weekends. Under no circumstance did my childish brain comprehend the music's significance at that point, but man, I jammed to it. 

My personal Beastie Boy chronicles continued in middle school, when my music dealer (friend) burned me a copy of License to Ill. I wasn't hard enough enough to be fighting for my right to party in 8th grade, but man, those songs were cool. They had a snotty attitude and were catchy. The lyrics were cleverly worded and simultaneously offered instructions on how to get ladies. A young Beastie Boys fan was hooked. 

As 8th grade became high school, I began to shop at PacSun and listen to any punk music I could get my hands on. This also meant that, in response to the large hip-hop culture at high school, I hated hip-hop and refused to hear any arguments about it being "real music." Despite this, I always loved the Beastie Boys. Their hip-hop leaning sound always felt kinda punk to me (they have so much more substance than mainstream hip-hop!). As my high school brain and personal value system developed, the Beastie Boys' vibe and lyrics were a breath of fresh air and something I could get on board with. A great foundation to have at the time in most human's lives when social alienation and self-pity is at its pinnacle. 

Make no mistake, the Beastie Boys' music feels "cool" above all else. But right below the surface of cool is a feeling of welcoming and inclusion that speaks to the needs of any confused teenager. You are always invited to the Beastie Boys' party. And it's an 80's/early 90's party cooler than most of your high school classmates could ever imagine (this is an excerpt from my diary, ca. 2004). Late freshman year is when I first purchased a Beastie Boys album, To the 5 Boroughs. Which is not a bad album. But in retrospect, for the purposes of this blog, it's their worst album. But I didn't know that then, and the album rocked my Beastie world. My jam summer of '04:

HIPSTER PARAGRAPH: Another reason the Beastie Boys will always have a spot in my heart is because I never felt like anyone appreciated them quite as much as I did (hey Peter S.!). They were probably too goofy, too old, not hip-hop enough for most. To me, they were punk and they were my band. I wanted to hang out with them and be self-aware together. At the very least indulge in my budding political views and fight for our rights. Constant references to New York City made me feel like their proximity to central Connecticut could make hang-out sessions a remote possibility.  

However, the most important and influential quality about the Beastie Boys for me was their forward-thinking. They were goofballs and party-starters but were constantly challenging convention, both musical and societal. They pushed the envelope in all that they did and they never rested.

WAKING UP BEFORE I GET TO SLEEP
CUZ I'LL BE ROCKING THIS PARTY EIGHT DAYS A WEEK

The epitome of their staying power and true forward-thinking style comes upon consideration of their early commercial success. Their 1986 debut album License to Ill is by far their most well-known work and contains no less than 4 smash-hit singles (by my count). The Beastie Boys could easily have become artistically complacent, made a couple more guitar-heavy rock/rap crossover albums and ridden off into the sunset, financially set for life. But they chose the path of integrity, the path of artistic legends. 

Their follow up to License was 1989's Paul's Boutique, which, all things considered, is likely my favorite Beastie album. Much more subtle than License, the rhymes were nothing short of genius and the beats/sampling were visionary. It surely rubbed mainstream fans (I'm hipster) the wrong way upon its release; it is far less commercially successful than License. I picked up the album my senior year of high school and it was just what the (music) doctor ordered. It was challenging and still sounded relevant in 2007. Track 8:

1989 was merely the tip of the iceberg. 1992 and 1994 saw the releases of Check Your Head and Ill Communication, respectively, which were both 20-track Beastie Boy buffets. Which means that the albums had a little bit of everything. Hard raps? Funky instrumentals? Punk songs? Flutes? All of the above. Although 20-track albums are bound to contain more than a few head-scratching moments, these two albums are what really solidified the Beastie Boys as the most important band in my life. They just didn't give a fuck. They were going to put out any goddamn song they wanted to regardless of their own fame and the hype that surrounded them. Regardless of critical expectation. And every type of song they wrote was good. Their talent was unparalleled. Excerpts from these years: 

 The Beastie Boys' swan song was, fittingly, the album that defined them best. 2011's Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 is arguably their finest work, top-to-bottom. Being their first proper album in seven years, plus the fact that these were 45-year-olds playing the hip hop game, expectations for Hot Sauce were understandably low. But the Beastie Boys made a career out of burying expectations. The album is loose without being overindulgent, and hearkens back to their 90's heyday while sounding fresh and inspired. Upon hearing Hot Sauce in its entirety the first time I felt a strange sense of pride. That's when I knew they were back, and that they were truly my favorite band. Best music video of all time:

MCA's raspy voice being the most distinctive of the Beastie Boys is a microcosm of the man himself. He was the bassist and the Buddhist. He was an intregal creative force of the music as well as their innovative music videos. He was the hull of the the Beastie Boys' forward-thinking ship. He was an advocate for numerous forward-thinking causes and a philanthropist. A year later, a park is dedicated to him in Brooklyn. He lived fully and was a worldwide inspiration. 

We can pay tribute to him through our own creativity, open-mindedness and selflessness. In doing so his inspiration will carry on. RIP MCA, and let the Beastie Boys be remembered as one of the greatest musical acts of all time. 

MCA GRAB THE MIC BEFORE THE MIC GOES STALE...