"He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
It's been a rough couple of days in the mortality department over here in Escalanteland. First it was my dear, dear God Mother's passing. I'm convinced her incessant prayers made me who I am.
Then, my record label's G.M. lost his life at age 47. Finally, it was awful to hear of the passing of the Beastie Boys' MCA (Adam Yauch), even though it was common knowledge that he was gravely ill.
The Beastie Boys started their punk band probably a few months before we started ours. When we didn't know what to do in a genre that was supposed to self destruct by design, we released a hip hop song called Lady Killer that became a regional novelty hit. But novelty hits do not a career make.
The Beastie Boys, however, jumped into the hip hop world with both feet (no novelties, just real hits) and showed everyone that came before them how it could be done, if it was going to be done to perfection. They had to be perfect, they were white. I saw them whenever they came to L.A. Whether it was opening for LL Cool J, Whodini, Run DMC, and the Timex Social Club at the Long Beach Arena, or lucking into a video shoot, they were heroes to the punk rocker's first, hip hop fans second, then every boy and girl in America as they went on to sell 40 million records with the edgiest hits ever to hit mainstream airways.
"Our manager's crazy, he always smokes dust, he's got his own room in the back of the bus."
Wait, you have a bus? And a manager? I wan to be you! Scandalous yes, but the talent was undeniable.
The Beastie Boys were so big, so great, and so influential, I made it a point to never meet them. "Never meet your idols" was my mantra (and still is); you will only be disappointed, and you risk losing something very special. It's not worth the bragging rights.
I had many chances to meet the Beastie Boys but I avoided that with determination. What's all this "Free Tibet" stuff?" I thought. Way too heavy for me. Buddhism? MCA was evidently the son of a Catholic and a Jew. I'm convinced that whatever Hollywood celebrities are looking for in these super exotic spiritualities can be found in the culture of their loving parents. And what a more beautiful story and result that would be, God forbid?
At the risk of losing even more of the innocence of my youth, I ignore the politics of my idols, even when I agree with it. The risks are just too great. Do I want my rock stars to stop with the politics? Absolutely, I don't care if it's Billy Joe or Ted Nugent. But since it's unlikely to happen, I just ignore most of it and bask in rhymes like "So like a pimp I'm pimpin' - got a boat to eat shrimp in. Nothing wrong with my leg I'm just B-boy limpin'" Wow.
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May '10
Re: "He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
Joe -- I'm so sorry for the loss of your Godmother and friends. You might appreciate this story though.
I was at a Giants game tonight with my kids' school and during the seventh inning stretch they played "Fight for Your Right" and 41,000 odd fans including a bunch of kids clueless about MCA and Beastie Boys danced, sang along and generally reveled in its frenzied brashness. Now I have no idea whether Yauch would have approved or found that mainstream display diminishing, but I witnessed tribute from the middle-aged and joyful appreciation from the young and I thought well of the Giants for the implicit acknowledgement of MCA's passing.
Edited on May 5, 2012 at 10:49amRe: "He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
That's an awesome story, Trace. Even knowing that MCA was sick, the news of his death was still jarring. And I must admit that the 10-year difference in age scares me a bit. I did have fun reminiscing with my brother about the importance of the Beastie Boys to our adolescence. What a brilliant band.
Also, playing the video embedded above, my four-year-old explained to the 2-year-old that we can't sleep until we get to Brooklyn because we want to be awake when we arrive there since Brooklyn is fun and it's where our friends are. Somehow when I first loved that song, I didn't imagine a life where my children would enjoy it, too. They are now shouting "No! Sleep! Til Brooklyn!." I love it.
RIP Adam Yauch.
Dec '11
Re: "He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
I saw the beastie boys at the 2008 rockthevote concert in DC. They had quite a show.
Alive by the beastie boys is one of my favorites even though the politics of it is terrible.
The world is slightly less awesome.
May '11
Re: "He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
Just love the music and fun they put out there for us all!
Intergalactic was shot right up the street from where I live here in Tokyo, downtown Shinjuku to be exact, I know all the places in that video, the underground arcades and the big buildings!
Dear lord do I hate cancer, Godspeed!
Edited on May 6, 2012 at 6:47amOct '10
Re: "He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
Molly, I've been puzzling over your comment about the Beastie Boys since yesterday. I mean that you are so obviously still a fan despite being a writer for Christianity Today.
I'm not a fan myself, but I've always enjoyed what these three white , nerdish guys from NY were able to create with brains and not a little chutzpah. Their content wasn't exactly CT friendly, though. I can't make sense of your enthusiasm, but I like it.
Re: "He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
Severely Ltd.: Molly, I've been puzzling over your comment about the Beastie Boys since yesterday. I mean that you are so obviously still a fan despite being a writer for Christianity Today.
I'm not a fan myself, but I've always enjoyed what these three white , nerdish guys from NY were able to create with brains and not a little chutzpah. Their content wasn't exactly CT friendly, though. I can't make sense of your enthusiasm, but I like it. · 4 hours ago
I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at. Of course, the only music I really despise with every fiber in my being is so-called CCM. So I may not be the best barometer of what is CT-appropriate ....
Oct '11
Re: "He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
Stay tuned for our profoundly mournful, yet meaningful, retrospective of the Monkees.
Oct '10
Re: "He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at. Of course, the only music I really despise with every fiber in my being is so-called CCM. So I may not be the best barometer of what is CT-appropriate .... · 13 hours ago
I'm a preacher's kid that liked rock&roll in the sixties, back when many Christians thought it was the devils music, my parents included. Rock lyrics were pretty innocuous then, especially compared to rap. While the Beastie Boys are pretty tame for their genre, No Sleep Till Brooklyn would still offend my 82 yr old mom. That song would've spawned a national movement in 1965, when The House of the Rising Sun was scandalous. I'm just amazed how things have changed.
Re: "He Had More Hits Than Sadaharu Oh." Adam Yauch, R.I.P.
Severely Ltd.
I'm a preacher's kid that liked rock&roll in the sixties, back when many Christians thought it was the devils music, my parents included. Rock lyrics were pretty innocuous then, especially compared to rap. While the Beastie Boys are pretty tame for their genre, No Sleep Till Brooklyn would still offend my 82 yr old mom. That song would've spawned a national movement in 1965, when The House of the Rising Sun was scandalous. I'm just amazed how things have changed. · 8 minutes ago
Ah, got you. Well, my girls don't understand any of the lyrics beyond a few words of the refrain but when they're older, I'll explain to them that the Beastie Boys were joking. The end of the Wash Post obit for Adam Yauch specifically pointed out that Yauch was mortified that anyone would have thought, for instance, that their manager actually smoked dust, much less that it was cool.