 |
| Photo by Steve Appleford |
I became a big fan of the Beastie Boys during the latter part of secondary school after buying Ill Communication at Our Price in the mid 90s. Before that I was into cheesy pop and boybands (and Guns N' Roses haha). I grew sick of these generic boybands and the monotony of it. The 90s was a tad tacky but it was also an exceptional decade for music (and film) and it was a period when I wanted to explore music. I discovered many influential artists, however, Beastie Boys played a major part in defining my musical tastes, their eclecticism opened my eyes ears to different genres and like many fans their music became a huge part of my personal soundtrack in my teenage to young adult years.
I didn't know anyone who was a fan apart from my penpal from Surrey (yes I had a penpal, so very 90s!), so when the opportunity arose to attend their gig at Brixton Academy I jumped at the chance and asked my penpal from Surrey if she would come with me. Her dad gave us a lift to the venue and asked me "do you have many friends?". Hehe, cheeky ****! Anyways the gig was superb of course, and I attended a few more later on. So glad I got to see them live.
Here's a few reasons why I think they are so great - I loved that they took on different genres of music in their own style... They introduced me to other bands/musicians who I never would have heard of (I always googled artists they name checked in their lyrics)... Their concerts were always entertaining and lively.... Their music videos (Yauch directed some of their videos)... Yauch brought international awareness to the Tibetans plight with the Milarepa Fund which was admirable.
Someone said 'Losing one of the Beasties weighs heavier on me than I ever could have imagined', I agree!
 |
The Beastie Boys action figures my old boss had at the MHI store I used to work at.
Journalist Hadley Freeman summed up it up when she wrote:
'...But Yauch was not just a celebrity: he was a musical pioneer, a champion
of independent films, a man who was true to himself. But, most
importantly, Adam Yauch was a real mensch.'
|
