Michael Diamond (5) (1965–)

Really fun read. I have memories of hanging out with friends for a season, summer, or grade in school and everything is amazing. You all have so much fun together doing ridiculous things and living like siblings. Reading this felt like being a fly on the wall for a lifetime spent like this among three friends. Yes, they were famous and that informed some of the stories - but the interesting part wasn't that they were famous - it was capturing that friend-meets-family dynamic.

One of those books you're sad is over because now you can't experience it again.… (más)

I can't begin to describe how epic this is. First a pair of disclaimers: I'm a 51 year old dude, and I didn't get into hip-hop until the early 2010's. And I didn't get into the Beasties until after Adam Yauch passed away and I became more aware of his involvement with Buddhism and efforts to support the liberation of Tibet.

Okay, so fast forward to this audiobook, listened to by a dude who is eager to have a greater appreciation of a band whose music I only have a basic knowledge of, but am curious about the 40 celebrity narrators and understanding how these guys helped change the face of modern music.

This book is sort of the anti-memoir. Written by Michael Diamond and Adam Horowitz (the two surviving Beasties, with Adam Yauch having passed away from cancer in 2012), it feels like you're having a cup of coffee with these guys, listening to them recount antics, recording sessions, missteps, and life lessons. All this, read by Diamond and Horowitz, as well as celebs like Nas, Snoop Dogg, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Jon Stewart, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Rev Run, Steve Buscemi, Rachel Maddow, Ben Stiller, Elvis Costello, Spike Jones, Wanda Sykes, and more.

What I love about the book is, for all of the comical patchwork that holds it together, it really feels like a treasure trove for hardcore Beastie fans, like a lid is being lifted off their process and their most seminal moments so you can hear how they went from hardcore/punk fans to hip=hop fans to rappers and, ultimately, committed musicians themselves. You learn how important Run DMC and The Clash were to their lives and music, how Yauch's free spirit and curiosity took him around the world pursuing truth and adventure, and how some of the biggest songs came about. You hear from the fourth member of their band in the early days, a female musician who was (mostly) pushed out by Rick Rubin. You hear about how their first smash hit "Fight for Your Right (to Party)" was intended to be ironic, and how they really had to work hard to did themselves out of the fratboy image they'd created. And you'll hear how they - musically and publically - apologize for the misogyny and homophobia that plagued their first two albums. It takes a very earnest effort to rise above that and they did so with integrity and a track record from the 90's onward that proved their sincerity and commitment to Women's and LGBT causes.

I also haven't laughed this hard while listening to an audiobook in quite a while. These guys are legitimately funny, charming, and humbly aware of their place in the musical zeitgeist as well as how little it all ultimately means to their happiness.

If you are a fan, I recommend the audiobook in particular, if not for the superstar cast list, then at the very least for two particular chapters: one that offers alternate explanations of the future of "CookiePuss" (if you know the Beasties, you know Cookiepuss), and the other (read by Will Ferrell) that features a verbatim music review of "Ill Communication" by a music critic more committed to jazz/chamber music and the pot of soup he is faithfully cooking while reviewing the album.

This is a hell of a ride, and a joy to listen to. And I'm now a pretty major Beasties fan, not just because Yauch and I shared common spiritual interests, but I now better understand their contribution to contemporary music, and what cool f-ing guys they truly are.… (más)