really interesting even if you don't have a really specific interest in the beastie boys. the book goes into more than just the group, theres a lot of interesting stuff about the history of music in that time and place.
How the B-boys made with the freak-freak. 10/10. Five stars. Palme d'or. Give this book all the awards.
Did I love the Beasties before I read this book? Absolutely. Was I a savant of the band? Not at all. Did I learn a lot about the Beasties from this book? Absolutely. Has my love for the Beasties been increased from reading this book? Undoubtedly.
I’m sure the physical version of this is great (and I plan on picking it up soon), but I’m completely blown away by how great the audio book is. Maybe the best audio book I’ve ever listened to?
Bought this in print, but ended up buying it again as an Audiobook for our trips to NJ and MI over the past month or two. It was great as an audiobook, even chapters that were mostly pictures had fun narration.. There was one chapter that was literally a list of songs, with no context, that was a bit of a drone, but other than that it was super fun and engaging. I look forward to skimming the book to see some of the illustrations when I get home.
Couldn’t put it down. Incredible.
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.
This was everything I wanted from a music book. Well balanced between personal and practical, never got lost in the woods and changed things up so often it never even hinted at getting boring.
The candour and passion with which everyone speaks of Yauch is really touching, and the time spent on it really makes him seem like the third author through his deeds.
If you are a fan of the Beastie Boys, hip-hop, or even just the 80s, this is a must-read. At times it is laugh-out-loud funny, and at others it is like reading the private diary of Mike D and ADROCK as they delve into the personal issues in their lives that lead to some really great music. But most of all, this book is about friendship and how valuable that can be when other things in your life are falling apart.
