R/T 019 - Give thanks for inspiration
This issue of Radical Things is about: Rediscovering the Beastie Boys and the creative power of Adam Yauch.
I blame Mike Carroll.
1992 Plan B released their iconic skateboard video “Questionable”.
In the 1990s skateboarding progressed through videos and magazines. As they are today, each skater's part or “section” is an edit of their best tricks set to music. Any skater will tell you how videos influenced their fashion and music taste. And they’ll also be able to tell you the music or band from their favourite video parts.
In his three-song part, Carroll skates to two Beastie Boys tracks from the 1992 album, “Check Your Head”. The combination of rough layered samples, rugged SF streets and cutting edge skateboarding left its mark. The week after watching Questionable I headed to my local HMV. Here I bought “Check your head” on tape. (Along with a Primus T-shirt so I could also pretend to be Pat Duffy).
A screen grab of the intro to Mike Carroll’s section in Questionable - set to the Beastie Boys.
Now I was never a huge fan of the early Beasties. They stuck in my mind for having a skateboard in their promo videos. And also wearing Volkswagen logos as jewellery. At the tender age of 11 I found their early music shouty and obnoxious. I found some early records fun for their sense of rebellion, but didn’t love them.
“Check Your Head” was different. And the cover photo was the first sign of that. A roadside image of the band with a fashion sense aligned to the skateboard culture of the time.
The album bounces through musical styles. From hardcore rock, hip-hop and chilled out Buddhist mantras. The band play their own instruments and wrote their own music. They’re supported by the soulful sounds of ‘Money Mark’ on keys. (A talented chap noted for the ability to build you a cabinet if you supply the correct lumber.) Engineer ‘Mario C.’ laid down the sound.
“Check Your Head” remained on heavy rotation in the years following. When the Beasties released “Ill Communication” two years later it was immediately sucked into my tape collection.
The cover image for “Check Your Head”.
Fast-forward 30-something years.
I’m doom scrolling the TV looking for something to watch. “Beastie Boys Story” pops up. A live documentary on AppleTV directed by Spike Jonze. (Yes, it’s a few years old and I’m late to the party!)
Not only is Jonze intimately connected to the Beastie Boys, he’s a critical part of skateboard history. As a photographer Jonze was a regular contributor to several skateboard Magazines. He was also instrumental in the development of two iconic skateboard companies. Blind and Girl.
I’ll not drag you into the annals of skateboard history. But this ensemble and a late night thirst for entertainment hooked me in.
So, I now want to bring your focus to the Beastie Boys. And one member in particular.
After a dynamic opening of sound and visuals the show starts. The two remaining Beastie Boys enter the stage to a live-audience. The first thing they do is pay homage to their third member, Adam Yauch or MCA.
“Beastie Boys Story” is a love letter to Yauch. It's also a window into the journey of the Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Inner Excellence. As this journey unfolds Yuach's position as the creative spearhead becomes clear. As does the reason for their inability to continue as a group after his untimely death in 2012.
What struck home for me was his curiosity, drive and creative output.
In one example the camera pans to an oncoming onstage set. At this point Mike D and Ad Rock recall the story of dropping in on Yauch at his apartment. This was during the creation of their first album - Licensed to Ill.
On entering Yauch has a tape deck set up on a 50’s formica table. This is not a standard tape deck but a quarter-inch reel-to-reel. Extended from the deck, Yauch has wrapped the tape around two mic-stands and a chair.
Yauch plays the introduction from Led Zeppellin's “When The Levee Breaks”. What they experience is a slowed down loop beat. The rest of the song is absent.
Yauch tells the others about hearing of Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone experimenting with tape loops. Reminiscent of DJ record breaks, he wanted to try it himself. They immediately took his creation to the studio and made “Rhymin and Stealin”.
Mike-D showing the tape loop setup in “Beastie Boys Story”.
Later Diamond (Mike D) and Horowitz (Ad Rock) discuss the approach taken for their second album - Paul’s Boutique.
Set free of the creative oversight of Def Jam record label owners, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin, Yauch “Gets loose creatively.”
With a new record deal the Beastie Boys choose to take on creative duties themselves. Paranoid and wanting only to work with trusted parties, Yauch becomes band photographer. Needing a cover for their seminal record (a failure at the time) Yauch decides he is going to take a photograph.
But not any photograph.
He has somehow become aware of a camera that takes a photograph with a panoramic 360 degree view. Living up to his name as “The Techno-Wiz”, he takes the photograph himself with the help of Jeremy Shatan.
The image is beautiful. It manages to bottle the essence of 80’s New York neighbourhoods. It’s only enhanced by the contents of Paul's Boutique itself. One that the Beastie Boys chose to dress with their own trinkets. These included instruments, clothes - and of course - music. Layering the image with more meaning and personality.
Adam Yauch taking the cover photo for “Paul’s Boutique”. Photo by Adam Powell.
Yauch’s creativity continued to drive the output of the Beastie Boys. His Uncle, European film director, Nathaniel Hornblower, influenced his passion for film. He met the Dalai Lama and championed an independent Tibet. He was also passionate about skate and snowboarding.
In “Beastie Boys Story”, Yauch’s willingness to take creative risks and experiment shines through. As does the diversity of experience and interests that fuelled him. What’s also fascinating, as the Beasties note, is that Yauch was doing this without the internet. How was he gaining this knowledge? He must have possessed a fierce curiosity.
What’s most inspiring is the journey of the group. A journey to discover their own identities after being burnt by the music industry. Listening back to “Check Your Head”, the lyrics feel potent and alive. I find myself more exhilarated than first watching Mike Carrol skate Embarcadero as a 15 year-old.
Hard to believe, right?
Creativity is a constant struggle to uncover your own point of view. What you think and feel about the world. The culmination of all your thoughts and experiences projected in a novel way. Revisiting the Beasties with a newfound understanding of their creative journey has unleashed a tidal wave of creative energy.
So I encourage you to do the following:
Reconnect with the creative muse you’ve lost contact with. The album, piece of art or individual. Dig deeper and uncover more about them. Their influences, motivations and drivers.
Search for a spark that empowers you to uncover your authenticity. Extract that ember from wherever it’s buried in your creative journey.
Create the time and space to check your head and give thanks for inspiration.