#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A panoramic experience that
tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself--by
band members ADROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler,
Colson Whitehead, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more.
The inspiration for the Emmy-nominated Apple TV+ "live documentary"
Beastie Boys Story, directed by Spike Jonze
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Rolling Stone - The
Guardian - Paste
Formed as a New York City hardcore band in 1981, Beastie Boys struck an
unlikely path to global hip hop superstardom. Here is their story, told
for the first time in the words of the band. Adam "ADROCK" Horovitz and
Michael "Mike D" Diamond offer revealing and very funny accounts of
their transition from teenage punks to budding rappers; their early
collaboration with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin; the debut album that
became the first hip hop record ever to hit #1, Licensed to Ill--and
the album's messy fallout as the band broke with Def Jam; their move to
Los Angeles and rebirth with the genre-defying masterpiece Paul's
Boutique; their evolution as musicians and social activists over the
course of the classic albums Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and
Hello Nasty and the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits conceived by the
late Adam "MCA" Yauch; and more. For more than thirty years, this band
has had an inescapable and indelible influence on popular culture.
With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album,
Beastie Boys Book upends the typical music memoir. Alongside the band
narrative you will find rare photos, original illustrations, a cookbook
by chef Roy Choi, a graphic novel, a map of Beastie Boys' New York,
mixtape playlists, pieces by guest contributors, and many more
surprises.
**
Praise for Beastie Boys Book**
"A fascinating, generous book with portraits and detail that float by in
bursts of color . . . As with [the band's] records, the book's
structure is a lyrical three-man weave. . . . Diamond's voice is
lapidary, droll. Horovitz comes on like a borscht belt comedian, but
beneath that he is urgent, incredulous, kind of vulnerable. . . .
Friendship is the book's subject as much as music, fame and New
York."--The New York Times Book Review
"Wild, moving . . . resembles a Beastie Boys LP in its wild variety of
styles."--Rolling Stone
