Category: Beastie Boys

When Elijah Wood was a Beastie Boy: Actor Calls it Most ‘Incredible Moment of My Life’

For longtime Beastie Boys fans Elijah Wood, playing a young Ad Rock in last year’s “Fight For Your Right (Revisited)” video was “a dream come true.”

“I think all of us kind of grew up imagining what it would be like to rap in front of a fisheye lens,” the actor and occasional DJ tells Spinner of the experience. “And I got to do that!”

Wood, perhaps best known for playing Frodo in the Lord of the Rings films, says that he was thrilled to be asked to star in the epic 30-minute video that pits the young Beastie Boys (Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogan) against their future selves (Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly).

“I just about lost it, I was so excited,” says Wood, temporarily sidetracked from talking about the official reason for this interview, his recently released vinyl box set. “I’m such a huge fan. I grew up listening to the Beastie Boys. It’s, like, part of the soundtrack of my youth. So I jumped at the chance to be a part of it.”

Being on the star-studded set with so many fellow Beasties fans, including Susan Sarandon, Will Arnett, Rashida Jones, Steve Buscemi, Amy Poehler and Rainn Wilson, and being directed by the late, great Adam “MCA” Yauch definitely lived up to any and all expectations.

“It was such a gift, that experience,” says Wood. “I think everyone involved felt the same way. We all grew up listening to those guys and they had such a huge influence on our lives. And to get a chance to spend a little bit of time with Adam and get to know him briefly, that was a gift as well. It was a really beautiful, awesome experience.”

In a storied career that has included starring in massive blockbusters like Sin City and Deep Impact and critically acclaimed films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — not to mention conquering Sauron — appearing in front of that fisheye lens remains a highlight for Wood.

“It’s one of those moments in your life that you never, ever think will happen,” he recalls. “And there I was with Yauch directing me, after every take going ‘Good shit. Good shit.’ It was the most surreal, incredible moment of my life. It was awesome.”

Adam Yauch’s Will: No Advertising for Beasties Songs

Don’t expect to hear MCA rapping in a commercial anytime soon.

The late Beastie Boys musician’s will prohibits the use of his music and “artistic property” in advertisements, according to Rolling Stone.

“Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes,” the will reportedly reads.

The will, filled on Tuesday, leaves his $6.4 million estate to his wife, Dechen, and daughter, Tenzin Losel. His wife was named the executor of his estate, which places future decisions for his contributions to the Beastie Boys in her hands.

MCA, born Adam Yauch, died earlier this year after a battle with cancer. The rapper and activist was 47.

Beastie Boys ‘bummed’ nobody leaked their ‘Hot Sauce…’ album Ad-Rock jokes that he’s annoyed that new LP wasn’t leaked online
Beastie Boys’ Adam ‘Ad-Rock Horovitz’ has joked that the band are “bummed” that their new album ‘Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2’ didn’t leak online far ahead of its release.
Although the rappers completed work on their eighth studio album a couple of years ago and were going to release the original ‘Part 1’ version of it in 2009, they were forced to delay the LP’s release after rapper Adam Yauch was diagnosed with throat cancer.
Speaking in the new issue of NME, which is on UK newsstands now or available digitally, Horovitz said: “I’m bummed that nobody leaked anything. What’s up with that? Nobody wants to leak our shit anymore? Come on.”
Horovitz also joked that the trio need to “get some less trustworthy people around them” when they need record an album. He also gave another update on Yauch’s battle with cancer, saying his bandmate was “getting better” and though he was still in treatment, “things were going good.”

Beastie Boys return older and sillier
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. ñ On a wind-swept balcony at the posh Chateau Marmont hotel, Michael “Mike D” Diamond, one-third of the legendary hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys, is recounting to Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz what happened at a party that he departed early the night before. Among the recollections is that the DJ spun “Jolene.”
“He killed it,” Diamond recalls. “That’s a great song though. Dolly Partner is a great songwriter.”
“Yeah,” Horowitz replies without missing a beat. “Dolly Partner’s penned like over 1,000 songs.”
When asked if the pair are intentionally flubbing the country icon’s name, Horowitz reveals that the mispronunciation is actually an inside joke stretching back to the 1980s when the group would study musician-filmmaker Don Letts’ mixtapes of dancehall music from the United Kingdom. On one edition, a deep-voiced DJ incorrectly bellowed the name “Dolly Partner.”
“From that point on, she was no longer Dolly Parton but etched forever in our minds as Dolly Partner,” Diamond explains.
“And that’s no disrespect to Dolly Partner because she’s an incredible musician,” Horowitz deadpans.
It’s been 25 years since the Beastie Boys released “Licensed to Ill” and proved three bratty Jewish guys from New York could deliver hip-hop as deliciously as Run-D.M.C. Despite gray hair for Horowitz, fatherhood for Diamond and cancer for Adam “MCA” Yauch, the group is as goofy as ever, as evidenced by the old-school flavor on their new album, “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.”
Yauch, who discovered he had cancer of the salivary gland in 2009, is notably absent from the balcony jokefest. He’s still undergoing treatment. (“It’s hard that he’s not here, but it’d be harder for him to be here,” Diamond says.) Yauch’s condition has put the tight-knit group’s near future in limbo.
“It is what is,” Horowitz says seriously, not long after extinguishing a cigarette. “You deal with it. He’s getting treatment. That’s the most important thing. We’ve been friends since 1980. All of this doesn’t matter. If we go on tour, we go on tour. If don’t go, we don’t go. We’ll figure it out. Yauch getting better is the most important thing right now.”
Diamond says Yauch’s illness didn’t influence their new music because recording was mostly finished before Yauch was diagnosed. However, the bad news made the group, whose ages now range from 44 to 46, more appreciative of their time together when they returned to the studio to morph the originally planned “Hot Sauce Committee Part One” into “Part Two.”
“It made us enjoy sticking with the vibe that we had already established,” Diamond says. “It was that much more of a relief for us. Ultimately, we just realized that we wanted to enjoy ourselves while we were making this record. That became a fun thing for us, and hopefully when people interact with this record, they will be enjoying themselves, too.”
The Beastie Boys’ first lyrical effort in seven years ó 2007’s “The Mix Up” was an instrumental affair ó is a return to the group’s signature roots of uncomplicated beats and clever rhymes. For instance, one moment on the carefully crafted track “Long Burn The Fire” finds Ad-Rock hollering, “I’ll make you sick like a Kenny Rogers Roaster.”
There are also wacky references to Tippi Hedren, Ted Danson and Andre Leon Talley. The album’s tone is more akin to 1994’s “Ill Communication” and 1998’s “Hello Nasty” than the decidedly more serious route the Beastie Boys took with 2004’s “To the 5 Boroughs.” Each of those albums debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts when they were originally released.
While the Beastie Boys were originally known for their bad boy personas, they’ve evolved. In recent years, they’ve presented themselves as poster boys for pacifism. They headlined the Tibetan Freedom concert series, protested the Iraq war and supported Sept. 11 attack victims. Under the searing California sun, Diamond and Horowitz seem conflicted over the recent news of Osama bin Laden’s death.
“It’s a very complex issue,” Diamond says. “What would’ve been the downside of holding bin Laden accountable by our own values of justice by which our country is based on? I don’t know that killing people then tossing them in the water is part of the democratic process. I’m not defending him. We just have to be careful of our actions as world citizens.”
The duo still finds more comfort in cracking jokes than talking politics. When questioned why they haven’t capitalized more on their fame like LL Cool J and Queen Latifah, Diamond proclaims that he angled for Horowitz to judge the NBC talent show “The Voice.” (“The network went with Adam Levine,” Diamond matter-of-factly notes.) He eventually relents though.
“All the music I listened to in high school that I loved and that moved me wasn’t the same music other kids were listening to in school,” Diamond discloses. “I got into punk rock and new wave then dub and hip-hop. I still feel like I’m an outsider. I still feel like we’re doing this thing that’s outside of the People’s Choice Awards.”
Of course, that’s exactly the way Beastie Boys like it, and they’re not done. The Grammy-winning group hopes to revisit “Hot Sauce Committee Part One.” They’d also like to follow in the footsteps of idol “Dolly Partner” ó who’s name-checked on the track “Funky Donkey” ó and open their own theme park. Horowitz would call it B-Boy Village, and Diamond dreams of an attraction that’s filled with a cough syrup concoction.
“We have to have a good flume ride because that’s a highlight at any theme park,” Diamond jokes. “When the log-shaped device you’re in plunges into the water, and you get completely drenched, it’s very satisfying. You would get (expletive) soaked up in our theme park. We’ll have a DJ playing crazy records and screaming. Instead of water, there’d be sizzurp.”
Horowitz interrupts him and suggests that the ride should instead be filled with the neglected soda brand Faygo and the DJ should also blast an air horn, which prompts the pair to dive even deeper into their cheeky concept, but a lone empty chair next to Diamond and Horowitz on the sunny balcony suggests the Beastie Boys’ imaginary theme park is far from complete.

No Beastie Boys tour until MCA is ‘cancer-free’
Beastie Boys star Adam Horovitz has ruled out any tour plans to promote their new album until rapper Adam Yauch has fully recovered from cancer.
Yauch, aka MCA, has been undergoing treatment since July 2009, when doctors found a tumour in his parotid gland.
He has also adopted a strict vegan diet and turned to ancient Chinese medicine to help him beat the disease, and although his prognosis is good, Horovitz admits the band is putting off any live dates following the release of Hot Sauce Committee Part Two until Yauch’s back to full health.
Horovitz says, “He’s doing OK. He’s still in treatment, so it’s not 100 per cent (clear). But things are looking good.
“We’re not touring, we’re just getting the record out – and we’re not making any plans until he is better. Which is definitely going to happen.”
But Horovitz is confident Yauch will be joining the group to make a full comeback soon – and he’s sure they will bounce back harder than ever before when the time comes to record their next project.
He adds, “I have a feeling the next record is going to be the most insane party record you ever heard. Because if you go through something like what Yauch’s going through, I mean, shit. After that, you must feel pretty good.”
Horovitz’s comments come four months after bandmate Mike D claimed Yauch had been given the all-clear, prompting the sick star to clarify the remarks and reveal his treatment is ongoing.

Beastie Boys stream new album
The Beastie Boys refused to be downhearted about the leak of the ìcleanî version of their new album – theyíve hit back by streaming an explicit version online.
A bootlegged recording of the trioís upcoming Hot Sauce Committee Part Two emerged on the internet last week – two weeks before its official release date next month.
But the rappers have now counteracted the leak by allowing fans to hear the ìdirty nasty versionî of all 16 tracks.
A statement on their official website reads, ìUnfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control, the ícleaní version of our new album, The Hot Sauce Committee pt 2 has leaked.
ìSo as a hostile and retaliatory measure with great hubris we are making the full explicit aka filthy dirty nasty version available for streaming on our site. We hope this brings much happiness, hugs, and harmony.î

Beastie Boys Preview Album at Madison Square Garden
Leave it to rap veterans, Beastie Boys, to premiere their art in an original way.
The trio previewed their upcoming album “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two” (May 3) at Madison Square Garden this past Saturday (April 23), broadcasting via Livestream.
Fans tuned in to find two mics staged center court before a TK3 Speaker Boombox. Although the Boys weren’t present, someone dressed in a gorilla suit paid a brief visit.
Last week, the Beastie Boys premiered their star-studded video, “Make Some Noise,” featuring a handful of celebrity cameos.”Make Some Noise” is the first single off “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.”

Beastie Boys drop star-studded trailer for ‘Fight For Your Right Revisited’
Apparently, itís National Beastie Boys Day on the Internet.
Not only did the online universe get to hear a brand new track from the trioís forthcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, but they also unleashed the cameo-riffic trailer for their new short film Fight For Your Right Revisited.
The short, which premiered at this yearís Sundance Film Festival, features a series of meta re-creations of the groupís breakout video hit ì(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party).î
The Beasties seem to have called in favors from just about every corner of the entertainment planet, rounding upódeep breathóDanny McBride, Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Jack Black, Rainn Wilson, Rashida Jones, Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, ChloÎ Sevigny, and Will Arnett.
Thatís a lot of star power, though it leaves out participants like Kirsten Dunst, Martin Starr, Laura Dern, David Cross, and Zach Galifianakis, who are in the movie but didnít make the trailer cut (ooh! burn, Dern). The whole thing is even set to new single ìMake Some Noise,î which is already becoming a favorite.
The full video is set to premiere ìsoon,î according to the trailer, while Hot Sauce Committee Part Two will be on store shelves May 3.
Here’s the trailer:

Beastie Boys Reveal Artwork, Release Date for ‘Hot Sauce Committee’
Beastie Boys will kick off their 2011 comeback with the May 3 release of “Hot Sauce Committee Part 2,” their first non-instrumental full-length in seven years. The rap trio announced the date for the Capitol Records release and revealed the rectangle-tastic album artwork on their website Monday.
“Since the dawn of time, and perhaps even before, there was a silent order who were tasked with a mission,” a message on the website reads. “They held their secret tightly. On May 3rd the HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART TWO will be unleashed on the general public. Hold fast ye heathens.”
The group’s follow-up to their 2007 instrumental album “The Mix-Up” was pushed back nearly two years after Adam “MCA” Yauch underwent surgery in July 2009 to remove a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland. In a January statement, Yauch said that he was “continuing treatment, staying optimistic and hoping to be cancer free in the near future.”
“Hot Sauce Committee Part 1,” the addendum to “Part 2,” still does not have a release date after it was bumped back in October, while the Beasties have yet to announce any 2011 touring plans (“We’re still going to have to see how he’s [Yauch] doing,” Mike D. said in January.) However, the group gave fans a treat when they premiered “Fight For Your Right Revisited,” a re-imagining of their classic 1987 music video starring Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood and Danny McBride, at the Sundance Film Festival in January.