Back in the ’80s, Beastie Boys took the rap scene by storm with their hit (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party). The three white teens from NYC were everywhere, but their story is not a fairytale. The surviving members, Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz, are sharing their tale in Beastie Boys Story that is streaming now on Apple TV+.
Before they were the Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horowitz and Adam Yauch were just boys and a girl hanging out making punk rock music. Rap was still in its infancy when they started out. Then as it slowly started to gain popularity in NYC, they added it to their sound.
The three of them had the right timing and kept meeting the right people at the right time. For example, a DJ named Rick Rubin. Rubin introduced them to his friend and soon-to-be-business partner Russell Simmons. The two men were starting a label called DefJam and they wanted to sign the Boys.
Before they knew it, they were on the road with Madonna. They told the crazy story about how that happened. Then they talk about the other bands they toured with before License to Ill even came out. Once that happened, their lives were changed forever.
They created an image for themselves, and it took over their lives. They weren’t happy about who they became, so they quit and went their different ways. However, they had a contract that wouldn’t let them do that.
They worked on a second album, but it wasn’t the same. The hottest guys in rap saw their fame dwindle down to nothing. Their failure gave them the chance to be free of DefJam and find a new label.
The three of them left NY for LA, and spent money like it was water. When you do that, the well goes dry. Now, the band, who played to sold-out stadiums, were playing clubs. You know what, they loved it even more.
They got the feeling back that they had when they first started as a band. Beastie was releasing the music they wanted and not what someone else told them to do.
There were a lot of good times and some sad ones. They lost their friends and family members. However, none of them hurt as much as when they lost Adam Yauch in 2012 to cancer. When he died, so did the Beastie Boys.
Or so they thought. Diamond and Horowitz did one more tour. Instead of playing music, they did a lecture like standup, where they finally got to tell their story.
The last show was filmed by their music video director Spike Jonez. That final show is what you will see on Apple TV+ now.
Beatie Boys Story is not only about their rise to fame and fall, but it is also about everything in between. There are anecdotes like what Beastie stands for. Did you know it is an acronym? The crazy things they did on tour. Most importantly, it is about three best friends living the dream! That is something no one will ever be able to take from them.
When you watch the one-night two-hour documentary, make sure to watch it through the credits. They show a lot of home videos as the names roll down the screen.
This is a special for anyone who wants to know what it is like to be a band and living the life that comes with it. Who doesn’t want to know that? Watch it now, because you have already binged everything else.
