If you live long enough, you get to see some cool shit. And you get to see small evolutions. Say, for instance, from a fringe hip-hop album that you and a few buddies used to jam out to in college when the world couldn't care less . . . to a cultural icon regarded as "seminal," "foundational," and even "watershed."
Rock snob glossary entries are fun. But this is more than a label; this is a landmark.
You guessed it, I'm talking about the three bad brothers you know so well (Ad Rock, MCA and Mike D, not rob, Dave, and me). The Beastie Boys have been further cemented into the streets of their beloved hometown, if not history.
According to Time Out:
“On July 14, the New York City Council approved the co-naming of the intersection of Ludlow and Rivington streets as Beastie Boys Square.”
Why there? Fans of the trio will surely know. Cue Track 14 on Dave's CD that he brought back from summer break before sophomore year...
“The best in men's clothing. Call Paul's Boutique and ask for Janice, and the number is (718) 498-1043. That's Paul's Boutique, and they're in Brooklyn.”
Except they're not. This bogus business, the basis for the name of this album, was just a lark. Whose legendary album-cover street shot has inspired multitudes to track it down and hang, if just for a moment, where it happened.
I know, I know, but everybody's got their Graceland. And this spot is it for fans of the latter-day Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
And it's cool. Check this out on Google Maps.
So if you happen to be in Manhattan's Lower East Side, say visiting Katz's Delicatessen, or the club formerly known as CBGB, or maybe you're headed to Little Italy, or maybe, just maybe you were looking for 59 Chrystie Street, the name of a track off Paul's Boutique... and holy crap check this out...
Anyway, if you're down that way, say maybe you got drunk at Doc Holliday's and got way lost downtown after that, come on by the corner of Ludlow and Rivington. You won't see a Paul's Boutique sign, but you will see a cool mural:
And who knows? You might see an old-school hip-hop trio on the corner, grooving and riffing on a piece of cardboard like Jay and Silent Bob, but to "Johnny Ryall," and "Eggman," and "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun," among others.
No, not the Beasties, not after MCA left us way too early. I'm talking Random Idiots in our rap personae: Honky Dory, D. Pave, and DJ Robbie Robb. Get some.
Posts
19 comments:
i was going to post about this very landmark! great minds.
I went to Katz's when Zman came and drove me into NYC from the AT. That piece of pastrami they hand you to snack on while you wait was amazing.
I'm sure the Random Idiots hip hop persona would slay at Beastie Boys Square.
got the double boost yesterday. in theory, that makes me immortal. in practice, my tummy aches.
I didn't make it to Katz's during the whirlwind with-kids trip in May. Need to hit it eventually.
Wish I were more excited about the All-Star game. I guess there’s always gambling on it.
zsister lived at Broome and Forsyth. She’s the cooler zsibling.
did we know the album was "seminal" and "watershed" sophomore year? did we know the definitions of those words?
we did wear that disc out. there was nothing like it. "key lime pie" is another great one from that era.
I just scoured my news feed to see if anything amusing would be post-worthy. It was the absolute fucking worst in news feeds, all murder and death and fighting and lawsuits and COVID and monkeypox and Jan 6 and fucking Trump and politicians sucking and business leaders sucking and princess sentences and wildfires burning and car crashes and shootings and more shootings and heatwaves and horribleness.
I won't be doing that again any time soon. I trust you all will tell me what's new and important.
I'm going off now to listen to Key Lime Pie.
Which I can't do on Spotify!
I trust Whit still has the CD handy,or at least ripped. The lead guitar work on that album is brilliant.
Both. It’s killer.
holy shit . . . why can't you hear "key lime" or "our beloved revolutionary sweetheart" on spotify? wtf?
i somehow uploaded "three feet high and rising" to my spotify but it's only accessible to me, myself, and I.
not sure how I did it, but I guess I have to figure out how to do it again
David Lowery is a professor at the University of Georgia and he waxes indignant about the state of the music industry where compensation for artists is concerned, so I assume it has something to do with that.
ok, i did it for "our beloved revolutionary sweetheart." I think it's a public playlist. see if you can subscribe to it.
i am also indignant about the compensation (or lack thereof) we've received for our artistry.
grinch who stole xmas doing thirty to life . . .
Who was the manager for Random Idiots? Seems like they were worse than Allen Klein.
day two post-double boost and my shit is achy and dragggging. dislike.
Has it been rough since?
“Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart” is my favorite CVB album. So damn good.
Hey Z, car guy that you are, curious about your thoughts on Rivian pickup trucks and expanding inventory of EVs overall. Rivian appears to be crazy expensive, but specs and some performance videos will boost your heart rate. May be a separate post.
Post a Comment