More of This The People They Want More of This

Last July, after a drawn-out legal kerfuffle, the New York City Council approved the "co-naming" of the intersection of Rivington and Ludlow Streets in Manhattan's Lower East Side as Beastie Boys Square. Paul Revere told us back then.

This week, the Beasties started dropping cryptic social posts, culminating with this morning's release of a poster:

According to Brooklyn Vegan, "The new name will be unveiled at a dedication this Saturday (9/9), from 12 PM-2 PM, with Mike D and Ad-Rock both in attendance. Jon Bless will do a DJ set, and there will be pop-up activations, live screen printing, and more."

I can't make the trip to the Big Apple this weekend, but some of you might be more flexibly situated. If Novak Djokovic can Fight for Your Right, the least y'all can do is Ch-Check It Out.

The People They Want More of This

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...

Damn, this town loves the unstoppable three, the B-E-A-S-T-I-E.

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.

Thank Gheorghe It's Filler

 It's Friday filler time, and we're mashing things up here at GTB.  Here's a new one...

 

Here's one I hadn't seen...

 

And my all-time favorite, still making me happy.   

 

-------------------------------------------------

AND THEN THERE'S THIS

   

Christmas Came Early for Mark

Sotheby's is hosting a hiphop auction.  This is possibly the least hiphop thing ever but there's so much cool stuff I won't hate.  For example, they have Slick Rick's eye patch:

They have Prince Paul's drum machine:

They have Fab 5 Freddy's MTV ring:

They even have Biggie's crown:

I can afford none of that.  There are a handful of things I could theoretically afford and that are dope to quite dope, like this Beastie Boys concert poster:

Or these flyers:

Or this De La Soul album cover study which is already out of reach:

Or this Tommy Boy neon sign which is also now out of reach:

Perhaps the coolest item for sale is this 125th street subway sign:

I encourage you to take a spin through the lots, there's plenty of fun stuff to see.

Music Documentary Project: Early June Update

I've taken my foot off the gas a bit lately, similar to how G:TB was a well-oiled, postcounting machine in the early days of pandemic quarantining and has recently let up. If you can go outside and live, do so.

I also watched some non-music-documentary television.  It can get a tad monotonous to go from music doc to music doc, even if you alternate genres, styles, and approaches as I have tried to do. And so, I pivoted to:

The Last Dance - (Yes, another documentary. So what, I like 'em!) I watched every moment of the MJ saga.  Compelling as all get-out. He is who we thought he was, but moreso. More amazing, more complete as a player. more of a jackass as a teammate or competitor. To me, the most gripping moments were (a) those that demonstrated that he, as any sane person would, hates the 100%-all-the-time fan-clamor and hides out in a hotel room or his house; and (b) the moment he was presented with the suggestion that in order to be the best player/champion he had had to sacrifice being a "good guy," and that thought brought tears, a hasty explanation, and his demanding a break in the recording. It's better when Superman's a human after all.

Letterkenny - I binge-watched several seasons of this preposterous Canadian show (available on on Hulu,annoyingly). Hilarious and addictive, if ultimately a bit redundant. The scene where the guys are playing catch and Squirrelly Dan uncomfortably introduces the subject of his lady friend and her interest in the "butts-stuff" had me laughing heartily. A hard yes.

Seaver - I stumbled upon a one-hour Tom Seaver documentary on the MLB network. I'm an obvious sucker for the content, but there was plenty new to me, especially the unfortunate epilogue of Alzheimer's and his retreat from public life last year. Tom Terrific was the best Met there was, despite the franchise booting it majorly several times over.

Anyway, I have also made time for more music absorption.  Back to the quest...

ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads (2019) -- This was a tidy, little Netflix piece on the pioneer bluesman Robert Johnson and the generations of intrigue that have surrounded his eerily quick rise from kid with a guitar he couldn't much play to blues god. The story is well-presented and frankly sells itself -- selling one's soul to the Devil for talent.  And then there's his death at age 27. And the fact that (until last month) there were only two photographs ever taken of the man. When I lived across the way from Dave in the fraternity house, he bought a box set of Robert Johnson. I didn't know who the dude was. Turns out many a blues riff and/or style of playing -- which begat many a rock and roll riff and style of playing -- is attributed to one man. At 48 minutes, check it out.

Hip-Hop Evolution (Season 1) -- This is my shit. Z and I have served and rallied here before with old school and older school, but Season 1 of HHE is the jack from way back. Loved it. Planning to continue to dig in on the series and learn lots more along the way.

History of the Eagles (2013) -- Far, far away on the music spectrum from Kurtis Blow and DJ Run, you have Don Henley and Glenn Frey. I like the Eagles nearly as much as the next guy, and there's much to learn and enjoy here. It ultimately devolves into a soap opera, mostly between Frey and Don Felder. And here I thought Don Henley was the douche. But there are cool tidbits like footage of Henley and Frey as up-and-comers in the backing band for Linda Ronstadt, and anything Joe Walsh does is fairly fascinating. Enjoyed it.

The Beastie Boys Story (2020) -- I knew this would be great. I read several unflattering reviews (Pitchfork, AV Club) that called it "no fun." I still knew it would be great. I hadn't heard any of my friends raving about it. I still knew it'd be great.  And... it's great. I feel like I'm the perfect age to be a Beastie Boys fan. When LTI hit, I was a high-school juvenile delinquent Class Clown. As we've written here ad nauseum, when Paul's Boutique launched to crickets, were were jumping around the room heralding what must be a worldwide hit -- college is the perfect time to be exposed to experimentally dope new shit. CYH was a tiny bit more grown up, and we were nearly graduating (well, rob and Dave were). The "Sabotage" video broke and we were early 20's goofballs with jobs. By the time the three bad brothers were starting getting real respect (especially for albums gone by), we were older and commanding more respect than we had a right to. Still clowns, like the B-Boys, of course.  This doc has it all, despite shlocky reviewer's cranky demands for surprises and mayhem. MCA is missed majorly and given a highly fitting tribute.  It's great. Check it out.

The Van Halen Story: The Early Years (2003) -- This low-budget, straight to video obscurity piece was just entertaining enough. Spoiler alert: they paid for the rights to zero VH songs, so you won't hear any. Made me go straight to Spotify after and call up my faves. Also, they only rehash interviews with the band, nothing new -- but lots I hadn't seen. They do get lots of stories from roadies, security, and friends from coming up.  Which is at times better than the sanitized version of wild tales you get from aged rockers. (Eagles, for example.)  "Ed" and "Al" haaaaate "Roth." That's for damn sure. Almost as much as they hate "Dancing in the Street." This one entertained mildly for what it was.

We Jam Econo: The Story Of The Minutemen (2005) -- I loved this one. A long while back, a friend introduced me to The Minutemen. My first reaction was a recoil. Over decades, as I have dug in squarely on punk rock, I have come to love this kind of avant-garde punk. The Minutemen were not hardcore, they were honestly a step-and-a-half from Random Idiots, they were punk with a conscience, and they were beautiful. The documentary, exactly like the band, is pretty lo-fi. And it's solid. The lament of losing D. Boon so many years ago hits home, almost against all likelihood. This ain't no picnic, indeed.

loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies (2006) -- I was late to the game on the Pixies. My first wife was a fan during their 1987-1991 existence, and I learned to love their stuff through her influence soon thereafter. Too late, of course.  But they then regrouped in 2004, and we saw them at Constitution Hall in DC. Hell yes. This is a weird doc -- it isn't a retrospective, it's a behind-the-scenes look at the 2004/5 tour I mentioned. They'd reunited after 13 years, and interactions are awkward and yet uncontroversial, and there are excellent clips of songs from these shows but otherwise just some backstage banter that does not enthrall. Plus Black Francis with his shirt off.

It was very interesting to watch the Pixies one after The Minutemen. D. Boon and Mike Watt met with they were 13, and they were best friends until the end. They'd fight some, but like brothers. Loved one another. The four people in the Pixies met via a classified ad. They weren't friends and still aren't. They don't hate each other, but they were a great band the same way a successful small business often operates -- it was a job. They regrouped for money, clearly. It's almost deflating to fans, but hell, it's always about the music more than anything, and the music was and is exceptional to many of us.


I'll keep watching and conveying the highlights.  18 down thus far.  Suggestions and feedback welcomed.

Music Documentary Project: The Origin Story

I've already had productive and fun conversations with you cats about my quest to watch way too many music documentaries this quarantine.  I'll keep you posted, and please keep the suggestions coming.

I somehow forgot to mention in the previous post why I got to compiling the list of the best-ever rockumentaries and set about watching them.

It's this. Arriving at AppleTV+ next Friday:

It's an interesting format that could potentially bleed into the contrived and talky, but hey, it's two of the three MC's and they're on the go.  (Abednego is missed very badly.) And it appears to be tons of old footage and stories.

This has to be worth my time and then some. 

And speaking of upcoming documentaries, one that needs no additional hyping from the likes of me starts tonight. Curious what the level of interest and commitment to watching among the gheorghies is.

Happy watching.

Posting the Hits

Have we posted this before? I don't know, nor do I care to research whether we have or not. It's extremely #onbrand, and quite enjoyable.

 

15(ish) Minutes of Game

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the release of the Beastie Boys' Ill Communication album. For my money, and that of many critics, the video for Sabotage from that record is the greatest video ever released.



If you've got 14 minutes and 30 seconds or so, watch this documentary about the years that led up to the record, which features an interview with the surviving Beasties. Really cool stuff about Yauch's awakening as a person and about how much fun the group had together. They set it straight, this Watergate.

Lego Beast

People who use their idle time to hone a very, very silly skill and bring a goofy smile or two to the world . . . they are among my favorites.

For Dave

For Marls

For anyone who read this post (and rob)

For Nathanial Hörnblowér

zman Bouillabaise

This is the first in what will likely be a series of one post about a few random things in bite-sized format. I've been meaning to write these up as individual posts but haven't been able to because:

1. I fucked up my writing hand, that's my check.

I wrote about my wrist injury previously and TR suggested I post some post-surgery photos. Here's the final layer of bandages covering my bloody gash. TR's reaction: "Ew, hairy arms."

And here's the gash itself without stitches. The puckering is especially choice. So I have a puckered gash.

Finally, here's the screw that went into my gash.

The Ghostface reference to my fucked up writing hand brings me to:

2. Ghostface doesn't pay his legal bills.

It's been a while since I updated you on Ghostface's copyright issues. It doesn't seem like much happened substantively, probably because Ghostdini doesn't pay his legal bills. His lawyer (he of the AOL email address) moved to withdraw from representing Pretty Tone because The Kid hasn't paid for any of the work done to date. The judge complied so the Wallabee Champ doesn't have representation at the moment, at least not that I know of. 10-4 good buddy Tone got his RFP's up!

Speaking of rap-related legal disputes ...

3. Judge Englemayer plays his trill card, dismisses Z-Trip from Beastie Boys v. Monster Energy.

Judge Englemayer must've read a bunch of old GTB comments because he quoted me ... quoting the Beastie Boys. And he did so while granting Z-Trip's motion for summary judgment in the complaint brought against him by Monster Energy. His Honor concluded that "[i]n musical terms, Z-Trip can now, therefore, rest at least 'as cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce,' because Monster's Third-Part Complaint against him has 'got the rhyme and reason but no cause.' Beastie Boys, So Watcha Want (Capitol Records 1992)."



On the subject of trill and law enforcement ...

4. True Detective ended like that?

All that metaphysical psychedelic mumbo-jumbo ended like that? For real dough?!? That's not at all what I expected.

But you know what I did expect ...

5. Tribe hoops breaks your heart again.

You shouldn't let it. Yes, I have a somewhat irrational disdain for all things W&M, but there's something cool about never making the NCAA tournament. First and foremost W&M is an academic school whose athletes are students first and foremost. No one in the history of sports has attended W&M in order to boost their likelihood of becoming a pro athlete. W&M's inability to win a conference championship highlights its academic focus. And as soon as they make the tournament once they're in the same company as Houston Baptist and Prairie View. If Charlie Brown ever kicked the football he'd just be a baldheaded kid who never changes his shirt. Marls jokes aside, no one wants to be that guy?

And while we're talking Tribe,

6. I finally saw the Tribe Called Quest documentary.

It's fantastic, a must-see if you love Tribe, Native Tongues, 90's NY hiphop,or if you ever suffered through the experience of living with me. If none of the foregoing apply to you, the first half of the movie will establish why I've been continuously pumping their music for over 20 years.

Goldieblox's Argument is Juuuuuust Right

I'm sure you've heard that Goldieblox filed a declaratory judgment suit against the Beastie Boys because the Beasties sent them a letter in which they assert that this video infringes their copyright on their song "Girls":



You've also probably read various ill-informed articles about this case. Without calling any particular authors to task I'd like to make a few points as a neutral observer.

First, many people have said things like "It's bullshit that Goldieblox sued the Beasties when it's Goldieblox that's doing the copying." In fact, the Beastie Boys had the same gripe in their open letter to Goldieblox.

Declaratory judgment actions are perfectly legitimate and they happen in the IP space all the time. Like when Robin Thicke filed a declaratory judgment against Marvin Gaye's estate. People do this because they have been threatened with a lawsuit and they don't want to be sued in an unfavorable jurisdiction. If you want to learn more about the standard, read this.

Second, many people think that the Beastie Boys should win because they don't license their music for use in advertisements based on a request in MCA's will. While I respect that position, MCA's will doesn't override our copyright laws.

About 20 years ago, Roy Orbison sued Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew alleging that Campbell's song "Pretty Woman" infringed Orbison's copyright to his song "Oh, Pretty Woman". Here's the 2 Live Crew song:



And the Orbison song:



You can clearly hear strands of Orbison's music in Campbell's song, and Campbell definitely built his lyrics around Orbison's.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court and Campbell won. The Supreme Court said this was a parody of Orbison's song and thus constituted "fair use" under 17 USC 107, even though Campbell's lyrics were offensive.

The Beastie Boys' case is almost perfectly analogous. In fact, unlike Campbell's parody, Goldieblox took the Beastie's misogynistic song and turned it into something feminist. This looks like fair use to me under the Orbison/Campbell case.

Finally, if anyone should be pissed off about all of this it's Bo Diddley. But if he went after the Beasties I'm sure they would claim fair use ... otherwise they'd be in a world of financial hurt for their uncleared samples on Licensed to Ill alone.

The easiest way for this situation to resolve itself is for the court to find a lack of standing in the declaratory judgment suit (which may be easy to do depending on the content of the Beastie Boys' first letter to Goldieblox). Then Goldieblox should pull the video and make a donation in MCA's name to a charity that helps girls. The amount should be a value both sides agree to, probably based on some form of statutory damages.

You can call me Solomon from now on.

Judge Nathan is Dope, Probably Reads G:TB

Judge Alison Nathan has a lot in common with Judge Paul Engelmayer, who our loyal readers will remember from our "Dope Little Lawsuit" post. According to her Wikipedia page, Judge Nathan clerked for the Supreme Court and practiced law at the same fancy firm as Judge Engelmayer. President Obama nominated both to S.D.N.Y. where they both sit on the bench. Unlike Judge Engelmayer, Judge Nathan was born in 1972. She was nominated to the bench in 2011 when she was 39 years old. I suspect that she was the youngest Article III judge in the country at that point and even if she wasn't, her biography show that she is a remarkably high achiever.

Perhaps because of her young age, Judge Nathan appears to be a fan of (or to at least have a nominal amount of familiarity with) the Beastie Boys, unlike Judge Engelmayer. I say this because she recently issued an opinion in the case of TufAmerica Inc. v. Diamond, and it's an entertaining read. Here's how she introduces the Beasties:

Then she got dope and dropped this footnote:

You don't see Urban Dictionary getting much judicial notice these days outside of S.D.N.Y. where the judges keep it real. Then she drops further science:

The case itself involves music "sampling," which the Oxford Dictionary defines as "the technique of digitally encoding music or sound and reusing it as part of a composition or recording."

Judge Nathan then drops a footnote citing further support explaining what a sample is for the benefit of readers trapped in a cultural black hole:

Judicial opinions are by and large drier than sawdust and about as much fun to ponder. Winking acknowledgements from a judge showing that she's down makes my job at G:TB so much better.

The dispute at issue in the case stems from sampling performed by the Beasties of various Trouble Funk songs. Here's a handy chart:

And here are links to the songs at issue:

Say What
Drop the Bomb
Let's Get Small
Good to Go

Shadrach
Car Thief
Hold It Now Hit It
The New Style
B-Boy Bouillabaisse/A.W.O.L. - EMI blocked it on YouTube for copyright infringement but if you don't have Paul's Boutique in your iPod already, stop reading, go get a clue, then go get the album. I'll wait for you to catch up.

The Beastie Boys moved to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. In explaining her reasoning as to which test of infringement to apply, Judge Nathan noted that one test examines "the 'parroting [of] properties that are apparent only when numerous aesthetic decisions embodied in the the plaintiff's work of art ... are considered in relation to one another'" and in contrast, "[u]nlike this latter type of copying, in cases of fragmented literal similarity, there are no blurred lines between what was or was not taken." Get it? There are blurred lines when you parrot another artist's aesthetic decisions? Because despite what Robin Thicke says, Blurred Lines (SFW version) parrots another artist's aesthetic decisions? Judge Nathan clearly reads GTB.

Challah at me if you want a copy of the opinion because after she slogs through various procedural issues it's a fun read. The Beasties won on four of the six claims, but the Say What and Let's Get Small claims survive. Probably because Judge Nathan is eager to issue another opinion where she gets to write "and we love the hot butter, 'say what,' the popcorn" and "Now I want y'all to break this down."

Just when I thought the opinion was winding down, Judge Nathan turned to a new issue ... claim accrual!!! And her decision to apply the injury rule turned on ... wait for it ... Urbont v. Sony Music Entm't!!! Judge Nathan totally reads this blog. And as a result, the Beasties are only on the hook for infringement that occurred after May 12, 2009, to the extent that they are on the hook at all. And if they wind up on the hook I'm sure they'll Harry Houdini out the cuffs and kick the screw in the knee. Just a hunch.

Dope Little Lawsuit

You can always spot hardcore fans of the Beastie Boys because they know all rarities and oddball joints like "Dope Little Song" which was released on "Ill Communication" but only in Japan, and as the B-side to the Sabotage/Get It Together single.



I would bet everything I own that The Hon. Paul A. Engelmayer is not familiar with "Dope Little Song." Judge Engelmayer is a District Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. According to his Wikipedia page, he graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. He then clerked for the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and followed that up with a SCOTUS clerkship for Justice Thurgood Marshall. He went on to be an AUSA and an assistant to the Solicitor General. Eventually he headed up the New York office of a fancy law firm, and was nominated to SDNY by President Obama in 2011. The Senate approved his nomination 98-0.

In legal circles, this is about as prestigious as a resume can get. The closest comparable is Chief Justice John Roberts who slightly trumps Judge Engelmayer because he was Principal Deputy Solicitor General at one point and his first bench assignment was an appellate court. But don't be surprised if someday you see Judge Engelmayer's name on short lists for higher posts. Hopefully these posts will not involve slang literacy.

I say this because Judge Engelmayer is assigned to the case of Beastie Boys v. Monster Energy Corp. The complaint is interesting for a few reasons, the most charming of which is the discovery that the Beastie Boys operate as a New York Partnership:

I use the word charming because a partnership in New York does not require any special filings with the state or even a contract between the partners. A partnership is simply two or more persons carrying on as co-owners of a business for profit. The partners owe each other a duty of loyalty. Of course there are ways to formalize a partnership or to limit liability, but these three bad brothers you know so well didn't do that. Trust me, I looked. Instead, they've been carrying on together as partners for over 30 years essentially without a net, just trusting each other and being loyal. We should all be so lucky.

But I digress. The Beasties sued Monster Beverage for copyright infringement because Monster used various Beasties songs to make a promotional video for their "Ruckus in the Rockies 2012" event. Monster then sued (natch) a DJ named Zack Sciacca, stage-named Z-Trip. Apparently, Monster used remixes available on Z-Trip's website to make the promotional video with Z-Trip's permission:

U-Tube!! Ha! Also "ha!" worthy: Monster asserts the defense that "Hey, we thought it was ok to bust the Beasties' loops, Z-Trip said it was dope."

Honestly. That's what they told Judge Engelmayer. More specifically, they told Judge Englemayer that "Mr. Sciacca said 'you can use the music on my website.' That was a separate contract, [then Monster asked] do you approve? And he wrote back, 'it's dope.'"

At which point the learned judge said "It's dope?"

Z-Trip's lawyer explained “It’s dope means it’s good. He says, ‘well they showed me this video and yeah, it looks good. They say ‘oh, that gives us permission to use all this music.' But there’s no contract between my client and the Beastie Boys.”

To which Judge Engelmayer replied, “I take it on a summary judgment motion that I have to treat ‘dope’ in the light most favorable to your client." I'm not sure if His Honor realized how funny that quip is. You probably don't either, particularly if you didn't take civil procedure. But trust me when I say it's a hoot.

Anyway, it goes without saying that it's really hard to win a case when the judge doesn't understand what you're saying. As the Beastie Boys would likely tell Monster's attorneys, don't play no game that you can't win.

The 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

I was perusing my cable listings the other day and saw a replay of the ceremony, which happened on April 14th, 2012.  It was a strong showing of inductees: The Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns n' Roses, The Faces, Freddie King and Donovan were among the inductees.  Watching it after the passing of Adam Yauch added a somber tone to the affair, especially when we got to see Steven Adler and Duff McKagan (two guys who have no business being alive) speak and perform.  I'm sure HBO will re-air the event, and I encourage you to watch it for some pretty cool moments. 

There were highlights, lowlights and yawn moments throughout the show, which made it a fantastic DVR event.  The format works like this: a famous musician introduces the artist (taking far too much time doing so), the artist gives his acceptance speech (taking far too much time doing so), and then the artist or somebody else plays a mini-set of their classic tunes.

Highlight #1: Freddie King induction.  ZZ Top introduced him posthumously and then they played I'm Going Down, along with Joe Bonamassa (who I should probably know more about) and Derek Trucks (who I thankfully know a lot about).  The crispest musical performance of the night. 



Highlight #2: The Beastie Boys induction. Since this happened a couple weeks before Yauch passed, it was likely that the other band members were aware of just how sick he was. They kept it pretty even-keeled, not being too somber or too giddy, and read a written statement from Yauch. The live performance featured Kid Rock, Black Thought and Travie (Don't worry. I didn't know those last two either). There isn't anything good on YouTube to show this, but it was pretty cool (poor quality clip is below). What was especially great about this performance is that the entire crowd seemed to be into it. And LL Cool J (one of the two inductors, along with Chuck D) gave one of the more heartfelt speeches of the night, thanking the Beastie Boys for playing his demo to Rick Rubin, which gave him his big break.



Highlight #3: Remembering how much RHCP drummer Chad Smith looks like Will Ferrell. 

Highlight #4: Seeing Jani Lane from Warrant make the list of deceased rock legends.  Sorry if that's inappropriate, but it made me spit up my scotch, partially because he looks like a long-lost Baldwin brother. 

Highlight #5: Watching a sloppy version of Paradise City performed by three former band members, an unknown rhythm guy, a lead vocalist I didn't know and Matt Sorum with a tambourine and being reminded that Appetite for Destruction will probably be the greatest rock album ever released in my lifetime. I wanted to echo the "No Roger, No Rerun, no rent" rant from What's Happening at the start, thinking "No Axl, No Izzy, no GnR", but was sucked back into that song that I've hear a thousand times already.



Lowlight #1: Green Day's introductory performance to kick off the show.  They played a tune that was not nearly catchy or rocking enough for an introduction to a show like this.  Despite some forced histrionics by the band and a guitar heaved up in the air at the end of the song, it fell flat. 

Lowlight #2: GnR's introductory speech. While Axl's absence was to be expected, I was bummed that Izzy Stradlin was also AWOL.  Nobody in the band acknowledged either member.  And they let Matt Sorum speak after Steven Adler.  Pretty awkward to have both the drummer that replaced the drummer who got booted for heroin and the drummer who got booted for heroin have a turn.  And let's be honest - nobody wants his war stories from the road when they toured after the Use Your Illusion albums. 

Lowlight #3: Anthony Kieidis taking his shirt off for the RHCP set.  I'm the first to admit that I'm not in as good shape as him now, and won't be in as good shape when I'm 50, but it just looked weird and gross, like he was some sort of 1940's strongman. 



Lowlight #4: Ronnie Wood's face in HD.  Enough said on that.

RIP MCA

Adam Yauch, known better as MCA of the Beastie Boys, has passed on.  He rocked his rhymes all the way to Hell's gate, but he's now up in Heaven.  (Where they chill White Castle, 'cause it's the best, and drink Brass Monkey, and they rock well.)

I'm mad at my desk and I'm writing all curse words, but you know . . . life comes in phases, take the good with the bad. 

So put your worries on hold, get up and groove with the rhythm in your soul.

Throw on some B-Boys tonight, drink some OE, and celebrate Sir Stewart Wallace, Nathan Wind, and Natty Hornblower.

Yauch!

NFL Week 7 Recap, With A Twist

One of the greatest albums of all time, in this humble scribe's opinion. And yesterday's NFL scores. Enjoy.

NY Jets 27, San Diego 21
"Time to Get Ill"
"Went outside my house - I went down to the deli, I spent my last dime to refill my fat belly..."
It's an easy joke, but seriously Rex, have you thought about wearing lesser fitting shirts?

Kansas City 28, Oakland 0
"No Sleep till Brooklyn"
"Our manager's crazy - he always smokes dust, He's got his own room at the back of the bus.."
Hue Jackson, coach of the Raiders, called the trade for Carson "Pick Six: Palmer" a "great trade". Sure, bro.

Chicago 24, Tampa Bay 18
"Rhymin & Stealin"
"We got maidens and wenches - man they're on the ace, Captain Bly is gonna die when we break his face..."
The Bucs were awful yesterday. This one really makes no sense, except I want to work with the pirate theme. Sue me.

Carolina 33, Washington 20
"The New Style"
"Got rhymes that are rough and rhymes that are slick, I'm not surprised you're on my dick..."
Auburn fans, Panthers fans, and anyone that saw Mr. Newton make fools of Redskins' defenders Sunday afternoon.

Denver 18, Miami 15 (OT)
"Posse In Effect"
"I'm schoolin' in the boys' room - coolin' by the locker All the girls in class know that I'm the cool rocker..."
"Rocker" in this instance means coolest God Squad guy around, riiiight?

Green Bay 33, Minnesota 27
"Girls"
Well I'm cruising, I'm bruising - I'm never ever losing, I'm in my car - I'm going far and dust is what I'm using..."
Aaron Rodgers, video game quarterback. Maybe someone on the Vikings just realized Greg Jennings was open.

Dallas 34, St. Louis 7
"Slow and Low"
"It's never old school - all brand new, So everybody catch - the bugaloo flu..."
I am now nicknaming Cowboys rookie running back DeMarco Murray the "Bugaloo Flu".
New Orleans 62, Indianapolis 7
"Paul Revere"
"I did it like this, I did it like that, I did it with a whiffleball bat..."
Scoreboard.

Atlanta 23, Detroit 16
"Fight for Your Right"
"Man living at home is such a drag, now your mom threw away your best porno mag (Busted)..."
This is actually what Lions' defensive lineman were saying to Matt Ryan yesterday when he injured his ankle. It's also the quote several dumbass lacrosse kids submitted to the yearbook my senior year for a poor schlep who had no clue until the yearbooks were handed out.

Cleveland 6, Seattle 3
"Slow Ride"
All the fly ladies are making a fuss, But I can't pay attention - 'cause I'm on that dust..."
This lyric can apparently apply to every offensive player on the browns and Seahawks. What the F were you people doing for 60 minutes yesterday?

Houston 41, Tennessee 7
"She's Crafty"
We got into the cab - the cab driver said, He recognized my girlie from the back of her head..."
I'll let you decide if the cab drive is the Texans or the Titans. You're smart folks, I think you'll get it.

Pittsburgh 32, Arizona 20
"Hold It, Now Hit It"
"I'm down with Mike D. and it ain't no baloney, for real, not phony - "O.E." and Rice-a-Roni..."
Harro, Hines Ward.

I've been gone too long

Summer Dave and Mr. Zmom have dominated this space of late, but thought I should jump in here with this doozy. It's as Gheorghe as it gets:

Sesame Street breaks it down from Wonderful Creative on Vimeo.

Kudos to Shlara, who I believe sent me this yesterday. It can also be found here.

Egg, Sperm, Man

Sam I am
Down with the program
Green eggs and ham
Yosemite Sam

Sentence, essay
Lecture in the schoolday
C'mon man, name's not Jose
41's old, Happy Birthday