White Castle Will Miss The Beastie Boys And So Will I

On May 4th, Beatie Boy Adam Yauch lost his battle with cancer at the tragically young age of 47.  We lost one of musics modern day innovators.  A game changer.  It took me a few days to put together this post because I was sad, but also because I wanted to pay homage to the band in a different and clever way.  After all, they were different and clever.  And I say, were because without Adam, I don't think there is a band anymore. 

 Adam Yauch

Photo: Mick Hutson/Redferns

To me, the Beastie Boys will go down as a funky, fearless band with surprisingly widespread mass appeal.  The boys started out in their early days in Brooklyn as a hard core band, but by the time they released "License to Ill" in 1986, they had developed their groovy, rappy, rhymin' sound for which they became known.  While the mainstream high school kids were identifying with the Beastie's single, "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)," I was a die hard new wave girl, but completely embraced "Slow and Low."  Even my little brother, who was just starting to develop his own taste in music, danced his twelve year old booty off to "Brass Monkey" in his preteen bedroom -- I dared not enter!  I can still picture him to this day every time I hear, "that funky monkey!"

I noticed a strange thing (and I'm not the only one) about many of the Beastie Boy's songs.  It occurred to me that they talk about the fast food chain, White Castle an awful lot.  I decided to try to count one time, but never really wrote anything down.  So, I recently did some research.  Let me know if I've missed anything...

HOLD IT NOW - HIT IT!

Dow with Mike D. and it ain't no hassle
Got the ladies of the eighties from here to White Castle

THE NEW STYLE

I chill at White Castle 'cause it's the best
But I'm fly at Fat Burger when I way out west

POSSE IN EFFECT

I got a girl in the Castle and one in the pagoda

You know I got rhymes like Abe Vigoda

SLOW AND LOW

We got determination - bass and highs

White Castle fries only come in one size

SLOW RIDE

Because being bad news is what we're all about
We went to White Castle and we got thrown out

BRASS MONKEY

Drink Brass Monkey and I rock well

I got a Castle in Brooklyn - that's where I dwell

GIRLS

And I can always make them smile

From White Castle to the Nile

 *I played "Girls" in my Spinning class at New York Sports Club -- it's a great song for a full out two minute sprint, FYI.  

The Boys went on to release several albums: Paul's Boutique, 1989 (which some consider to be their best work); Check Your Head, 1992; Ill Communication, 1994; Hello Nasty, 1998; To the 5 Boroughs, 2004 and The Mix-Up, 2007.  In 1994, the single, "Sabotage" was nominated for 4 MTV Video Music Awards and in 1999, the single, "Intergalactic" won for Best Hip-Hop Video.  I also played that when I taught Spinning!  The Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012.  Sadly, Adam, "MCA" was too sick to attend the ceremony, but he wrote a speech for band mates Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz to read when they accepted the award.

Though Adam is gone, the Beastie Boys' music will live on.  I'll leave you with this video because as I type this post, "Time For Livin" just started playing on my Pandora radio which I have set to shuffle.  Spooky :-)