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Beastie Boys Book cover art

Beastie Boys Book

Written by: Michael Diamond,Adam Horovitz
Narrated by: Michael Diamond,Adam Horovitz,various
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Publisher's Summary

Number One New York Times Best Seller 

A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself - by band members ADROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more. 

The inspiration for the Spike Jonze "live documentary" Beastie Boys Story, coming soon to IMAX theaters and Apple TV+

Named One of The Best Books of the Year by Rolling StoneThe GuardianPaste 

Formed as a New York City hardcore band in 1981, Beastie Boys struck an unlikely path to global hip hop superstardom. Here is their story, told for the first time in the words of the band. Adam "ADROCK" Horovitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond offer revealing and very funny accounts of their transition from teenage punks to budding rappers; their early collaboration with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin; the debut album that became the first hip hop record ever to hit number one, Licensed to Ill - and the album's messy fallout as the band broke with Def Jam; their move to Los Angeles and rebirth with the genre-defying masterpiece Paul's Boutique; their evolution as musicians and social activists over the course of the classic albums Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty and the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits conceived by the late Adam "MCA" Yauch; and more. For more than 30 years, this band has had an inescapable and indelible influence on popular culture. 

With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album, Beastie Boys Book upends the typical music memoir, featuring a collection of voices reminiscent of your favorite mixtape. 

Photo Credit © 1987 Lynn Goldsmith

Audiobook Cast Includes:

Steve Buscemi / Ada Calhoun / Bobby Cannavale / Exene Cervenka Roy Choi / Jarvis Cocker / Elvis Costello / Chuck D / Nadia Dajani Michael Diamond / Snoop Dogg / Will Ferrell / Crosby Fitzgerald Randy Gardner / Kim Gordon / Josh Hamilton / Adam Horovitz LL Cool J / Spike Jonze / Pat Kiernan / Talib Kweli / Dave Macklovitch Rachel Maddow / Tim Meadows / Bette Midler/ Mix Master Mike Nas / Yoshimi O / Rosie Perez / Amy Poehler / Kelly Reichardt John C. Reilly / Ian Rogers / Maya Rudolph / Rev Run Luc Sante / Kate Schellenbach / MC Serch / Chloe Sevigny Jon Stewart / Ben Stiller / Wanda Sykes / Jeff Tweedy / Philippe Zdar

Praise for Beastie Boys Book

"A fascinating, generous book with portraits and detail that float by in bursts of color.... As with [the band’s] records, the book's structure is a lyrical three-man weave.... Diamond's voice is lapidary, droll. Horovitz comes on like a borscht belt comedian, but beneath that he is urgent, incredulous, kind of vulnerable.... Friendship is the book's subject as much as music, fame and New York." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Wild, moving...resembles a Beastie Boys LP in its wild variety of styles." (Rolling Stone)

©2018 Michael Diamond (P)2018 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“A fascinating, generous book with portraits and detail that float by in bursts of color.... As with [the band’s] records, the book’s structure is a lyrical three-man weave.... Diamond’s voice is lapidary, droll. Horovitz comes on like a borscht belt comedian, but beneath that he is urgent, incredulous, kind of vulnerable.... Friendship is the book’s subject as much as music, fame and New York.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Wild, moving...resembles a Beastie Boys LP in its wild variety of styles.” (Rolling Stone

“As nutty, irreverent, and fun as you think it would be.” (Vogue

What listeners say about Beastie Boys Book

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phenomenal

one of the best audiobook experiences I've ever had. the narration by the two surviving band members was magical and the supplemental voices were extremely entertaining.

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2 people found this helpful

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You had to be there

If your looking for a time portal into making music this audio book nails it! However, if your young and never experienced this world pre-internet, it probably loses a lot of its’ jazz’. If you weren’t there the nostalgia doesn’t carry you over the flatlands of a band reminiscing over its creativity. However, shame on you if you think written words can actually do this! That all said, band is king and this book is so beastie

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Legends

The thing I love about the Beastie Boys is how much they we’re/are juste like most of us. Real people that were music fans first and foremost. A amazing book from a legendary band. RIP Adam.

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A heart-filling 12.6 hours

If you were there for even part of this trip (my time was from “Licensed to Ill” through “Ill Communication”) then this will fill your soul with joy. Finding out what was behind the story makes the fun even more fun, and knowing who else was along for the ride gives you a sense of love and community that’s only hinted at with the records. Long live Beastie Boys

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Great band bio

Love bios of bands I love. The many guest readers were really cool. Although, hearing about all of their inspirations was cool and intrigued me to look into some, the lists were a little long and tedious at times.

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from the ladies!! Get funky xo

this book brought me right back to when I was in the club and fight for your right came on! these guys just knew how to make songs to have a great time to. I loved the book and made me laugh along the way!

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Hell yeah

So good if you’re a fan! Wish there was more from them to tune into.

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amaizing stories, amaizing book!

loved this book so much, learned so much about my boys, the Beastie Boys!!!!

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Really Good!!!

Loved it
So many interesting insights and story’s
Love to the beastie boys
Really Good!!!

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I knew nothing of BB

I laughed out loud so many times, relating to the stories.. cried a bit too.. these guys seem like the friends I had growing up... and I miss them.
Thanks boys

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  • J. Combs
  • 2018-12-12

License to Listen - The Illest Communication

So...

I have been an Audible member since 2007. I have NEVER reviewed a recording before. I HAD to write a review for this.

I am not some major Beastie fan although they are certainly a favorite of mine, but then, I grew up with them. I'm 48 and African-American. I got into hip-hop around the time that they did. I was invested in the same styles, fads, allusions/references that they were. Heck, I even became a Vajrayana Buddhist around the time MCA did.

From a generational standpoint, they were essential; vital. They were the brothers or cousins you had that influenced you while occasionally, you were ahead of them. They grew as you grew and evolved as you did. Then, you have children and you only speak once in a while (by listening to a record here or there) but you KNOW that you wouldn't have been the same without them.

Being black in America is fraught with many things; one of the least talked about and in some ways, most damaging, is that you're never REALLY sure that you are LIKED. Y'know, whether that person 'just put up with you', that the micro-aggression masks the macro-agitation.

The Beastie Boys LOVED black culture; and that means that they LOVED black people. Not is some fetishized way, but were early progenitors of cross-cultural exchange.

You know what it means to know FOR CERTAIN that a powerful, influential group finds a style, a slang, A WAY OF BEING that comes from your diaspora, IMPORTANT?

The Beastie Boys were one of the most creative forces in the then nascent world of hip-hop. They were and are simply GREAT. This book, full of stories read by great folks like Chuck D, Rachel Maddow, Ben Stiller etc., is a testimony to their far-reaching and important hip-hop/ musical/cultural ambassadorship.

I miss MCA. Probably monthly. More than other acts that I possibly love as much (Bowie, Prince). Sometimes, you just know you'd have gotten along with somebody...

This recording is simply wonderful. Laugh out loud funny, pensive, whimsical, wise - I could go on. If you've read this far, you know that I'm saying that you should pick this up. If you're Generation X, it is a must-buy. If you want a slice of life from the 80s on, it is insightful.

One of the best recordings I have ever heard. (I mentioned that I am an O.G. Audible listener, right?!)

Thanks to the authors, the vocals from the wide array of talent and for Audible for giving us such a gift in a time when thoughts of gratitude, cultural appreciation, honesty and growth are in such short supply.

Rest in Peace my Dharma brother MCA. And thanks, FOR ALL OF IT, Mike D and Adam.

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  • JG
  • 2018-11-05

A Love Letter to Adam Yauch

This book is a must for any fan. It reads like a love letter to Adam Yauch, which I love.. but it's also filled with great stories and process. The readings gave me chills multiple times. By the end, everyone will wish they were cool enough to have noticed the gift that was their last album. They did something only they could do, just as they did with this audiobook.

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  • Chuck
  • 2018-11-08

One of the best audiobooks I've ever listened too

I could be described as a casual fan, not a huge fan of the Beastie Boys. This was a fantastic audiobook. The cast of readers from the surviving members and former band mates was great, , and frankly the story of their lives in general to this very day was interesting.

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  • Christine Bolt
  • 2018-11-15

I cried

It’s true. I cried multiple times listening to this book. Both happy and sad tears. This book is utterly amazing. If you call yourself a B Boys fan and don’t listen to this book???
B Boys fan pass revoked!

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2018-12-15

I don’t get it....

Clearly in the minority here but I don’t get all the rave reviews. Meandering and pointless at times. Some stories interesting/entertaining, but not enough. Narration a total miss - too many cameos and clearly not well thought out as most were mismatches for the stories they were reading. I am fan of the music, the time, etc., but I’m giving up at chapter 64 - I’ve hung in hoping it would make ale off, but it’s not happening. Can’t handle another “list” read out.....

Great band - terrible audiobook.

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  • Sabra
  • 2018-12-13

This books makes me so happy and a little sad...

This book is amazing. I love the book's format with not only the authors reading their thoughts and experiences, but also narrators who impacted them or were impacted by them. I had no idea the connections between the Beastie Boys and other artists, which answered so many questions I had regarding my personal music preferences. It's incredible to learn about the huge range of artists who impacted their work and/or were used in their songs.

The book is incredibly funny. As a fan, I think I subconsciously knew they were really funny, but this book proves it. Learning about the impact Beatie Boys had in the early computer/internet days and how their music was used to influence what today we take for granted (e.g., music and information about that music at our fingertips) was so interesting.

Tip: After beginning this book I quickly started keeping Spotify open while listening to the book so I could flip back and forth to hear the music mentioned in the book. It's not just their music but other artists. A fun musical journey...

RIP MCA

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  • VWS
  • 2018-10-30

Aw Yeah...

Just like the McDLT, Beasties keeping the hot side hot, and the cool side cool."

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  • Emily
  • 2020-04-03

I think I would prefer the physical copy

The content of the book was different than what I expected but still great. My criticism is only related to the audio version. I wish this book had come with an accompanying PDF so I could reference the images that were provided in the physical copy. While I think the concept of having various celebrities read certain chapters, I found it distracting when they read chapters that they did not write. Somewhere in the last third or so of the book, the chapters titles became misaligned with the audio. I don’t know if that was an error with only my copy, but it was pretty confusing to be listening to a chapter that was listed as a different chapter’s title.

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  • Danny Savage
  • 2018-10-30

amazing!

a delight in every way imaginable. so much to take in, for fans of everything punk, hip hop, NYC and everything in between.

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  • Jeb Brody
  • 2018-10-31

Oh My God, That's the Funky Sh*t

If you can feel what I'm feeling then it's a musical masterpiece/ If you can hear what I'm dealing with then that's cool at least/ What's running through my mind comes through in my walk/ True feelings are shown from the way that I talk

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  • Pascal Forneri
  • 2019-04-09

Sublime et essentiel

Le meilleur audio book musical imaginable. Très chaudement recommandé. Raconte or plusieurs voix. Aussi inventif que l’est le groupe.

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