Sad to hear Adam [MCA] Yauch passing at young age [47]. I REALLY liked the Beastie Boys & their punk-rap fusion, an unholy marriage that worked & now seems very normal but back then... Insouciance with a snicker, sneer, a wink of the eye & a brilliant mash of sound-noise.
Untimely musical deaths make me suspect that maybe the touring routine in badly ventilated dilapidated clubs, a romantic rite of passage for grittier musicians may be part of the cause. In the late-70s thru 80s into 90s, there were clubs globally that were nothing more than ill-ventilated firetraps with sounds systems & overpriced drinks. Maybe the combo of asbestos, other suspect particulants, cigarette smoke, stress, bad eating habits, whatever else has led to a long line of recent too-young deaths.
Photo: Beasties + WTM, 1984 Studio 10, NYC Yippie club
