
Beastie Boys Book
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Narrated by:
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Michael Diamond
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Adam Horovitz
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various
About this listen
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 Stone • The Guardian • Paste
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 AudioListen in as Ad-Rock and Mike D talk to Audible editors Courtney Reimer and Kat Johnson about how so many great celebrity voices help make the Beastie Boys Book audio pretty fantastic.
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License to Listen - The Illest Communication
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Spend time with the big brothers you wish you had
I have such a deep history with the Beastie Boys that they almost feel like my long, lost—but so much cooler than me—brothers. When I first heard about Beastie Boys Book, it sort of tickled the back of my memory as something I’d moved on from and might be ok to miss, but when I saw the list of boldface names that would be narrating (Amy Poehler, Bobby Cannavale, Rosie Perez, and Colson Whitehead, along with 40 other famous folk), I couldn’t get my earbuds in fast enough. Oh. My. God. What a trip down memory lane-meets-fly-on-the-wall-education. I cried when Adam Horowitz (Ad-Rock) eulogized his late bandmate Adam Yauch (MCA); I was green with envy when Luc Sante talked about what it was like in lower Manhattan when the band was on the come up. Of course this will be a must-listen—and must-discuss—for Beasties fans, but for anyone hungering for an entrée into pre-9/11 New York, it’s an unexpected, and unequivocal, treat.
Critic reviews
“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)
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From such cult hits as Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski to major critical darlings Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and Inside Llewyn Davis, Ethan and Joel Coen have cultivated a bleakly comical, instantly recognizable voice in modern American cinema. Film critic Adam Nayman carefully sifts through their complex cinematic universe in an effort to plot, as he puts it, "some Grand Unified Theory of Coen-ness." The book combines critical text with a visual aesthetic that honors the Coens' singular mix of darkness and levity.
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Brilliant companion!
- By Buretto on 12-05-18
By: Adam Nayman
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Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
- A Sortabiography
- By: Eric Idle
- Narrated by: Eric Idle
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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We know him best for his unforgettable roles on Monty Python - from the Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life. Now, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this entertaining memoir that takes us on an unforgettable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theater, and film.
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I'm Famous...and You're Not...
- By Constant Reader on 10-15-18
By: Eric Idle
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All About Me!
- My Remarkable Life in Show Business
- By: Mel Brooks
- Narrated by: Mel Brooks
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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At 95, the legendary Mel Brooks continues to set the standard for comedy across television, film, and the stage. Now, for the first time, this EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner shares his story in his own words.
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Wonderful and nostalgic
- By GAT on 12-07-21
By: Mel Brooks
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World Within a Song
- Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music
- By: Jeff Tweedy
- Narrated by: Jeff Tweedy
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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What makes us fall in love with a song? What makes us want to write our own songs? Do songs help? Do songs help us live better lives? And do the lives we live help us write better songs? After two New York Times bestsellers that cemented and expanded his legacy as one of America’s best-loved performers and songwriters, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back) and How to Write One Song, Jeff Tweedy is back with another disarming, beautiful, and inspirational book about why we listen to music, why we love songs, and how music can connect us to each other and to ourselves.
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Jeff Tweedy’s Plain Spoken, Direct, Funny, Touching, Vulnerable, & Honest Meditation on Music is Perfection
- By A Picky Reviewer on 02-10-24
By: Jeff Tweedy
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The Book of Jose
- A Memoir
- By: Fat Joe, Shaheem Reid
- Narrated by: Fat Joe
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Fat Joe is a hip-hop legend, but this is not a tale of celebrity; it is the story of Joseph Cartagena, a kid who came of age in the South Bronx during its darkest years of drugs, violence, and abandonment, and how he navigated that traumatizing landscape until he found—through art, friendship, luck, and will—a rocky path to a different life. This memoir, written in Joe’s own intensely compelling voice, moves with the momentum of pulp fiction, but underneath the tragicomedy and riveting tales of the streets and the industry is a thought-provoking story about a generation of survivors.
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INCREDIBLE AND INSPIRATIONAL STORY
- By Anonymous User on 05-26-23
By: Fat Joe, and others
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I Am C-3PO
- The Inside Story
- By: Anthony Daniels, J.J. Abrams
- Narrated by: Anthony Daniels
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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When Star Wars burst on to the big screen in 1977, an unfailingly polite golden droid called C-3PO captured imaginations around the globe. But C-3PO wasn’t an amazing display of animatronics with a unique and unforgettable voice-over. Inside the metal costume was an actor named Anthony Daniels. In this deeply personal memoir, Anthony Daniels recounts his experiences of the epic cinematic adventure that has influenced pop culture for more than 40 years. For the very first time, he candidly describes his most intimate memories as the only actor to appear in every Star Wars film.
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Great listen before the final chapter
- By Chris G. Haring on 11-25-19
By: Anthony Daniels, and others
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Subculture Vulture
- A Memoir in Six Scenes
- By: Moshe Kasher
- Narrated by: Moshe Kasher, Larry Wilson
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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After bottoming out, being institutionalized, and getting sober all by the tender age of fifteen, Moshe Kasher found himself asking: “What’s next?” Over the ensuing decades, he discovered the answer: a lot. There was his time as a boy-king of Alcoholics Anonymous, a kind of pubescent proselytizer for other teens getting and staying sober. He was a rave promoter turned DJ turned sober ecstasy dealer in San Francisco’s techno warehouse party scene of the 1990s.
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Great narratation
- By Brian Simser on 10-26-24
By: Moshe Kasher
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Paradise Falls
- The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe
- By: Keith O'Brien
- Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Lois Gibbs, Luella Kenny, and other mothers loved their neighborhood on the east side of Niagara Falls. It had an elementary school, a playground, and rows of affordable homes. In the spring of 1977, pungent odors began to seep into these little houses, and it didn’t take long for worried mothers to identify the curious scent. It was the sickly-sweet smell of chemicals.
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Incredible work of everyday people
- By J. C. Edens on 11-20-24
By: Keith O'Brien
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A Dream About Lightning Bugs
- A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons
- By: Ben Folds
- Narrated by: Ben Folds
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Ben Folds is a celebrated American singer-songwriter, beloved for songs such as "Brick", "You Don’t Know Me", "Rockin’ the Suburbs", and "The Luckiest", and is the former frontman of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. But Folds will be the first to tell you he’s an unconventional icon, more normcore than hardcore. Now, in his first book, Folds looks back at his life so far in a charming and wise chronicle of his artistic coming of age, infused with the wry observations of a natural storyteller.
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I wanted to like this more than I did.
- By R on 10-02-19
By: Ben Folds
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Bruce Lee
- A Life
- By: Matthew Polly
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 19 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The first authoritative biography of film legend Bruce Lee, who made martial arts a global phenomenon, bridged the divide between Eastern and Western cultures, and smashed long-held stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans. Forty-five years after Bruce Lee’s sudden death at age 32, journalist and best-selling author Matthew Polly has written the definitive account of Lee’s life. It’s also one of the only accounts; incredibly, there has never been an authoritative biography of Lee.
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Best Lee biography to date, but far from great
- By Keith on 03-02-19
By: Matthew Polly
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Mercury and Me
- By: Jim Hutton, Tim Wapshott
- Narrated by: Patrick Moy
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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The relationship between Freddie Mercury and Jim Hutton evolved over several months in 1984 and 1985. Even when they first slept together, Hutton had no idea who Mercury was, and, when the star told him his name, it meant nothing to him. Hutton worked as a barber at the Savoy Hotel and retained his job and his lodgings in Sutton, Surrey, for two years after moving in with Mercury. He was never fully assimilated into Mercury's jet-setting lifestyle, but, from 1985 until Mercury's death in 1991, he was closer to him than anyone and knew all Mercury's closest friends.
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Freddie's home life - A fantastic book
- By ACASSIDY on 02-04-19
By: Jim Hutton, and others
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Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
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The Men Who Saved 1968
- By Gillian on 04-04-18
By: Robert Kurson
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Like Brothers
- By: Mindy Kaling - foreword, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
- Narrated by: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Whether producing, writing, directing, or acting, the Duplass Brothers have made their mark in the world of independent film and television on the strength of their quirky and empathetic approach to storytelling. Now, for the first time, Mark and Jay take readers on a tour of their lifelong partnership in this unique memoir told in essays that share the secrets of their success, the joys and frustrations of intimate collaboration, and the lessons they’ve learned the hard way....
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Love, love, love!
- By Nerble Turtle on 05-24-18
By: Mindy Kaling - foreword, and others
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What Have We Here?
- Portraits of a Life
- By: Billy Dee Williams
- Narrated by: Billy Dee Williams
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Billy Dee Williams was born in Harlem in 1937 and grew up in a household of love and sophistication. As a young boy, he made his stage debut working with Lotte Lenya in an Ira Gershwin/Kurt Weill production where Williams ended up feeding Lenya her lines. He studied painting, first at the High School of Music and Art, with fellow student Diahann Carroll, and then at the National Academy of Fine Art, before setting out to pursue acting with Herbert Berghoff, Stella Adler, and Sidney Poitier.
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Great book
- By Paula Odume on 02-21-24
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Gypsy
- A Memoir
- By: Gypsy Rose Lee, Erik Preminger - afterword
- Narrated by: MEOW MEOW
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Gypsy Rose Lee’s memoir became a New York Times best seller in 1957, inspiring the 1959 hit musical, two movies, and three revivals. At turns touching and hilarious, Gypsy describes her childhood trouping across 1920s America through her rise to stardom as The Queen of Burlesque in 1930s New York.
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Loved Every Minute of It
- By Cathy Burroughs on 05-15-20
By: Gypsy Rose Lee, and others
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The Jolliest Bunch
- Unhinged Holiday Stories
- By: Danny Pellegrino
- Narrated by: Danny Pellegrino
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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For many families, the holiday season is—in a word—unhinged. In no family is that more true than in Danny Pellegrino’s, beloved podcast host of Everything Iconic and bestselling author. Inappropriately improvised monologues at the children's Christmas pageant, presents that land someone in the emergency room, or just sitting on the absolute roller coaster that is a Hallmark movie marathon, the holidays are a strange and magical time in the Pellegrino household. And nobody knows this better than Danny.
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So entertaining
- By LL Martin on 03-02-25
By: Danny Pellegrino
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Life's Too Short
- A Memoir
- By: Darius Rucker
- Narrated by: Darius Rucker
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1986 Darius Rucker cofounded Hootie & The Blowfish at the University of South Carolina. What began as a party band playing frat houses and dive bars quickly became a global pop rock phenomenon through their multiplatinum-selling debut album, cracked rear view, which featured era-defining hit songs like “Only Wanna Be with You,” “Let Her Cry,” and “Hold My Hand.” Later, Darius would chart a pioneering path as a solo country music artist, with classic anthems like “Wagon Wheel” and “Alright.”
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Am I missing something?
- By L. Scafariello on 08-27-24
By: Darius Rucker
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Earth to Moon
- A Memoir
- By: Moon Unit Zappa
- Narrated by: Moon Unit Zappa
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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From Moon Unit Zappa, the daughter of musical visionary Frank Zappa, comes a memoir of growing up in her unconventional household in 1970s Los Angeles, coming of age in the Hollywood Hills in the 1980s as the “Valley Girl,” gaining momentum as an accidental VJ on a new network called MTV, and finding herself after losing her father, then her mother, and the testing of her most important relationships.
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Perfect. Brilliant. Hilarious. (&made me cry in a good way)
- By Christina G on 09-09-24
By: Moon Unit Zappa
What listeners say about Beastie Boys Book
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- Brian Baker
- 11-24-18
Read the book and forget the audio version
The book is interesting but the constant use of different “celebrity” narrators is unbelievably distracting and confusing. In fact, it was so terrible that I frequently considered stopping the audio book and buying the hard copy instead. I know the Beastie Boys were trying to be different with some of their choices - but in my opinion it was a huge disappointment. Listening to Mike D and Adam in their own voices brought a feeling of passion and authenticity. You just don’t get the same feel when Rosie Perez or Jon Stewart are reading. Plus the hard copy is full of photos - something you don’t get with the audio book (although it would be nice if that was available).
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- Maria D Francis
- 03-11-19
incredible!
I'm so glad I decided to listen to this! The narration was fantastic. This is a must listen for any fan!
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- Marcus Greg Taylor
- 04-11-19
please return hot sauce part 1
having different voices throughout is awesome! i also enjoyed their history blended with the history of hip hop
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- Anonymous User
- 11-06-18
Really, REALLY great. I didn't want it to end!
I really didn't want this book to end! You can tell so much love and happiness went into this production! It really makes you feel connected to your Beastie family! But this isn't just a book for Beastie fans. All the guest narrators was such a brilliant idea! I'm gonna go start at chapter 1 again..... Thanks for this... Truly
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- Tia
- 12-28-18
Casual Beasties fan perspective
I'm only in the second chapter, but since the book is so new, I need to add a little review for those of you who may be casual fans of the beasties, but are still from the underground persuasion. I'm in my mid forties, and grew up in the midwest (Des Moines) where access to art and music that was outside of the mainstream was less than ideal, but not impossible. Still, I had to work for it. We drove to Minneapolis for shows, but were also fed a steady diet of industrial music from that area.
I am, like I said, only two chapters in. But I'm hooked. The writing is impeccable. I feel like I'm there, in NYC, experiencing this along with them. There is mention of bands and genres from punk to reggae, of Robert Mapplethorpe and the gay nightclub scene. I can taste the 80s listening to the descriptions of the subculture that I watched from afar.
I picked this up as a whim; I was done with my last book and needed something new. I saw them on Kimmel hyping the book, opened audible and grabbed it. Now I'm planning on buying the actual book to get the pics that go along with the stories, but still want the audiobook because the narration is amazing, with an all-star cast and some fancy editing that, I'm sure, the Beasties had their hands all over.
If you're a casual fan, and grew up with the B-Boys, don't hesitate to pick this one up. You won't regret it. I'll keep updating this review as I go, but so far, it's my favorite read of 2018!
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- Buffalo Jake
- 02-08-19
Full Clout
Incredibly awesome book. I thought I knew a lot about the B Boys but I clearly didn’t know it all and this book chauffeurs you through the whole experience. 3 bad brothers you know so well. Get this and listen now.
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Overall
- James
- 01-09-19
fantastic
a nostalgic and insightful get away to the band I grew up loving. Well worth the 12 hour listen. Delightfully read by Mike d, adam horovitz and a large cast of celebrity readers.
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- kevin darouian
- 02-14-19
Gratitude
It was a real pleasure to hear the stories behind the band. The playful spirit and genuine love for music comes out in full force. I had high expectations and this book didn’t disappoint. Narration was top notch. Creative writing was carried with depth and humor. I would recommend this book to anyone.
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- Kristofer Joseph
- 01-30-19
Realized it's weird to miss Yauch like I knew him
... but then again a lot of my friends do.
This book dragged me through a mid-life crisis inducing journey of my young adult life, but from the other side of the soundtrack.
This collection of anecdotes had me nodding to myself like an idiot for months.
What I thought would be a light read about good times ended up being that plus a story of enduring friendships that span a lifetime. It left me missing the days of good friends piled in a minivan bumping all the music referenced within.
It's full of answers to questions I didn't know I had and is good for quite a few nostalgic trips down parallel timelines.
I highly recommend it.
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- Joshua
- 11-03-18
Beastie Boys now and forever!
I love this band and really enjoyed the behind the scenes stories of my favorite records. The performance from the wide variety of narrators only adds to the stories... on and on till the break of dawn. -RIP Yauch
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