Blank on Blank, the nonprofit group that uses the magic of animation to bring forgotten interviews back to life, has come out with a new episode featuring the Beastie Boys in their early days. “Beastie Boys on Being Stupid” (above) is built on excerpts from a 1985 interview with Rocci Fisch for ABC Radio. The three members of the group–Mike Diamond, Adam Horowitz and Adam Yauch–were between 19- and 21-years old at the time and had not yet released their first full-length album, Licensed to Ill. They were touring with Madonna, and just beginning to get a taste of the national spotlight. The interview is infused with the Boys’ self-deprecating wit.
Rocci Fisch: “How did you get your group name, Beastie Boys?”
Adam “MCA” Yauch: “It’s from the good old days. We were a hardcore band.”
Mike “Mike D” Diamond: “Yeah, we were like–I was like what, 14?”
Adam “MCA” Yauch: “Yeah.”
Mike “Mike D” Diamond: “I was like, 14, 15? That’s when we made our first record. We were all going to high school at the time and that’s how we met.”
Adam “MCA” Yauch: “At the time it was the stupidest name that I could possibly think of. And if you could think of a stupider name I’d probably be pretty impressed now. So lay it on me: Can you think of a stupider name name than the Beastie Boys?”
Rocci Fisch: “Not really.”
Adam “MCA” Yauch: “So then that answers your question right there.”
For a full transcript, go to the Blank on Blank Web site. And for more about Blank on Blank, including three earlier videos, see our April 19 post, “Animations Revive Lost Interviews with David Foster Wallace, Jim Morrison & Dave Brubeck.”
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Awesome excerpt