"Dear Mr. Yauch, I have received several complaints that there are items falling out of your window and hitting people on the sidewalk."
So begins a memo sent to Adam "MCA" Yauch from a Hollywood hotel, included in Beastie Boys Book. In the spirit of Yauch, the book throws tradition out the window. Here, Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "AD-ROCK" Horovitz construct a monster compendium more akin to a work of art than a memoir: colorful essays penned by Diamond and Horovitz, heaps of photos, illustrations, lyrics, a graphic novel, playlists upon playlists and much more.
Diamond and Horovitz trace their arrival on the New York City hardcore scene via bands like Bad Brains and Black Flag, then their unlikely entrance to the national stage: a tour opening for Madonna. Celebrity guests make memorable contributions, including Spike Jonze's "15 Pictures," Amy Poehler's Beastie Boys video review and chef Roy Choi's mini cookbook within the book.
Humor and humility suffuse the collection. Running warmly throughout is a thread honoring Adam Yauch, who died in 2012, "the 'Fight for Your Right to Party' guy who went trekking through Nepal on a discovery quest." Or who spontaneously took AD-ROCK's mom on a ride around New York City in his new sports car. Or who would play the long game with pranks, once waiting 15 years for a payoff. Beastie Boys Book is a fitting tribute to Yauch and to a band that even after decades still looms larger than life. --Katie Weed, freelance writer and reviewer