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Dropping Knowledge: The Beastie Boys Dis Bush

By Mark Grueter

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Shadrach, Mesach, Abednago - or - The Beastie Boys, have released their first song since 1999's "Alive"- a recording that showed signs of promise, not for its predominantly fatuous lyrics ("turn on the P.A. and ROCK your shack!") but for the tight beats and general flow of the track.

Their latest effort, "In a World Gone Made" (released on March 11 and scheduled to be included on their upcoming album), on the other hand, is a hokey, cringe-inducing little ditty in which Adam Horovitz (a.k.a. "Ad-Rock") insists:

Now don’t get us wrong ‘cause we love America
But that’s no reason to get hysterica
They’re layin’ on the syrup thick
We ain’t waffles we ain’t havin’ it

Sometime after the production of 1994’s Ill Communication The Beasties misplaced their creative edge. As a long-time fan, I write this obvious fact with a pang of remorse. The demise for the boys coincided with marriage, kids, sobriety and Adam Yauch's (a.k.a. "MCA") self-annihilating conversion to Buddhism. The sublime comedy of 1994's "Sabotage" video marked their last great achievement - although we should keep in mind that it was then-unknown Spike Jonze's idea.

Out of touch, out of the clubs, and tucked away in their upscale Manhattan apartments, the aging punks who once called themselves "Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Internal Excellence" are now evidently bored. We might have seen this belated interest in foreign policy coming. Yauch was the first to catch the political bug, groveling for the Dalai Lama as far back as 1995. Mike Diamond seemed to be occupied with entrepreneurial ambitions and golf until his record label, Grand Royal, went under last year. Ad-Rock showed signs of "awareness" when he bravely came out against the sexual assaults that took place at Woodstock ’99 during an MTV award ceremony.

Perhaps in an attempt to compensate for their inability to rehash the brilliance contained in Check Your Head and Paul’s Boutique, The Beastie Boys have decided to inflict listeners with puerile and unserious "political" lyrics - rhymes that make Zach de la Rocha look like a bona fide philosopher. It began in 1998 on the dumb, yet fun album Hello Nasty and culminated two days ago with the release of "In a World Gone Mad."

Many pretentious critics dismissed The Beasties in the 80's (and their culturally revolutionary hit Licensed to Ill) as sophomoric brats with no future, when in reality they were pioneering an entire genre of music with timeless braggadocio and wit. Then, in the 90's, the Beasties finally matured, said the critics. Today, they are considered activists and responsible social leaders. But what could be more sophomoric than this from their "In a World Gone Mad:"

Say ooh ah what’s the White House doin'?
Oh no! Say, what in tarnation have they got brewing??!!!!???!!

How old are the boys now? 37? 39? Compare this tripe with the finely-strung together words from 1989's Johnny Ryall:

…Washing windows on the Bowery at a quarter to four
'Cause he ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Living on borrowed time and borrowed money
Sleepin' on the street there ain't a damn thing funny…

…He's got the hand me down Pumas and the tie dyes
You go upstate and get your head together
Thunderbird is the word and you're light as a feather
Detox at the flop house no booze allowed
Remember the good old days with the rockabilly crowd…

…Donald Trump Donald Tramp living in the Men's Shelter
Wonder Bread bag shoes and singing Helter Skelter
He asks for a dollar you know what it's for
Bottle after bottle he'll always need more
He's no less important than you working class stiffs
Drinks a lot of liquor but he don't drink piss
Paid his dues playing the blues
He claims that he wrote the Blue Suede Shoes
Elvis shaved his head when he went into the army
That's right y'all his name is Johnny

So what is it, anyway, about musicians getting worse as they grow older? With rappers this phenomenon is easier to comprehend for self-evident reasons. Look at what happened to Run DMC, Public Enemy and even The Wu-Tang Clan. I’m listening to "In a World Gone Mad" (available at www.beastieboys.com) for the seventh or eighth time tonight. I grew up listening almost exclusively to The Beasties, so I can’t help but like it in a sentimental way; and Mike D hasn’t lost his golden voice. In the lyrics, and between a dog growling, there are the typical affectations to insight: this is a war for "oil families," and the U.S. government is looting health care to fund the war, ad nauseam. It reminds me of the literature of the World Workers Party, without the eloquence. This should be a lesson to all artists who contemplate substituting drugs and music for religion and a superficial study of politics.

In my personal opinion, The Beastie Boys peaked in their mid-teens with two of the most bizarrely original and disturbing songs ever recorded - "Cookie Puss" and "Beastie Revolution." Twenty years later with "In a World Gone Made" they have recorded a mortifying and risible number that lacks any inkling of ingenuity or inspiration. The degeneration of The Beastie Boys is complete. It is sad and depressing to see this happen, but there you have it. Sorry Boys, it’s all over.

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Mark Grueter lives in New York City, where he is pursuing his master's in Liberal Studies at the New School University's Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science.  He can be contacted at [email protected].

© 2003 Me Three