Beastie Boys Give Comprehensive Interview on Marc Maron's WTF Podcast

Following the release of their memoir Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct, Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond (aka Ad-Rock and Mike D) joined Marc Maron on his podcast WTF. The 977th episode sees Diamond and Horovitz tell stories about growing up in New York, learning guitar from Laurie Anderson’s sister, and going on tour with Madonna. In a rare move, Maron actually read the book prior to the interview which he calls “a love letter to New York.” It’s a meaty interview that I’m still making my way through but definitely a must-listen for any Beastie Boys fan. Listen to it here.

The nearly 600-page Beastie Boys Book, which arrived in October, covers the “transition from teenage punks to budding rappers; their early collaboration with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin; the almost impossible-to-fathom overnight success of their debut studio album Licensed to Ill; that album’s messy fallout; their break with Def Jam, move to Los Angeles, and rebirth as musicians and social activists, with the genre-defying masterpiece Paul’s Boutique.”

In 2015, KEXP spent an entire day breaking down Paul’s Boutique with exclusive interviews, bonus tracks, and insights from the album’s co-producers John King and Mike Simpson while playing every song that the band sampled on the album. Revisit that here.