An Oral History of The Beastie Boys
May 9, 2012
I’m still heartbroken about the passing of MCA. So sad. I idolized The Beastie Boys as a kid, that’s the best way to put it. They were the crazy Jewish rappers that gave me the license to get ill myself. I look forward to putting my kids on to their music as they get older. For now, I want to share with Westcheddar readers an oral history of The Beastie Boys that Spin Magazine posted a few days ago (originally published in 1998). I actually own the book that I believe contains this same text, which I guess is now out of print. It’s a cool interview with them, where they tell stories about their career up until ’98…
The Story of Yo: The Oral History of The Beastie Boys | Spin
RIP MCA
*pics courtesy of UpNorthTrips
RIP MCA
May 4, 2012
Another hip-hop legend from my generation gone way too soon. I won’t get into how much I idolized Adam Yauch aka MCA and The Beastie Boys as a kid growing up in New York. I’ll let the clip below do the talking. MCA, White Plains salutes you with this throwback video tribute…
RIP MCA
Electric Energy
February 28, 2012
I had the pleasure of interviewing my favorite new band, Electric Guest, for Pigeons & Planes. These dudes are dope, and Danger Mouse produced their entire debut album Mondo, which drops in April. Plus, their lead singer/songwriter Asa Taccone (above left) is from Berkeley, California, my original hometown (I moved to White Plains, New York when I was five). Here’s a little synopsis, and the link to the interview is below:
We got on the horn with the duo behind Electric Guest, Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton, to talk about their musical roots, their artist/producer relationship with Danger Mouse, their home-grown recording process, and the development of their live show. We also discussed the concept behind their disturbing video for “American Daydream” (it was directed by Asa’s older brother Jorma Taccone of The Lonely Island), how local radio helped build their buzz, and how they plan to not compromise their integrity for the sake of success. These are the trials and tribulations of a hard-working new band, led by two extremely passionate musicians with solid industry backing, just trying to be heard by doing the one thing they know how to do best: be themselves.
Interview: Electric Guest | Pigeons & Planes
Cop their album when they drop it. I got an advanced copy, and it’s got some dope tracks on it. Uno.
A Case Of You
February 12, 2012
For all of you hopeless romantics out there celebrating Valentine’s Day weekend, this one is for you. James Blake covers Joni Mitchell’s classic Blue album cut “A Case of You” on his new Enough Thunder EP, and it is truly a beautiful rendition. Love the piano on this. Check the video above, featuring actress Rebecca Hall who you will recognize from Woody Allen’s Vicky Christina Barcelona. And below is a clip of Joni Mitchell playing “A Case Of You” live in London…
This post has a few family connections for me. First off, Blue is one of my Mom’s favorite albums, and I have great memories of listening to this with her on family car rides etc. Also, as my Mom pointed out when I sent this to her last night, many people say Rebecca Hall looks a lot like my sister Rebecca, which I think is a bit true (my sister’s prettier). And also, every time I listen to James Blake’s version, I think of my own wife, who I am forever falling in love with. Great song. Props to James Blake for doing it justice. LOVE.
Fall Nostalgia
October 5, 2011
This Source Magazine Rhyme of the Month clipping of Nas’ “Verbal Intercourse” verse used to hang on the wall in my bedroom back when I was in high school. I stumbled across it tonight on the web, and felt a nostalgic need to post it. The fall weather always makes me feel like this. And to add to the NAStalgia (you like how cornily I did that right?) check out this vintage footage of his first interview, backstage at the famous nightclub The Fever on Video Music Box. When asked who he would like to work with in the future, he responds, “The Beatles. Nah, I’m buggin’” hahaha…
I also want to post the video for this song I’ve been bumping all week that really brings me back to the time when I first got into hip hop. Organized Konfusion featuring O.C. “Fudge Pudge.” This song is dope because the beat is hard and it’s super lyrical, but it’s also really fun! Yes, underground early 90′s New York hip hop at its finest. O.C. especially spits fire on the third verse…
For all your other throwback hip hop (and sports) needs, go to UpNorthTrips. In fact, here’s an example of some throwback baseball shit that was posted on there earlier in the week. We call this WALLY CHAMP…
Get it? Wally Joyner was the man! Anyway, I’ve been working on a new weekly rap music feature for UNT that should be debuting soon (“Fudge Pudge” was a bit of a preview), so stay tuned to their Twitter feed for all the action. One love.
*UPDATE*
Watch Nas’ new video for his summer banger ”Nasty” HERE. It’s hot.
Lockout Laugh
July 17, 2011
With both the NFL and NBA in the midst of a lockout, there’s been a lot of talk about what will happen if the players and owners do not come to an agreement once their seasons start. Will the leagues use replacement players like the MLB did during 1995′s Spring Training? We will have to see. In the meantime, check out this classic clip from Prime Time with Dan and Andrew (our public access TV show we had back in high school), where my buddy Andrew and I spoof the idea of having replacement players in major league sports. This is sooooooo silly, but you have to admit, it’s genius!
Sports Posters from the 80′s
June 22, 2011
My cousin CI over at No Mas NYC and now also Doubleday & Cartwright is part of a very cool event on Thursday, featuring sports posters from the 80′s that many of us had on our bedroom walls back in the day. Here’s more about it, courtesy of Sports Illustrated:
On June 23, Salon 94 in Manhattan is opening its “For The Kids” exhibit, which will feature the classic sports posters of John and Tock Costacos. The brothers were originally sports t-shirt manufacturers, but started a side business creating “fantasy” sports posters that gave professional sports heroes a larger-than-life look and appeal. Here is a sneak peek at some of the posters that will be on display…
I took the liberty of picking out my favorites from the SI event preview. But you can see all 16 they posted HERE. Stay classy Westcheddar.
*Bonus*
I’ve posted this on Westcheddar before, but I have to show it some love here. Not sure if the Costacos brothers are responsible for this one, but I had it on my wall well into my 20′s. Shout out to Don Mattingly, my favorite baseball player and athlete of all time. Go LA Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!
Three The Hard Way
May 7, 2011
I grew up idolizing the Beastie Boys. They were three crazy Jewish kids from New York that made dope hip hop records, and as a young teenager obsessed with rap music, they were the guys I could actually relate too. I loved Check Your Head and Ill Communication, and seeing them at Lollapalooza in 1994 is still one of my most memorable concert experiences ever. Well, after a bit of a hiatus, the Beastie Boys are back with a new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (there’s no part one), and they sound as fresh as ever. Check out the 29 minute extended video movie “Fight For Your Right (Revisited)” above, which features every comedic actor you love that is popular right now, from Will Ferrell to Danny McBride to Seth Rogan to, well, everyone (peep the album cut “Too Many Rappers” featuring Nas playing during the closing credits too). The whole thing is unreal. And below, just for good measure, watch the classic clip from back in the day of myself, Matty B, and Jiggs performing “Sure Shot” on our cable access show Prime Time with Dan and Andrew…
Oh shit, right? Thanks to the Beastie Boys for inspiring me to make my own rap music. Cop that album HERE.
*RELATED*
In other hip hop news that puts a huge smile on my face, I saw Michael Rapaport’s A Tribe Called Quest Documentary Beats, Rhymes, and Life last week with my cousin CI and his crew at the Tribeca Film Festival (movie opens in theaters this summer). No Mas NYC had a hand in the animation production of the film (which was dope), and I love seeing the Isenberg name in the credits of what will surely be hailed as one of the greatest hip hop documentaries of all time. It’s excellent. Coincidentally, the Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest both made a huge impact on my life. Their existence literally bombarded my whole being. And I should mention that Tribe was on that Lollapalooza bill too. What a day that was for me, seeing both of those groups live for the first time. Anyway, to tie these two newsworthy releases together with a nice Westcheddar bow, here’s the Beastie Boys and Q-Tip collaboration “Get It Together”. Such a fun tune, don’t you agree?
Found some live footage of this for the true heads. Tip didn’t know the words, still ill though. From 1996, peep it HERE.
*BONUS*
I will leave you with a throwback gem of sorts that fits with the title of this post I guess. Just some shit I was listening to a few minutes ago. Del The Funkee Homosapian featuring Q-Tip and Pep Love “Undisputed Champs”. This was a song that I first read about in The Source magazine when it was listed in their monthly Fat Tape section. I remember thinking, “Oh shit, Del and Q-Tip did a song together?” This shit is butters…
I think I’m going to spend a good chunk of this week listening to the Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, and Del (No Need For Alarm is a classic album!), just so I can feel like I’m 15 again. I suggest you do the same. Oh, and I’ve been on a Nas kick lately. I think out of all my favorite rappers, he has the most songs I like in his catalog. Throw him in the mix too. Another major Ipcus influence and enormous part of my teenage years. Okay, I’m out. One.
Card Collecting
September 21, 2010
I recently got back into collecting sports cards. I know, kinda weird, but it’s fun. Honestly, I could care less about any of the new cards, I just want the ones from the 80′s that I had when I was a kid. Not sure what happened to all of mine. I think I traded them to my boy Tic for a Nautica shirt when I was in high school! Haha! Or maybe they’re just gone. Who knows. But it’s been fun rebuilding my collection, because the cards I really care about aren’t that expensive. Most of the cards I want are only worth a couple dollars, with the exception of a few rookie cards, but even those are reasonable. Ebay’s a great spot to find cards. I got a bunch of old Don Mattingly cards on there for only a few bucks, and found his rookie cards too in great condition for super cheap. He’s my favorite player to collect. And I got a ton of old Knicks cards (Ewing, Starks, Oakley, etc), and some other basketball stuff too (a Chris Mullin rookie!). And I took my Dad over to the Westchester County Center last summer for the East Coast National Baseball Card Show which was lots of fun. Got a Darryl Strawberry rookie, a Wade Boggs rookie, a 2nd year Magic Johnson card, some Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco cards, and other old Yankees and Mets cards of players that I grew up following, without having to spend a ton of money. And he had a blast looking at all the cards from his childhood, you know, the ones I wished he held on to!
Now that I have a son, I want to make sure my collection is tight so I can pass it along to him and teach him about all the great players I grew up watching. I figure it will be a fun hobby for us to share. But in the 21st century, forget it. Sports card collecting is crazy! The cards from the 80′s are so cheap because no one cares about those. They made a ton of them! The real collectors want the new, super rare stuff. There’s autographed cards in packs now, or cards that they only make a few of, and everything is really expensive. I’ll save my money and stick to collecting Eric Davis and Mike Pagliarulo cards. Thanks but no thanks.
I guess when my son gets old enough I’ll figure out what’s hot out there for him to collect without having to spend his life savings. Maybe he won’t care about the new cards and will be more into the older players. We’ll see. I’m taking him to his first baseball card show at the County Center in White Plains next week. Even though he’s only 4 months old, I think he’ll enjoy the atmosphere, and there will be lots of cool stuff to look at. It’s fun to hunt for the baseball and basketball cards I want from the 80′s, but also look at all the older cards from the 50′s, 60′s, and 70′s. Most of those are too expensive to buy, but I like seeing what’s out there. And the old memorabilia is also dope. Wanna join us? More info on the show HERE.
Anyway, watch this mini-documentary about card collecting and how it’s changed over the years, filmed in Brooklyn at the Baseball Card Dugout. Pretty interesting to see what it’s like now. Lots of new types of cards (though many of the old brands still exist), but the same excitement. And even though card collecting will always be a kids pastime, it’s the adults that have the most fun with it! Forever young!
What’s your favorite card from back in the day? Anyone got some gems in their collection? Still got a stash in your parents’ attic?
Dope Dads #1- Nathan Huffner
August 9, 2010
Ok, I’m starting a new feature on Westcheddar called Dope Dads. As a new father, I have a growing appreciation for other father’s parenting styles and the personalities that come along with them. There are a bunch of Dads out there that I admire, in the real world and in the fictional world (TV, movies, books, etc), and I’m slowly but surely developing my own style and personality as a father. So as a tribute to the fathers who inspire me, in the past and present, I present Dope Dads.
The first Dad I’d like to give props to is Rick Moranis’ nerdie character in the movie Parenthood, Nathan Huffner. Remember this dude? So funny. I grew up watching this movie over and over as a kid, and Nathan Huffner popped into my head the other day and I started cracking up out loud to myself thinking of how outrageous he was. Throughout the whole movie, he’s constantly teaching his daughter Patty, who’s probably about three years old, about the square root of numbers, martial arts, foreign languages, and other subjects she’s obviously way too young to be learning about. I mean, look at the picture above. She’s reading Franz Kafka!!!! And it should be noted too that he has a hot wife. Here’s some funny Nathan Huffner quotes from Parenthood…
1. On hard work:
“Look Patty, all I’m saying is, if you want to have just an ordinary academic career, and attend an ordinary university, that’s your prerogative. But I must tell you, I think you’re selling yourself way short.”
2. On the importance of family:
“Grandma’s welcome to stay with us for a while. It’d be valuable for Patty to have a multigenerational influence.”
3. On staying ahead of the curve:
“See Grandma, Patty studies Eastern philosophy. Our future leaders will have to be much more in tune with the Oriental mind.”
4. On discovering new cultures:
“Patty, ven aqui. That means “come here” in Spanish. I’ve got a tape of a mariachi band. An authentic indigenous native Mexican form of music.”
As funny as I think Nathan Huffner is, I have to admit it, he’s got the right idea. I want my kid to be smart too! I think it’s awesome to get your kids started on reading and math and language and stuff like that when they’re young. But where Nathan went wrong in the movie, and the valuable lesson he learned, is that as much as you want to teach your kid to be intelligent and study, it’s very important that they have FUN too. By the end of the movie, Nathan learns to be the goofy Dad, and falls back on being so rigorous about Patty’s studies. He finally plays with her like she’s a kid, because she IS a kid! So as my son gets older, I will take that lesson along with me. As much as I joke that I’m gonna make my son mad smart by reciting him Shakespeare sonnets and teaching him long division when he’s in pre-school, I know that there has to be a balance. Kids need to learn, but they also need to have loads of fun!!!!! They need a Dad who will educate them, but also make them laugh and smile and enjoy their childhood. Nathan Huffner found the balance, and I hope to find mine too.
Stay tuned for more Dope Dads in the coming months here at Westcheddar. Special shout out to my own father Jimmy Izo who’s turning 65 this Sunday, the dopest Dad of all time!!!! Feel free to leave your nominees for Dope Dads in the comments section. Thanks for reading…
