A customer said that to me tonight at work. I had just pointed out that we were both wearing the kate spade ny "NO SLEEP TILL BROOKLYN" bangle made & purchased by us both long before Adam "MCA" Yauch's untimely passing on friday. We were both experiencing the same level of disbelief & as she walked away she said "its just not right. beastie boys don't die."
It is exactly what I have been thinking for the past 3 days.
Earlier today another beastie fan noticed my bangle. his girlfriend was swiping her debit card for the bag she purchased & he pointed at my wrist & said, "is that your MCA commemorative bracelet?"
i nodded & explained that i had purchased the bangle originally out of my love for all things beastie, but inevitably felt more of a connection to it now more than ever. He went on to explain how MCA's death was much harder to deal with than other "celebrity" passings. he told me how yes, he was a big MJ fan & yes everyone can't deny their love for at least one whitney houston track but something about this felt different. whitney & michael had a very critical road to play in their deaths, but MCA lived his life in such a way that didn't exactly foretell a death at 47. He mumbled something about how unfair MCA's death seems - that he could lead a life so pure in comparison to others & still this cancer could come & take him too soon.
Saturday afternoon i was helping a woman from australia & her friend from paris with some shoes. i'm pretty sure they were both native to england, but time has placed them in two different countries. the trip they took to new york city brought them back together much in the way the beastie boys had brought them together in the past.
She came over to me with the "NO SLEEP TILL BROOKLYN BANGLE" & asked me if I knew who the beastie boys were. instead of responding with "DUH LADY!" I nodded & told her of 15 year old rudine's seemingly unhealthy relationship with the boys. i told her that the day before my best friend had called me crying with the terrible news & that their music & the beastie boys themselves helped us get through the last couple years of school. she & her friend had to be about 20 years older than me & my best friend but she understood completely. She asked me if i knew of any tributes or parties or anything going on in brooklyn that night & i told her i didn't but i'd definitely be looking for something. she asked for my number so she could text me to see if i found anything & i didn't even hesitate to give this stranger my information - it just felt okay. she stood there twirling the bangle in her hand, reading the line over & over & suddenly starting rapping the first verse to sabotage the way ad rock would, almost screaming. she bought 2 bangles - 1 for herself & 1 for her friend.
The Beastie Boys were formed in 1981 & the lineup as we know it now -MCA, Mike D, & AD ROCK- started performing together in 1982. I obviously didn't exist yet - not even in thought. It wasn't until the release of "To the Five Boroughs" in 2004 that i even gave the beastie boys music much thought. It was the summer before my junior year of high school & i remember being on the phone with my best friend & our other best friend at the time, waiting for the check it out video to come on the fuse network. If it was a really good day there would be one of those 30min runs of just beastie videos.
I don't think I could really put into words just exactly what attracted us to the boys & their music, but it was definitely more than just a need to fill the void that NSYNC left.
I went out & bought "To The Five Boroughs" & within days I knew every word. We each had our "beastie". Mine was Mike D, Sasha's was MCA & our other friends was AD ROCK. We went out & bought every cd: paul's boutique, check your head, license to ill... we were able to quote songs at the snap of a finger. It was kinda strange really, 3 catholic school girls from the bronx, listening to license to ill for the first time more than 20 years after its release & loving every minute of it.
Just the other day I was sitting on the bus listening to my ipod on shuffle when "Shazam" came on, immediately i took out my phone & started tweeting lyrics to sasha who responded as she usually does when it came to all things beastie boys - with the enthusiasm she reserved only for the things she really loved. A couple days later MCA was dead & suddenly our memories from 2004 are bitter sweet.
It kind of feels like we've lost a friend & Adam "MCA" Yauch did not know a thing about us. We never got to meet him, never even got to go to a show ,but just having their music on our ipods and their lyrics ingrained in our brains is enough.
Theres something about this that makes us have to face things that we're just not ready to deal with.
"Beastie Boys don't die..."
Oh, but they do & one did & the other two will & it sucks.
Are we already at that age where we're losing those tangible pieces of our childhood?
Imagine how Mike D & AD Rock are feeling. MCA wasn't just a band mate. He was their best friend & brother of 30+ years.
Wikipedia has MCA listed as a "former member" of the beastie boys. Never. MCA IS a beastie boy. period.
Rest In Peace MCA
*i highly suggest googling Adam Yauch & reading more about his life & his life's work. He was more than just an amazing rapper. Its almost unbelievable...except that he was awesome so i can definitely believe it.
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