“Ponce de Leon/constantly on”…..

First time I heard it, I was cruising in my friend’s beat down Honda, getting ready to party at a West Point wedding. And I was annoyed. I wasn’t really a fan of The Beastie Boys, but I had learned to respect what I had heard. And I was used to the standard Beasties we’ve all heard on the radio, the onslaught of frat-boy, fast-paced raps. But the Boys were minding their time on this one, whining over a tinkling keyboard and sliding guitar note. And it was goddamned annoying, that constant “Soundzzz of science”…

But then they broke the rhythm and proclaimed it: “THE NEWEST IN NEW!!” And it hit me, socked it to me like Ali pounding Frasier. We revved the motor up to fifth gear, and the entire car started screaming the first lines. That beat was so hot, we all started pounding the seats and dashboards. I couldn’t even understand what was going on until I heard it. Wait…..is that…..dude…..THAT’S THE FUCKING BEATLES!!! These boys practically fresh outta NYC high schools had the balls to steal ‘Carry That Weight’ and fucking rig it to that sick beat. And it worked. It worked really well. By the end of the song, I didn’t even realize we were listening to The Beatles anymore; I was completely absorbed by the drive which was coming out of the stereo. It was the perfect marriage of old and new, and it was done underneath some of the smartest and sassiest lyrics I’d ever heard. Everything about it was perfect.

As we cruised along that cold and clear winter day, I forged what is to this day one of my largest obsessions. And almost two decades later, the Boys still have it. I’ve had my doubts, to be sure. But what it comes down to really is that they’ve continued to expand their craft, while at the same time not really messing with such a great thing they have going. Look around and realize that where we are today is partly due to three wise-assed lyricists from NYC. And thank the Lord for that.

Three portraits by Lynn Goldsmith in 1987 for CORBIS:

Ad-Rock.





MCA.





Mike D.





She woke up in the morning/And her face was coated-S.