Adam Yauch and the Beasties

The Beastie Boys and MCA (Adam Yauch) formed part of my early musical vocabulary. I was in high school when they first hit, soaking up all the influences that I could, and they seemed to walk the line between the new sounds of hip hop and punk and rock. They had a sound all their own and Adam’s voice, and sometimes his bass guitar, were an important part of that.

The Beastie Boys are irreplaceable. Adam is irreplaceable. And way, way to young to be felled by cancer. For all you and the Boys influenced me and gave to me—to all of us—thank you. We can’t, we won’t, and we don’t stop.