So, I’ve heard people have differing views on it. If you’re not too critical, then it might be right up your alley. For me, it was light and weak.
Not going to lie, sometimes when I write a review of a movie or gather my thoughts on it, I’ve heard others’ take on it so I go in already knowing the shortcomings. And I can’t pretend that those bias’ don’t shape my overall thoughts on the movie/show. However, that didn’t happen with Beastie Boys Story. I watched it immediately when it came out and didn’t read any reviews about it. I was also obsessed with the B-Boys growing up and in university, so I know tons about them. This documentary, or whatever they call it, was empty.
So, many documentaries about a particular topic will go deep into the inner workings of whatever topic they are discussing. I fully expected this one to be better than most, simply because 2 of the Boys are still alive and had cameras and videos taken around them for decades. The sheer amount of stuff to discuss was certainly worth more than a 2 hour, watered down documentary of their nearly 30 year career (and friendship). This could have been 3-5 parts.
My issues may not be felt by others. For starters, it’s odd to me that they only went through 1984-1997. Not only skipping over To the 5 Boroughs and Hot Sauce Committee entirely, but the entire 2000s as band mates and individuals. Not touching on “why” they spent so much time in between albums, what they did in between albums, Adrock’s criminally underrated solo project “BS 2000”, etc. This just seemed really strange. Whenever they did talk about themselves as individuals, it was Adrock and Mike D gushing over MCA. Now, when they do, it’s genuinely impressive just how talented MCA was (musically, handy, etc), and how kind and inspiring of a person he was to them and others. However, they NEVER discuss or go into the same detail of their own talents. For instance, it’s well known that Adrock is pretty much the creative driving force in the band. The amount he brought to them was far more than the other two brought (and they were both terrific). But he was the driving force. The only time this was touched on was leading up to the recording of Paul’s Boutique, as Adrock mentions he was listening to stuff that The Dust Brothers were doing in LA at the time.
Second, they go into the most detail on the creative process for Licensed to Ill and Paul’s Boutique. That’s basically 2/3rds of the 2 hour documentary. And really, it’s mostly Licensed to Ill and that tour. But they gloss over Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty. For instance, when discussing Licensed to Ill, they discuss numerous songs and the process of creating each one. They don’t do this for Paul’s Boutique at all, or Check Your Head, Ill Communication, or Hello Nasty. This is mind boggling to me. Paul’s Boutique is known to be the album that sampled the most songs of all time. They were settling in court with artists for decades because of the sheer amount that album borrowed. This wasn’t discussed. But it’s widely known. Would be nice to know their feelings on how lucky they were to create an album that everyone in the music industry says could never be done again. And yeah, never discussing the songs from Check Your Head to Hello Nasty is super weird. Especially considering Intergalactic and Sabotage are the two songs that really launched them into pop culture, again.
Third, not mentioning Mix Master Mike, ONCE. They have been quoted dozens of times saying that Mix Master Mike became the 4th Beastie Boy from Hello Nasty until the end of their career, and that he was a massive creative force for them. Any mention of him? Nope.
Fourth, as much as I “like” To the 5 Boroughs and Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, it’s clear those two albums were largely ignored and not cared about by the general public. Their feelings on growing older as a hip/hop group and what they each focused on during more during the years they weren’t as popular? Nothing.
Fifth, they mention how crucial Rick Rubin was in creating and producing Licensed to Ill, and Russell Simmons was promoting it, but they don’t really discuss the falling out, especially with Simmons. This is something everyone knows. We know that Simmons stiffed them financially and they barely received any money because Simmons is a d-bag. But the only mention of this was, “Pretty messed up we weren’t getting royalties.” Now onto the next thing.
Lastly, everyone has moments they like to forget, have do overs on, and moments that we learn from. It is also well known that the song “Girls” on Licensed to Ill has aged poorly and they are incredibly ashamed and embarrassed by. I knew this in the 90s, because they were outspoken about it. But here, Adrock quotes 4 lines from it and says, “That’s pretty messed up,” or something along those lines. No, “This was a something we wish we could remove from our catalog,” or “We would really like to apologize for this, because it was a joke that wasn’t funny or respectful to anyone.”
Along with this, when the band first formed, they had a 4th member, Kate Schellenbach. They kicked her out because they weren’t hanging out with her anymore once Rick Rubin entered the picture. You can see they are ashamed of this onstage, but again, no apology or remorse. Just, “That sucked.” Ok.
I really can go on and on about this. It made me sad, because there is no band I listened to more as a kid and university student than them. My best friend in university and I first began talking (in the same dorm) because we both started playing Paul’s Boutique at the same time one evening, cranking it in the dorm. Instantly friends. Was one of the best concerts I ever went to in Seattle. So tons of memories. But this documentary is a watered down version of what could have been. You know how you see unofficial biographies written that don’t have the sign off from an individual and you just know they suck? That’s what this seemed like. Like they didn’t put this together.
So many issues with it.