Stephen Robinson Mural on East First Street.The New York State Senate has adopted a resolution honoring the late Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, drafted by State Senator Daniel Squadron. That’s right: it seems the advocate for greater community control in liquor licensing is a fan of “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)”
The resolution, adopted yesterday afternoon and reprinted below, notes (as The Times did) that the Beastie Boys had ties to the senator’s district. The group “became well-known in the innovative music scene in Manhattan’s East Village and Lower East Side with a sound and a style all their own,” it states, adding that the Beasties “exemplified New York through a period in which grassroots creativity and a community of iconoclastic artists helped redefine and rejuvenate a city on the ropes, with iconic imagery from Brooklyn to Ludlow Street.”
Sen. Squadron follows others who have tied the Beastie Boys to the neighborhood. On The Huffington Post, musician Binky Phillips recalled them as regulars at St. Mark’s Sounds. Bowery Boogie noted that one of their early shows, as a hardcore punk band in 1982, was at CBGB. A memorial sprouted up at 169 Avenue A, where they recorded their “Polly Wog Stew” EP. A couple murals popped up in the neighborhood. East Village radio broadcast a two-hour tribute to Mr. Yauch that has now been archived. And here’s a photo of them, by Lynn Goldsmith, outside of Stromboli Pizza in 1986.
LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of famed rapper and activist Adam “MCA” Yauch
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay tribute to those individuals whose commitment and creative talents have contributed to the entertainment and cultural enrichment of their community and the entire State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Adam Yauch, also known as MCA, the rapper, musician, activist, film director and founder of the pioneering New York hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, died on Friday, May 4, 2012, in Manhattan at age 47; and
WHEREAS, Adam Nathaniel Yauch was born on August 5, 1964, and raised in Brooklyn Heights; he was the son of Frances Yauch, a social worker, and Noel Yauch, an architect and painter, and attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Midwood; and
WHEREAS, Adam Yauch taught himself the bass guitar while growing up and joined the Beastie Boys, originally a hardcore punk outfit, playing his first show with the group when he was just 17 years old in 1981; and
WHEREAS, The Beastie Boys became well-known in the innovative music scene in Manhattan’s East Village and Lower East Side with a sound and a style all their own; and
WHEREAS, The album “Licensed to Ill” was the first hip-hop album to top the Billboard chart; and
WHEREAS, The music and message of the Beastie Boys evolved over the years, but they can’t, they don’t, they won’t stop changing the face of hip-hop, of music, and of our culture; and
WHEREAS, The Beastie Boys exemplified New York through a period in which grassroots creativity and a community of iconoclastic artists helped redefine and rejuvenate a city on the ropes, with iconic imagery from Brooklyn to Ludlow Street; and
WHEREAS, Having consistently produced multi-million selling albums and receiving Grammy awards, in April 2012 the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Adam Yauch was unable to attend due to deteriorating health; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his contributions to music, Adam Yauch was an activist and founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness about abuses in Tibet and against Tibetans, and later in life became a successful filmmaker, founding Oscilloscope Laboratories, an independent film distribution company; and
WHEREAS, A man of colossal talent and charisma, Adam Yauch is survived by his wife, Dechen Wengdu, and their daughter, Losel; he will be missed by his family, his fans and all who knew him; his dedication to his music, his activism, and his heritage leaves an indelible legacy of inspiration for all other artists; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to mourn the death of famed rapper and activist Adam “MCA” Yauch; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran
smitted to the family of Adam Yauch.
This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: May 16, 2012
An earlier version of this post mistakenly said that the U.S. Senate adopted the resolution. It was the New York State Senate.
