I'm really not sure why I'm having such a reaction to the death of Adam Yauch. I don't think it's related to the recent experiences I've had. And I'm fairly sure that I'm not the biggest Beastie Boys fan in the world. But something about this tragedy has really struck me.
My first and most vivid memory of being influenced by the Beastie Boys happened in Grade 6. Of course, by this time they were well known and well established. "Licensed to Ill" had been released for four years already. We were sitting in the classroom, working away (thankfully not in silence), when suddenly and out of nowhere, I started singing the chorus to "Fight For Your Right (To Party)". I honestly to this day have no idea where this came from. The classmate sitting in front of me turned around slowly and gave me the strangest look. At that point I had realized what I was doing, apologized, and went back to work. It wasn't until she looked at me that I even knew that I had done it.
I guess that was when I figured out that music was influencing me without me even being aware of it. From that moment on, I started having a more expanded taste in music. I, of all people, became a grunge girl, wearing flannel and listening to Nirvana and Soundgarden. But that didn't stop me from occasionally singing along to the Backstreet Boys or the Spice Girls either. Sarah McLachlan became one of my musical icons, along with other future Lilith Fair acts, like Tori Amos and Jewel. I still had classical roots from my piano upbringing, and I was at least aware of the east coast-west coast hip-hop rivalry.
So, maybe it was the Beasties that started me on my musical journey. Because it's hard to remember what I was listening to before that day in the classroom.
RIP MCA.
"I can't stand it, I know you planned it"
No comments:
Post a Comment