From Publishers Weekly
Hip-hop stars Adam Yauch, Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond the Beastie Boys sing, clown around, play video games, shoot baskets, mug for the camera and seemingly never stop moving in Pass the Mic: Beastie Boys 1991-1996, a collection of intimate photographs by Ari Marcopoulos (Transitions and Exits). A product of the five years Marcopoulos followed the artists, the grainy, mostly black-and-white candids show the musicians on their Check Your Head tour, at Lollapalooza, in the recording studio and just hanging out. The collection now seems a poignant testament to youth culture just before dot-com mania swallowed up the young'uns.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Spanning the years 1991-96, Marcopoulos's intimate black-and-white photographs capture the ongoing relevance and increasing musicianship of the Beastie Boys. The trio once gay- and woman-bashing brats, now respected members of popular music's social activist club shine through as melders of hip-hop, funk, rock, and rap. What one thinks of their music is irrelevant, however, because the selections are so resonant and captivating that one cannot help but feel the pulse of Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA's creativity. Readers get glimpses from the stage as well as impromptu shots of backstage life; all communicate the passion that the Beasties deliver to their audience. An Amsterdam-born photographer and video artist, Marcopoulos will be represented at the Whitney 2002 Biennial Exhibition March 7 through May 26 in New York City. Michael Heatley's Beastie Boys: In Their Own Words provides more biographical information, but this oversize book is an outstanding photographic record of a longstanding group. With a prolog by Paul Miller (a.k.a. DJ Spooky). Highly recommended for music collections. Caroline Dadas, Hickory Hills, IL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
