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Adam "MCA" Yauch Honored On Floor Of New York State Senate
By
John Del Signore
Published May 16, 2012
Modified May 16, 2012
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Jen Carlson/Gothamist
By
John Del Signore
Published May 16, 2012
Modified May 16, 2012
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State Senator Daniel Squadron took to the Senate floor yesterday to introduce a resolution honoring Adam "MCA" Yauch, the beloved musician, rapper, Beastie Boys co-founder, filmmaker, Buddhist, and political activist. Yauch died of cancer ten days ago at a Manhattan hospital, and heartfelt tributes have gone up around NYC and beyond...and now all the way to the state legislature.
Yauch was born and raised in Squadron's Brooklyn district, and yesterday Squadron said, "It is with great sadness that we mourn Adam Yauch and honor his life and contributions to music, and his contributions to the world as an activist and organizer for good." Here's video:
Apparently, Squadron is a lifelong Beastie Boys fan. He tells us, "Growing up in New York, listening to the Beastie Boys was as basic as carrying an extra subway token in case of emergency. Paul's Boutique was one of the first tapes I bought. When Hello Nasty came out in 1998, I was on a road trip. My friends and I took a detour to get the CD the moment it was out and listened to it on repeat for the 3,000 miles back home."
On the Senate floor, Squadron went on to say, "[Yauch] began his music career as so many folks did in the that time in the late '70s and early '80s and the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Of course the Beastie Boys went a long way from there. He really rose above an early immature start in some ways to be an activist for good, and was deeply involved in humanist issues locally and around the world, highlighting abuses against Tibet and Tibetans, and trying to be a voice for a positive influence across the nation and across the world. For many people in my generation, the passing of Adam Yauch, was because of its untimely nature and because of the influence the Beastie Boys had, truly shocking and saddening."
The Squadron resolution reads in part: "Whereas, The music and message of the Beastie Boys evolved over the years, but they can't, won't, don't stop changing the face of hip-hop, of music, and of our culture. 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." You can read it in full here, and a copy will be delivered to Yauch's family.
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adam yauch
daniel squadron
mca
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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