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Watch "Tibetan Monks" Breakdance For Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch
By
John Del Signore
Published May 5, 2014
Modified May 5, 2014
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 5, 2014
Modified May 5, 2014
Share
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Two years after his untimely demise, it's still difficult to believe that resilient Beastie Boys' cofounder Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA, is no longer with us. Yauch, an inspiration to many for his music, filmmaking, and political activism, succumbed to cancer on May 4th, 2012, in New York City, and is survived by his wife and daughter, who turns 16 this year. In addition to his artistic endeavors, Yauch was also a practicing Buddhist, and this weekend a group of men dressed as monks performed an elaborate breakdance in his honor in Union Square park. Here's pro video:
MCA-DAY "Buddhist Monks" from KNARF® New York on Vimeo.
Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a month before Yauch's death. He was too ill to attend the ceremony, but his bandmate Adam Horovitz read this moving statement from Yauch:
"I’d like to dedicate this award to my brothers, Adam and Mike, who’ve walked the globe with me. To anyone who’s been touched by our band, who our music has meant something to, this induction is as much ours as it is yours. To Kate Schellenbach. To John Berry. To John Berry’s loft on 100th St. and Broadway, where John’s dad would come busting in during our first practices screaming, “Would you turn that f***ing s*** off already!” To my loving and supportive parents, Noel and Frances Yauch, and to our home in Brooklyn where we used to practice on hot Brooklyn summer days after school, windows wide open to disturb the neighborhood.
But most of all I’d like to thank and dedicate this honor to my smart, beautiful, loving wife Dechen and our sweet, talented, loving daughter [Tenzin] Losel. Never has a man felt more blessed than I to be able to spend my time with my two soul mates. I love you guys more than you know. I wish I could name everyone who deserves naming, but of course there’s too many names to name. You know who you are, and I sent my love out to all of you. Your friend, Adam Yauch."
Last year a small park in Brooklyn Heights was dedicated to Yauch.
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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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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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