Beastie Boys Reveal They Recorded Vocals With MCA Last Year
Beastie Boys have revealed that they recorded new material with Adam Yauch as recently as the autumn of 2011. Yauch, who was also known as MCA, was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and succumbed to the disease earlier this month, aged 47. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Yauch’s bandmate in the Beastie Boys Michael ‘Mike D’ Diamond said that the band had been in the studio at Yauch’s suggestion and that he even managed to do vocals, despite his illness. Speaking about the band’s time in the studio, Diamond said:
“Adam instigated it. It could only come from him, in terms of where he was at with his cancer treatment. He wasn’t sure he was able to do vocals but after a bit we ended up doing them. It was a way for him to say, ‘Yeah, I’m doing it’.”
Diamond also said that he can see himself and bandmate Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz making new music without Yauch, but mostly likely not as the Beastie Boys.
“I can see making music. I don’t know about a band format. But Yauch would genuinely want us to try whatever crazy thing we wanted but never got around to.”
Diamond also spoke about his grief at his friend’s passing and said that Yauch had him “fooled in the most beautiful way” as he was sure he was going to get better. He added:
“He had us fooled in the most beautiful way. I believed, up to last week, that Adam was somehow coming back. But I wouldn’t trade that optimism for anything, because the other option is no fun.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, Jay-Z, Green Day, Eminem, Weezer, Tom Morello and Slash are among the bands and musicians who have paid tribute to Yauch, who died on May 4.
