Yet another reason posts have been slow in coming: after 3,882 posts, I've posted just about all the bands I like that I was able to share useful information about (or at least an oddball factoid or two) or mp3s or video of. I think it's come to the time that I give you the straight dope, heavy on my own admittedly subjective opinions. It already feels better. "Subjective", I like the sound of that, That means I can still think Jethro Tull sucks just because I hate the poofy bloomers Ian Anderson wore onstage. Notice, that's without any regard at all to the quality of their music. I hate golf too.
Without a cute segue, here's something I ran across. It's for those of you who like, or at least respect, the work of the Beastie Boys. You real Beastie fiends can take a pass because you probably have that big ass coffee table book about them. I'm sure that's a good read, I've never bought it even when I've found a cheapo used copy because the fucking book is too big. My coffee table is too small. It would have been better as multiple smaller volumes. Which brings me to Grand Royal, their short lived magazine from the early nineties.
What would a Beastie Boys related magazine be like? There's some music related stuff as you'd expect but it's also Bruce Lee, Evel Knievel, the Dalai Lama, Dolemite and the Harlem Globetrotters. The nerd out factor. I still have a few old copies but they're stored somewhere. The Internet Archive has three issues (of the six published) that you ought to bookmark. There's also a link to their second album from 1989, Paul's Boutique. It's the one I keep going back to. A product of wine, weed and a collaboration with producers the Dust Brothers, it was a complete departure from Licensed To Ill, their only holdover ingredient was the slippery cockiness of twenty-somethings who are pretty certain that their shit don't stink. I'm sure theirs does sometimes, but Grand Royal certainly did not.
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989) at Internet Archive Full LP in 15 cuts
Read:
Grand Royal #1 (1993) at Internet Archive Bruce Lee (cover), George Clinton, Kiss Alive IV, Joey Buttafuoco's Back To School Wear For '93
Grand Royal #2 (1996) at Internet Archive Lee Perry (cover), Mud Honey, Thurston Moore, the 1983 NBA All-Star game, Dolemite and more.
Grand Royal #3 (1996) at Internet Archive Moog Synthesizers (cover), Evel Kneivel, Dalai Lama, Money Mark
