Beastie Boys try to shift themselves back onto wrong side of history

It's easy to forget these days that when they first burst into the world, ripping VW badges from cars and putting women in cages, the Beastie Boys weren't universally adored.

So discovering that GoldieBlox have taken one of their shittiest, most sexist moments and turned it into a girl-positive, pro-engineering advert is going to be embraced by the band as a chance to further distance themselves from their youthful missteps, right?

Oh... apparently not:

Along with Universal Music, the Beastie Boys sent a letter to GoldieBlox threatening a copyright infringement claim. GoldieBlox decided to strike first, and has filed for a declaratory judgment in California, saying that their version is a parody and it's protected fair use.

You know what? If I owned the copyright on a song which suggested a woman who wasn't interested was "probably gay" and dreamed of "girls to do my laundry", I think I'd be delighted to see that someone had come along and fixed that for me.

Gordon in the morning: He gave a little wine

I can't decide if Gordon is trying to raise a chuckle by sounding like Alan Partridge here, or if he just naturally sounds like Alan Partridge:

THE Beastie Boys won’t ever end up with dodgy wine at their table when they go to dinner.

Mike D is an expert on the stuff these days.

He has been writing a blog on his passion – and sounds as much like TV wine critic Jilly Goolden as he does a hip-hop pioneer when he’s inteviewed nowadays.

Jilly Goolden? When you're thinking of a wine expert, she's the name that comes to mind?

Thank god it wasn't fine dining that is Mike D's area of speciality, otherwise the entire Sun reading-audience would be going "who the hell is Robert Carrier?" this morning.

It must have been a self-undercutting gag, right? In which case: well played.

Label suing Beasties offers crocodile tears

The day before Adam Yauch died, Tuf America had served papers on the Beastie Boys. That's a little awkward, isn't it?

The label's attorney, Kelly Talcott, has now addressed the "unfortunate" timing of the legal filing, and sent her condolences to Yauch's loved ones on behalf of the music bosses.
Talcott tells E! News, "I was very sorry to hear of Adam Yauch's untimely passing, and can assure you that the unfortunate timing of the filing of TufAmerica's complaint had nothing to do with his health. On behalf of myself and TufAmerica, I offer our condolences to Adam's family, friends, and fans."

Especially the family. Or "the estate of", as Talcott will now be thinking of them.

The timing isn't just unfortunate - it's inexplicable.

Bosses at music label Tuf America launched a legal battle against the Intergalactic hitmakers, alleging the band illegally sampled Trouble Funk's Say What and Drop The Bomb on four of its early tunes - The New Style, Car Thief, Shadrach, and Hold It, Now Hit It.

Hold It Now Hit It dates from 1986. They've had a quarter century to bring a lawsuit. Unfortunate timing indeed.

Rapobit: Adam Yauch

Just hearing that the Beastie Boy's Adam Yauch has died. He'd been living with a cancer diagnosis for three years; he was 47.

[UPDATE: There's a round-up of reactions in this post]

Bookmarks - Internet stuff: Beastie Boys

Dom Passatino on Ich Luge Bullets looks for a Beasties monument:

You don’t even get desperate for attention mixtape rappers recreating the “Paul’s Boutique” cover in search of blog real estate.

So, OK, there’s no Beastie influence on rap. But where’s the Beastie Boys influence on rock or indie or pop? Dave Grohl has, to the best of my knowledge, stopped wearing “funny” costumes in his videos, so that’s gone. I looked at Spike Jonze’s recent videography and it looks like a list of bands Carles deleted from his Google Alert in late 2009. Have the Beastie Boys become the most important band to have left no trace whatsoever?

Cancer checks the Beastie Boys progress

This is how long we've all lived: The Beastie Boys are no longer fighting for their rights to party; instead they're fighting cancer. Or, at least, Adam Yauch is; his surgery for a cancerous tumour in his left salivary gland isn't life-threatening, but will play merry hell with the Beastie's schedule.

Madonna: Almost officially famous

The inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 2008, have been announced: Madonna - who has donated large numbers of items to the museum - is in; The Beastie Boys - who haven't - are not. Funny that.

Also going in will be John 'Where's The Cougar' Mellencamp and Leonard Cohen. The funny thing is, despite the amount of cash the good people of Cleveland have poured in to the Hall, they hold the induction in New York. It's almost as if the birthplace of rock and roll isn't good enough for today's rock and rollers, isn't it?

[You might also enjoy: No Rock's trip to the Hall of Fame]

You, YouTube and The Music: Live Earth

Some Live Earth videos from YouTube, of varying attractiveness:

Al Gore talking
Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
Hips Don't Lie - Shakira
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
Yusuf Islam - Wild World (hopefully wiping the James Blunt version)
Nunatak's Antarctic leg
Crowded House winding up Sydney
Barriers collapsing during the Linkin Park Tokyo set

T reveals Bjork, Mary Chain for Slipperfest

The organisers of T in the Park have started to share some details of their planned more adult festival, Connect. Taking place in Inveraray Castle's grounds, the event promises "a little more luxury" than most festivals - that'll be softer mud, we presume - and will be headlined by Bjork, the Beasties and Primal Scream; Idlewild, LCD Soundsystem, CSS and The Only Ones will top up the bill.

Brains storm

Bad Brains are preparing their first album in four years: Build A Nation is done for us by the definitive Brains line-up of Dr Know, Darryl Jenifer, Earl Hudson and HR; it's being produced by long-term Brain fan Adam Yauch.

Talking of whom, a new Beastie Boys album, breaking a three year silence, is also due this summer.