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When the Beastie Boys first achieved fame with Licensed to Ill, it didn't take long for me to become a big fan. But as a naive teenager growing up in the suburbs, I took some of their schtick a bit too literally. I kind of believed that they were actually tough, street gang kids from NYC who you wouldn't want to fuck with. Especially MCA, with his gruff voice and lyrics about being "fully strapped." As I got older and wiser, I came to realize that lyrics about guns, etc. were just part of the act. (And as they, too, matured, so did their lyrics.)
Fast forward to sometime around the early to mid 2000's. As I'm about to walk into a Japanese restaurant on 9th Street in Manhattan, I notice an attractive woman and her very young, beautiful daughter walking out. I hold the door open for them, and they pass by me, followed by none other than Adam Yauch, who was obviously with them. Normally, I don't bother celebrities in public, but his appearance right in front of me was so sudden and unexpected that I just reacted by saying "Hi, Adam," as if he were an old acquaintance. That wasn't my intention at all, but it must have sounded that way, because he looked at me searchingly, as if trying to figure out where he knew me from and said, "Oh hi," in a soft, very shy voice. And then I smiled and proceeded into the restaurant, and he left with his family, probably realizing at that moment that I was not an acquaintance, but just an awestruck fan.
It all happened within a few seconds, but my perception of the brash, in-your-face MCA immediately dissolved and was replaced by the image of a softspoken, unassuming gentleman. One of the least intimidating people you could ever meet. Hard to believe it was the same person.
Thanks for everything, Adam. You put many smiles on my face over the years. God bless you and your family.
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