If I were to say ‘The Beastie Boys’, what song comes to mind? Fans will all have their own pick, but for the majority of the world it’s a done deal. Only they won’t necessarily think of the Beastie Boys. Yet what if I said: “You gotta fight for your right…”
The notorious party anthem still lives today. Like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and Cypress Hill’s Insane in the Membrane, Fight for Your Right to Party is a classic for the ages. It is the pinnacle of bro culture: hedonism in a way only a mob of students could appreciate. Hell, just by my mentioning the title you probably already have the song stuck in your head and you’re feeling better for it.
Only, the Beastie Boys HATED this song. Really, they loathed its existence, even refusing to perform it live. In their Best Of album, the liner notes just call it ‘shit’. The song was a parody – their jab at the jock culture that sucked in the pop-metal ‘rebel’ music that the likes of Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister and Motley Crüe produced. But to the credit of the Beasties, Fight For Your Right BECAME the anthem of that crowd. Suddenly they picked up a whole new fan base they didn’t want.
So, what is this all about? Why talk music on a movie site? Because a few years ago the Beasties made peace with their most famous song by producing a brilliant short film starring Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and a huge contingent of cameos and guest stars (and directed by the late Beastie, Adam Yauch).
It starts right after the events of the video for Fight For Your Right, so here they are in sequence. Enjoy!
Last Updated: January 28, 2016
Skyblue
January 30, 2016 at 12:25
Funny as hell, never watched that before!