As far as being a Beastie Boys fan goes, you could say I’m getting my Master’s in Beastology from the University of Kickin’ It B-Boy Style, and I’m writing my thesis on their influential punk years. I’m talking early 80s, when the Beastie Boys were still barely out of their teens, but they frizzled with noisy punk energy all over New York City.
One of their frequent haunts was Max’s Kansas City, an eccentric hangout for avant-garde artists, poets, punks, drag queens, and queers. Off-beat types who didn’t exactly fit the 70s and 80s mainstream mold were sent to the fringes of society to nurture the city’s rich cultural underground.
That being said, Max’s—and Mothers and CBGB—were crucial to the evolution of the New York punk scene. And it makes sense that the Beastie Boys, who loved reminding us they’re from New York, would have a part in that evolution.
Max’s Kansas City reopened under new management in 1975, and it went from glam-rock-Andy-Warhol-Velvet-Underground vibes to a distinct punk-rock-Patti-Smith-The-Damned style. Eventually, the scene changed in New York, and the early era of punk clubs started dying out. Max’s closed in 1981, but not without a rowdy send-off on December 11.
Early Beastie Boys Track ‘Egg Raid On Mojo’ Referenced Max’s Kansas City Influence
The final Max’s Kansas City show included reggae-punk pioneers Bad Brains as headliner, alongside The Rattlers, The Influence, and Ronnie and the Jitters. The Beastie Boys, then with drummer Kate Schellenbach, opened the night as little-known punks. But by the time Max’s was officially closed, their first EP, Polly Wog Stew, would not be far off.
The song “Egg Raid on Mojo” from that EP was allegedly a reference to a particular bouncer at Max’s. Additionally, the track opens with a radio broadcast by Tim Sommer, a DJ for WNYU. Sommer was an early champion of the Beastie Boys’ emerging punk sound and played them often on his college radio show. The recording most likely came on December 12, 1981, the day after Max’s final show.
“There [was] a really great show last night, down in downtown somewhere,” said Sommer. “The Beastie Boys played; they were great. Reagan Youth played. They were great. Bad Brains, great, great, great. Great show! Anyway, we’re going to hear something now from the Beastie Boys. This one’s called ‘Egg Raid on Mojo’. They’re one of New York’s best.”
Bad Brains had a history with the Beastie Boys already, according to bassist Darryl Jenifer. In 2016, Jenifer said that the Beastie Boys were on the cutting edge of hip-hop in 1982 and 83, but they were hardcore punks at heart.
“[T]hey were hardcore kids but were discovering something new and picked up on hip-hop early,” he told The Observer. “I think they were trying to be funny with it first, because it wasn’t really their thing. They were mainly rock dudes; at least Mike D and [Adam] Yauch. Ad Rock was a b-boy the whole time.
“You see, I used to call him my son when they was really young, like about 15. He always had that b-boy persona, even back then,” he continued. “Yauch was a rock dude, and Mike D was kinda like this pimp/rock dude who hung out with a lot of girls.”
Polly Wog Stew would get an official release in 1994 under the name Some Old S***. And of course, we know where the Beastie Boys eventually ended up. Still one of New York’s best, now in a seemingly drastic style shift into hip-hop. But listen closely, and it’s easy to tell that the Beastie Boys were punks first and always.
Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images
The post On This Day in 1981, Teenage Beastie Boys Help Bid Farewell to Iconic NYC Nightclub by Opening for Bad Brains appeared first on VICE.
