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🇨🇭 Switzerland /Culture & Society

Mike D, a former Beastie Boy who has returned wiser

From Le Temps · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Context piece
  • Michael Diamond, known as Mike D of the Beastie Boys, is releasing his first solo album 14 years after the death of his friend and bandmate Adam “MCA” Yauch.
  • The 60-year-old rapper apologized for the group’s past behavior, saying its members once believed they needed a distinctive attitude to set themselves apart.
  • Diamond presented the album Thank You in Paris and is scheduled to perform in Lausanne on Nov. 3.

It is unusual for an artist to begin an interview by apologizing for his past behavior. Yet Mike D insists on doing exactly that.

The 60-year-old rapper, whose real name is Michael Diamond, helped form the New York trio Beastie Boys with childhood friends Adam “MCA” Yauch and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz. The group became one of rap’s most turbulent acts during the 1980s and 1990s.

If we were a little rude in the past, I apologize.

· Mike D (Michael Diamond)He apologized for the Beastie Boys’ behavior during their earlier years.

Now, 14 years after Yauch’s death, Diamond is releasing his first solo album. He came to Paris in late June to present Thank You, which was published on Aug. 28. He will also give a concert in Lausanne on Nov. 3.

“If we were a little rude in the past, I apologize,” Diamond said. “Because we were young, we thought that to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the world, we had to adopt a certain attitude.” The interview excerpt supplied here ends as it begins to describe the band’s earlier years.

Because we were young, we thought that to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the world, we had to adopt a certain attitude.

· Mike D (Michael Diamond)He explained how the group viewed its behavior when its members were young.
About this summary

Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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