Reddit mentions of Rhyming & Stealing: A History of the Beastie Boys

Story Time!

So I was living in London but was planning to move back to Australia when I saw the BBoys were touring with a festival show downunder. I bought tickets for Sydney and Melbourne before buying our return tickets to Oz.

On the drive down to Melbourne, my wife spots a Sydney Morning Herald with a BBoys contest; 50 words or less tell us why you're the biggest Beastie Boys fan. Winner got 2 backstage passes to meet them in Sydney before that show. After the Melbourne show I sat down in our hotel room and came up with 49 words:

> I've seen the BBoys 11 times on 2 continents... I own every song they've released (and many they didn't officially - Desperado anyone? Scenario? I'm Down?)... I'm a published BBoy Discrography expert*... I worked on their official website for 3+ years**, and yet I'VE NEVER MET THEM! Fix this!! Please!?!

> * - https://www.amazon.com/Rhyming-Stealing-History-Beastie-Boys/dp/1897783140/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540313405&sr=8-1&keywords=beastie+boys+angus

> ** - https://web.archive.org/web/20060617002049/http://grandroyal.isontheweb.com:80/

(and yes, I kinda cheated with having the references)

On Valentine's Day 2007 I got the call that I had won! My wife is more a BBoys fan out of need than want so meeting the band wasn't a bucket list item for her so she made a suggestion. I have a friend in Sydney that at that point I'd traded BBoy recordings with for ~12 years but I'd never met, so I sent him an email and told him I'd won. After some light bitching he congratulated me and said he was jealous but the boy just wasn't picking up what I was laying down so I asked for his number.

I called him and said "You don't get it, I have TWO backstage passes. You're coming with me!" I felt Astro float on the other end of the phone :)

That was a good day!