Good friends and long time collaborators Beastie Boys and Spike Jonze have teamed up on the documentary film Beastie Boys Story.
Jonze co-wrote Beastie Boys Story with remaining group members Mike D and Ad-Rock. The film is premiering at IMAX (US) on April 3 before coming to Apple TV+ in late April. The first trailer is now streaming.
Beastie Boys and Jonze go way back. Their first joint effort was on the video for 1993’s ‘Time For Livin’. A number of iconic music videos followed including ‘Sure Shot’, ‘Ricky’s Theme’ and ‘Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win’.
1994’s ‘Sabotage’ – a parody of 1970s crime-action TV shows – became an MTV staple and greatly boosted the pop-cultural standing of both Jonze and the Beastie Boys. The significance of the ‘Sabotage’ video is underlined by its use in the Beastie Boys Story trailer.
Watch: Beastie Boys Story – Official Sneak Peek
Described as a “live documentary experience”, the film centres on the Boys’ 2019 tour of the same name. The tour itself was an extension of the group’s 2018 memoir, Beastie Boys Book.
“There are some friends you have lunch with so many times over the years, you know their order. Spike is one of those friends,” Mike D and Ad-Rock said in a statement. “And even when you don’t recognise anything on the menu, he comes up with something good for the whole table. Like when we wondered what to do when our book comes out… then Spike placed his order: You will put on a show for the children.”
Watch: Beastie Boys – Sabotage
“I owe Beastie Boys a lot,” said Jonze. “One time, they pulled me out of a burning ship, and another time they helped me cheat on my college exam to get into Florida State. So, it was a real privilege to get to reunite with them and help them tell their story.”
Love Hip Hop?
Get the latest Hip Hop news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
Last year Amazon released the 15-minute Beastie Boys documentary, Still Ill: 25 Years of ‘Ill Communication’, which celebrated the band’s fourth album. You can watch the full thing here.
