The '80s in America. Terrible time. Terrible place. Wall Street was destroying the country. Politicians were corrupt. There was cocaine everywhere. People dressed in neon, acid washed jeans, and leggings and crimped their hair. The rich were got richer while the poor got poorer.

Oh, wait.

One weird thing that happened in the American '80s that's unique to that time in place, though: The Beastie Boys toured with Madonna. And, on top of that, they were arrested after one of their shows with her ... for cursing onstage. Things have changed so much, and they haven't changed at all. Here, the Beasties talk about being stupid in an archival interview from 1985. It's been illustrated by our friends at Blank on Blank. Enjoy.

See also: Hear Jim Morrison Talk About Why Being Fat is Beautiful

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Tonight at Death By Audio, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz of the Beastie Boys will spin a DJ set during a benefit show for the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, who have been in prison since this spring for alleged "hooliganism" stemming from their public performances and might spend up to seven more years there, depending on how their case works out. (You can read more about Pussy Riot's travails here.) Tonight's DJ gig will be the first public appearance by Ad-Rock since the death of his bandmate Adam "MCA" Yauch last month.

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Today the perpetually troubled R&B brat Chris Brown released the video for "Till I Die," a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa and Big Sean that waxes semi-poetic about the joys of getting fucked up and eating shrimp-laden pasta. (Is that a sex metaphor? Please say no.) The song itself sounds like a reverse-engineered version of the Karmin cover of Brown's hit "Look At Me Now," only with lyrics to prove that he's still a badass, y'all; the video has a lengthy section that brings to mind the Go-Gos' iconic clip for "Our Lips Are Sealed," only with some Disney-flick-like CGI that dances around the three principals' heads in an effort to represent just how fucked up the substances of which they sing have made them. There is also a dedication to Adam "MCA" Yauch, the recently deceased Beastie Boy slash activist slash all around great guy. Which is a nice gesture! Except when you look at it in the context of not just this video, but Brown's very recent behavior.

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To celebrate the memory of the late Adam "MCA" Yauch, Portland filmmaker James Winters enlisted his younger family members to recreate the '70s-cop-flick homage that is the Beastie Boys' video for "Sabotage." The tribute is really well-done, and as someone who used to just shout "COCHISE!" at her friends at unannounced intervals (oh the innocence of the '90s!), I am feeling quite the hellacious mix of admiration and jealousy at the moment. Compare and contrast with the original below.

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The Beastles, Boston-based dj BC's well-received (but ultimately unauthorized and subsequently yanked offline) Beatles-Beastie Boys mash-up, is now fully available online. In memory of Adam Yauch, Bob Cronin (dj BC's alter ego) has decided to face any potential legal wrath from publishing companies and repost The Beastles and its 2006 followup, Let It Beast.

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Today, the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch passed away, and in memory of his group's New York legacy, we turn to our archives to see how the genre-breaking group's art was perceived when it first landed on turntables and in CD players. Below, scans of Village Voice reviews for the "Cooky Puss" EP and Licensed To Ill, and reviews of other parts of their back catalog from Voice critics.

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Adam Yauch, better known as MCA and one of the founding Beastie Boys, died today after being diagnosed with cancer in 2009. He was 47.

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Will the Beastie Boys prove to be triumphant?

​This week, our search for New York's quintessential post-1955 musician is about to get hectic, with the winner crowned as the calendar flips to April on Saturday night. (A rundown of all the matches so far is here.) So for the Round of 16 matchups--four of which kicked off yesterday, four of which begin right now--we're going to dispense with the punditry and get to the voting. The combatants, which hail from the Downtown and Queens quadrants: the still-kicking No. 16 seed Sick of it All and Sonic Youth; the Velvet Underground and the Beastie Boys; Carole King and Blondie; and Neil Diamond and Miles Davis. Ballot below. Please note that you have to vote in all four races in order for your vote to count.

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​Sound of the City's search for the quintessential New York City musician enters Round Two this week, with battles in the Round of 32 daily. Keep up with all the action here.

In their more carefree, young-turk days, Madonna and the Beastie Boys went on tour together, shocking parents and delighting the makers of fingerless gloves. After years of big-selling albums and experimentation of all sorts (sonic, sexual, film-making, etc.), both are firmly ensconsed in pop's pantheon of legends. Today, the Material Girl and the Beasties tangle once again—this time, in Sound of the City's search for the quintessential New York musician. Who will emerge victorious?

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​The Round of 64 for Sound of the City's own version of March Madness—in which you, the Sound of the City voting public, help determine the quintessential New York musician—finishes up this week, with the Round of 32 scheduled to kick off Monday. (The schedule and results so far are here; the full, updated bracket is here.) Now we continue with the Downtown region, where Larry Levan takes on the trio of Mike D, MCA, and Ad Rock. Check out the arguments in favor of each below, and vote at Facebook for your favorite.

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