Mike Diamond - “Mike D” from the Beastie Boys covers topics from the role of failure in achieving success to Mike’s personal meditation practice. In this episode we talk about:
• How Mike reconciles the misogyny of the Beasties early work
• The evolution of the band - and how they freed themselves from feeling imprisoned by their own personas
• The role of failure in achieving success
• The value of taking risks in creative endeavors
• Watching his late bandmate, Adam Yauch, find Buddhism, and how that impacted their music
• The addictive nature of adrenaline when performing
• The role meditation and yoga played for Mike as he tried to calibrate the highs and lows while on tour - and how these practices also now play a role in parenting his two kids
• How he works through self-judgment while meditating
• How he and the other surviving bandmate, Adam Horovitz, managed their grief in the wake of the untimely death of Adam Yauch
• And how a Beastie Boy came to embrace, of all things, loving-kindness
As one of Dan’s personal musical heroes, Mike Diamond - “Mike D” from the Beastie Boys. And he doesn’t disappoint in this smart and thoughtful discussion.
Mike D formed the Beastie Boys with Adam Yauch, aka MCA, in the early 80’s, winning a number of Grammys and spanning a multi-decade career. In 2018, along with his bandmate, Adam Horovitz, Diamond co-authored Beastie Boys Book, which told the story of the band in its own words and reached #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. A limited series of live shows, in which the two brought stories from the book to life, was captured in the 2020 film Beastie Boys Story.
Content Warning: The content is a little mature at points so take care if you’re listening with kids.
Full Show Notes: www.tenpercent...