“It was kind of a weird, bittersweet thing,” says Beastie Boys’ Michael “Mike D” Diamond of seeing billboards promoting his new documentary Beastie Boys Story in the midst of the COVID-19 shutdown and social distancing.
“A friend had texted both Adam (“Ad-Rock” Horovitz) and I pictures of these huge billboards that are right across from the Staples Center here in downtown L.A. It was supposed to be like, the Lakers are going to be in the playoffs, the Clippers are going to be in the playoffs. Like, you were going to come out of this arena, tens of thousands of people, and then see these billboards for Beastie Boys Story on Apple TV+! And now, maybe just once in a while" somebody will drive by.
Beastie Boys Story, directed by Spike Jonze, premiered via Apple TV+ on April 24. The documentary chronicles the story of the hip-hop trio (Diamond, Horovitz and Adam “MCA” Yauch, who died in 2012).