59 Chrystie Street is the first section of the 15th track on the album Paul’s Boutique…
it’s also an early residence of the Beastie Boys
Jerry Schatan (on Beastiemania):
“I can also remember that back in 1983, Mike D and the boys had a huge party at their loft on Chrystie Street. They were living in fairly abject circumstances. The tub was in the kitchen and the bathroom was in the hall…
I guess they were trying a little too hard to get away from their upper middle-class roots.”
MCA (in Spine Magazine):
“We got a floor in this Chinese Sweatshop building on Chrystie Street.
The floor was blacktop. Somebody had actually rolled tar across it, like the street. One time we were hanging out in the living room and we heard this really loud explosion in the kitchen. Our toaster oven had a hole in the top and a hole in the back. There was a hole in the wall behind it and a hole in the ceiling. Apparently, somebody upstairs fired a gun through the floor. We ran up there and there was nobody in the room but this old woman.
We were like, “What happened?” and she didn’t speak English. You know some crazy shit had just happened in that sweatshop and they had quickly covered it up. Dragged the body out.”
Beastie Boys “59 Chrystie street”
Produced and written by the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers.
Engineered by Mario Caldato and Allen Abrahamson.
Samples:
“Here We Go”, by Run-DMC
“Change Le Beat/B-Side” by Fab 5 Freddy
“Burundi Black (Pt. 2)” by Burundi Black
“Buffalo Gals” by Malcolm McLaren
“Are You Experienced?” by Jimi Hendrix
“My Philosophy” by Boogie Down Productions
