Wisdom from unlikely urbanists, the Beastie Boys
When I was in high school in the early 80s I was a bit of a musical prude – preferring soft pop rock tunes over more progressive music. The Beastie Boys was a group I dismissed. Interestingly, these guys are my age – one is younger while the oldest is barely two years my senior. They, like me, are quickly approaching forty. With age does come wisdom.
A diverse musical library has been a big part of my growth. I’m happy to report that I can’t get enough Beastie Boys. Their latest album, To the 5 Boroughs, is awesome. From the album title to their videos, it is clear these guys really love New York City.
Pay attention to the lyrics and you know they get it. Consider this verse from the track Right Right Now Now:
I went to get a loan and they asked my race
I wrote down human inside the space
It’s a disgrace how they try to debase
It ain’t the bank’s damn business how my lineage trace
Banks have long been a destructive force in cities. Past crimes of racial & economic red lining have, for the most part, disappeared but the damage has been done. The effort now required to undue what has been done by prior generations of bankers and planners is monumental. But, we of the Generation X crowd (1965-1975 by some accounts) are a group reaching increasing political power. It is becoming our time to make our mark on the City of St. Louis.
Let’s make our mark more meaningful than prior generations.
Click here for the complete lyrics to Right Right Now Now.
Click here to preview the song on the iTunes Music Store.