Mike D, Spike Jonze Catch a Wave in New Surfing Clip
The Beastie Boys‘ Mike D grabbed his board, some brews and a few bros — including director Spike Jonze and pro surfer Rob Machado — for a surfing excursion captured on tape by surf-themed artist Alex Kopps in a new clip for the lifestyle publication Nowness.
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The aptly titled “Mike D’s Surf Safari” finds the MC, Jonze, Machado and professional surfers Kassia Meador, Ford Archbold, Alex Knost and Tanner Rozunko heading out to catch some waves at the famed beach in Baja, California. The grainy footage shows the crew prepping for their adventure — setting alarms, loading up the cooler and wondering if it’s possible to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the dark — and then shredding some tasty swells to the mellow tune of a reverb-soaked soundtrack.
“Alex Kopps was a genius for having this digital voice recorder with him all the time,” said Mike D, who started surfing a decade ago when his son became interested in the sport. “Just recording random conversations. There are some hidden treats there. Spike Jonze got a sense of this, captained the recorder and would kind of steer the dialogue.”
While the Beastie Boys may have hung up their tracksuits and microphones following the tragic passing of Adam “MCA” Yauch, Mike D has been busy with his own music. Last summer, he soundtracked the runway show for fashion house Kenzo’s 2014 Spring/Summer Collection (which includes the 10-minute track, “Humberto vs the New Reactionaries: Christine and the Queens Remixx”), and also remixed Portugal. The Man’s “Modern Jesus.” Mike D and fellow surviving Beastie Boy Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz are also reportedly at work on a memoir about their music and career.