Best of O Watch

In December 2006, the Beastie Boys installed cameras in their New York studio and invited fans to watch them as they worked on their album via the O-scope cam on the studio web site. Always interested in the creative process, we at Mic to Mic asked fans to send us screen captures from the O-scope cam feed so we could document the band's work for posterity. We arranged the screen captures in chronological order, posted them to our Flickr account, and called the collection "O Watch."

Sometimes, watching the Beastie Boys in the studio was as exciting as watching paint dry on the wall. Other times, it was like watching monkeys man a spaceship. Exciting or not, the O-scope cam feed allowed fans to learn both professional and personal things about the band.

What We Learned from O Watch


1. Mike Diamond talks a lot. He spends an excessive amount of time on his mobile phone. If he isn't talking, he's texting someone. Obviously, he is a very popular guy.


2. Contrary to his boast, Mike Diamond is not the Beastie Boy who dances the most. Adam Horovitz is the lord of the dance at Oscilloscope Laboratories. He shakes his booty above and beyond any other Beastie Boy.


3. The Beastie Boys' muse has four legs and a tail.


4. The Beastie Boys work in seclusion and without "consultants." They are their own musical geniuses (or fools, if you're inclined to think that way). An engineer is their sole sidekick in the studio.


5. When the Beastie Boys say that they contribute equally to their work, they aren't being completely truthful. Adam Yauch serves as boss Beastie Boy and producer. He is the one who spends the most time in the studio, working in front of and behind the controls. Most days, he is the first to arrive and the last to leave the studio.



6. Adam Horovitz is a jack-of-all-instruments. He plays guitar, keyboards, and percussions. The multi-instrumentalist even toys with Yauch's bass on occasion. He may be the reason no instrumental credits appear on The Mix-Up. His contributions would put the others to shame.



7. They are proud of their families. Each of them paraded their loved ones in front of the camera without concern or hesitation. This indicates a comfort and trust with both their families and fans.



8. The Beastie Boys are goofy -- but we knew this before they put the cameras in the studio.

We're going to take this down time now in the band's schedule to feature some of the best screen captures from O Watch for those fans who didn't have the patience or time to watch the live feed or scroll through the screen caps. Check the Best of O Watch feature at this blog daily for special screen caps from the collection.