The Beastie Boys have signed a deal to release a “multidimensional” book in 2015, reports The New York Times .
The two remaining members of the hip-hop group, Michael Diamond (a k a Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), have penned a deal with Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. Fellow Beastie Boy Adam Yauch passed away last year .
True to their unconventional, eclectic style, the Beastie Boys book won’t be your everyday rock memoir. Publisher Julie Grau says the band is “interested in challenging the form and making the book a multidimensional experience.” She added, “There is a kaleidoscopic frame of reference, and it asks a reader to keep up.”
The Times reports that the result will be a “pastiche of voices, images, irreverent humor and pop-culture reference points.”
Rather than a more traditional, narrative-driven memoir, the book will celebrate the group’s history and aesthetic and will be structured as an “oral history” with a strong visual component.
Other writers will contribute to the book, which will be edited by hip-hop journalist Sacha Jenkins.
Ms. Grau and Luke Janklow, the group’s agent, have both compared the project to Grand Royal , the Beastie Boys’ well-received record label/magazine/website from the 1990s. According to Janklow:
“The first words out of Mike’s mouth were, ‘I don’t want to do a straight memoir.’ ”
Spiegel & Grau is no stranger to publishing high-concept books by hip-hop stars. In 2010, the publisher released Jay-Z’s Decoded .
