May 2, 2022
Alan Light is an
insightful journalist who has been editor in chief of Vibe, Spin
and Tracks. He is a consultant for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame
whose writing has appeared in Rolling Stone and The New York Times.
Alan has authored and co-authored a number of books including Let’s
Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain, The Skills to Pay
the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys and My Cross to Bear, with
Gregg Allman. He is also the cohost of Debatable with Mark Goodman
on Sirius XM Volume.
Alan dropped in to
discuss the Beastie Boys’ sophomore album, the 1989 classic Paul’s
Boutique, over a bottle of exquisite 2016 Leviathan. Recorded over
two years, the album is a masterwork of layered samples, a
freewheeling hip hop opus that dropped before sampling laws became
an income stream for music publishing companies. According to a
2011 article in The Atlantic, if released that year, the album
would cost Capitol Records $20 million in sampling clearance fees.
Paul’s Boutique established the Beasties as visionaries beyond the
party boy antics of their debut, License to Ill. It seemed fitting
to pair this layered and powerful hip hop classic with a wine that
is a similar behemoth. Leviathan is a red blend curated by star
winemaker Andy Erickson (Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Favia, Mayacamas
and more) who, each year, coaxes the best of each varietal in the
blend from notable vineyards throughout California, creating,
essentially a sampled masterpiece.
Guest: Alan
Light
Album: Beastie Boys,
Paul’s Boutique
Wine: 2016
Leviathan, Andy Erickson