How can tell if this Beastie Boys autograph is the real thing?
If you have ever wanted to be one of those
people who repeatedly gets asked: "are those real?"
just try auctioning off signatures on eBay.com. Although the Beastie
Boys have been signing items for years, it still seems odd to
see two or three autograph auctions on eBay.com each week. In
an attempt to study similarities and differences among articles
signed by the Beastie Boys, signatures from 1986 through the present
will be examined. Although it is not as common to see them, autographs
signed prior to the release of Licensed to Ill (1986) do
indeed exist and there are those who seek them out specifically.
In most cases though, the majority of the autographs surfacing
in online auctions have been signed fairly recently as you will
begin to see as you learn what to look for in identifying them.
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By the end 1987, the Beastie Boys had spent three years
on the road touring. Even though the American and especially
the British press disliked the group, fans lined up for
a chance to meet the band and get an autograph. Back in
the 1980s, bands were slightly more accessible. If one could
figure out what local hotel housed the major tours, bumping
into a rock star while waiting in the lobby or hiding in
an elevator was by far the easiest way to obtain an autograph.
Enjoying the attention and spotlight placed on them, the
Beastie Boys were often gracious signers during height of
Licensed to Ill's popularity. For that reason, one
is likely to see authentic items from that period appear
occasionally on eBay.com.
There are a couple of things to look for in regard to dating
and authenticating a Licensed to Ill era autograph.
Adam "Adrock"
Horovitz's signature is probably the most obvious telltale
sign to use in determining when something was signed. His
signatures from the Licensed to Ill era all look
very similar to those pictured here. Notice that there always
appears to be an exclamation mark following "Adrock"
as well as circle above the name. The circle may have signified
a crown for "king" Adrock. On the other hand,
Michael Diamond and
Adam Yauch's autographs
were relatively simple back then. Yauch often wrote "MCA"
very quickly, so at times one may see signatures where the
"A" looks incomplete. Whereas more recently, "Mike
D" autographs border on illegible - back in 1987 they
all were very neatly done as one can see in the photos.
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With the Beastie Boys' lack of touring
for Paul's Boutique, there were very few opportunities
for fans to obtain autographs during this period. Occasionally
an authentic looking signed album flat or poster from 1989
will appear on eBay.com. One of the first lessons in autograph
collecting is that the story attached to a signed piece is
worth every bit as much as the ink on the paper. If the story
is believable or plausible, a person is more likely to buy
a signed item, compared to an autographed poster that has
no story at all. Often eBay.com auction listings will cite
that a piece was signed as part of an in-store promotion at
a large music store like Tower Records. Now it is not entirely
impossible that the Beastie Boys made an appearance of that
nature back in 1989 - however, in light of the fact that they
did very little in the way of promotion for that album release
that story is not airtight. |
With the Paul's Boutique era signatures,
one notices that Horovitz's "Adrock" signature gets
a bit more creative. It still resembles the early signatures,
but has a bit more flare to it. Again, Yauch's "MCA"
is a bit boring and often is written relatively small compared
to the signatures of the other two. Michael Diamond's "Mike"
begins its gradual slide into being unreadable, but the "D"
remains very prominent. Usually out of habit a band member will
sign his name by his own image, and when a "MCA" signature
turns up written across Michael Diamond's upper lip there is reason
to be a little suspicious that it was perhaps signed by a forger
who did not know what the band members even looked like. Yet considering
how the Beastie Boys were more unpredictable in 1989, Yauch was
likely just having some fun and the signatures are probably authentic.
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Fans that have seen the Japanese television specials that
the music network Space Shower aired in 1992 will recall
how the Beastie Boys' signatures had further evolved by
1992 with each taking on graffiti look. The lettering in
Horovitz's autograph looked as though he had just "tagged"
whatever item he was asked to sign. The same goes for Yauch
and Diamond as well. While on tour playing Japanese clubs,
the band was known to add their names to the rest of the
signatures which adorned the walls of the backstage dressing
rooms. So if you ever visit Club Quattro in Osaka, Japan,
be sure to get your photo taken in front of the signature
wall of fame like former Oasis bass player Paul McGuigan
did (1994).
Following their time spent in Japan, the Beastie Boys continued
to tour throughout North and South America as well as Europe
in support of Check Your Head (1992). This was a
period where the Beastie Boys were very approachable - fans
were invited and encouraged to come down to various venues
prior to the performances if they had old music equipment
that they wanted to sell. On more than one occasion, these
instrument swap meets turned into meet and greet sessions
where autograph requests abounded. It was also on this tour
that fans seemed to constantly bump into the Beastie Boys
in record shops; being in a different city each day presented
the band members with the opportunity to dig through record
crate after record crate. It also presented autograph hounds
yet another chance to approach the Beastie Boys in a neutral
environment.
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Occasionally one will see autographed copies
of the Skills to Pay the Bills home video appear on eBay.com.
These were signed and given away through broadcasting promotions.
More than one eBay.com listing has cited that the autographed
videotape box was acquired as a prize through a radio station
give-away. You may even recall seeing the footage of when Much
Music, Canada's music television station, had the Beastie Boys
on for an interview in 1992. During that appearance they offered
up a signed copy of the home video as a prize for correctly answering
a trivia question. Therefore, unless a large number of signed
video boxes begin to turn up, they are likely authentic.
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Playing show after show on the Lollapalooza tour, the summer
of 1994 belonged to the Beastie Boys and "Sabotage."
Although the band members still found the time to venture
out on occasion to hit the local record stores, the best place
to get an autograph was right there at the Lollapalooza concert
grounds. Fans that left Lollapalooza's market place and went
off on their own to explore on their own likely caught a glimpse
of the band members playing basketball amongst the tour's
tents and trucks. Also it has been repeatedly reported that
either with or without disguise, Adam Yauch would often be
spotted walking through the crowds while other acts were on
stage. Chance meetings with the Beastie Boys during those
Lollapalooza dates lead to various items, including autographed
t-shirts as well as a signed automobile air freshener; some
have been appearing on eBay.com. The most commonly signed
items in 1994 were magazine covers though, especially the
cover of Rolling Stone. |
Since the Lollapalooza tour did not span
the globe, the Beastie Boys picked up their instruments in 1995
and went out on the road again taking on a world tour. For one
reason or another, very few autographs from this period have surfaced.
About the only items that show up signed with any kind of regularity
are the Atwater Basketball Association balls. With or without
autographs, these promotional basketballs usually bring top dollar
on eBay.com. Irregular surfaces like that of a basketball are
difficult to sign, which may lead you to notice a discrepancy
with an autograph and make you feel as though it may have been
forged. When purchasing such an item which may come with a certificate
of authenticity, realize that it is only as credible as the person
who signed it. In other words, do not put a lot emphasis on a
piece of paper that anyone with a color printer can produce. You
have to feel confident that the signature is 100% real otherwise
you will never be content with the purchase.
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