Dustin Rabin is well on his way to
becoming another household name among fans for his stirring
photographs of Mix Master
Mike and the Beastie Boys. Those who own the Beastie
Boys Anthology: Sounds of Science have likely spent
a moment or two in awe of Rabins ability to capture
the essence of what it was like to see Mix Master Mike enhancing
the Beastie Boys already stunning live show (1998).
It takes someone special who truly appreciates the greatness
of a band to communicate that greatness to others through
a photograph. Dustin Rabin has that special ability. When
I was 12, I wore out my Licensed
to Ill cassette tape from listening to it so much
in my Sony Sport Walkman. You know those big yellow ones.
In less than ten years, Dustin Rabin went from listening
to Rhymin and Stealing (1986) on his Walkman
to hearing the very same song performed live right in front
of his camera lens during the Lollapalooza tour (1994).
The August
30th, 1994 date of the Lollapalooza tour
in Vancouver Canada was Dustins first opportunity
to photograph the Beastie Boys in concert. When Beastiemania.com
spoke with Dustin he said that,
one of my favorite
shots is still from this show. That image as well
as many others is viewable on Dustin Rabins website.
Along with providing its visitors with an engaging way to
look through some of his favorite pieces, the site also
offers a way to get in touch with Rabin through e-mail.
In 1996 Dustin met up with Money
Mark while he was on tour in Canada promoting his solo
album. I Interviewed and photographed Money Mark in
Vancouver on his tour for Mark's Keyboard Repair. At that
time I also met his drummer and Beastie Boys percussionist,
Alfredo Ortiz. The three
of us ate at a restaurant named Taste of Jamaica and I recall
Alfredo saying that his soup [was] dope.
In June of 1997 Dustin made his way to New York to photograph
the second annual Tibetan Freedom Concert. While photographing
the Tibetan Freedom Concert I got to meet the Beastie Boys
for the first time and got to hang out with Fredo some more.
When the Beastie Boys 1998
Hello Nasty tour pulled into Vancouver, Rabin made sure
he was there to photograph it. Fredo gave me a VIP
laminate pass and introduced me to Mix Master Mike. Moments
before going on stage, Mix Master Mike told me that he wanted
me to take pictures of him. They let me shoot 8 songs from
the stage. From those, I had photos published in Rolling
Stone magazine and the Beastie Boys Anthology: The
Sounds of Science. A month later, Mix Master Mike called
me and asked if I could come down to Oakland, California
and photograph the last 2 nights of the Hello Nasty tour.
That would not be the end of Rabins professional relationship
with Mix Master Mike. In 1999, I shot Mix Master Mike
in my home-town of Victoria, BC on his solo tour. One of
those pictures then ended up on the cover of the record,
Eye
of the Cyklops. In the years since, I have had the
privilege of standing next to Mix Master Mike on stage and
taking his picture at least a dozen times. Each time he
completely blows my mind.
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