by Almost exactly 26 years after the release of the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique, KEXP will dedicate a full day of programming to the sampling classic, playing the seminal album and every identified song that it samples across 12 hours, resulting in an odyssey of diverse, unorthodox radio.
Beginning at 6:00 a.m. PDT, KEXP DJs John Richards, Cheryl Waters, and Kevin Cole will meticulously dissect the album, playing all 15 album tracks, more than 100 sampled selections, and rare bonus tracks and demos, plus new interviews with album co-producers The Dust Brothers (John King and Mike Simpson) and an exclusive archival chat with the Beastie Boys aired throughout the day. It’s not unusual for KEXP to play sample-sourced artists like the Beatles, Afrika Bambaataa, and the Ramones on any given day, but the unpredictable-yet-cohesive composition of Paul’s Boutique will result in truly one-of-a-kind programming blocks: expect to hear spoken word artist Lightnin’ Rod, the R&B horn band Tower of Power, Bernard Herrmann’s iconic score from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and the Eagles in close proximity.
“Breaking down LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Losing My Edge’ song-by-song and reference-by-reference last year was just the warmup,” said John Richards, host of KEXP’s The Morning Show. “In my 20-plus years as a DJ, I never thought I’d be this excited to play Loggins and Messina outside of the privacy of my own car. The organic and eclectic composition of Paul’s Boutique perfectly mirrors the KEXP programming philosophy and our emphasis on digging deep into music of all eras and genres, and the Beasties are one of the best-loved bands in the KEXP Community.”
A commercial flop upon release in 1989, Paul’s Boutique is now widely considered one of the best albums of the 1980s. The influence of the album’s sample-heavy style can be heard in artists ranging from Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA to the pioneering electronic group The Avalanches. An album like Paul’s Boutique is highly unlikely be created again due to the extensive sampling fees and licensing clearances needed to secure a legal, wide release. Rolling Stone ranked Paul’s Boutique at #156 of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, while Pitchfork rated it #3 on its Top 100 Albums of the 1980s.
“I love that KEXP is taking the time to break down Paul’s Boutique,” says Dust Brother John King. “When we finished it we felt like it was an amazing work of art to listen to and it was made that way. It is wonderful to have, over the years, people continue to appreciate it. It gets me almost back to the place I was right when we finished it and I thought it was the greatest thing ever.”
You can listen to Inside Paul’s Boutique live from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST Friday on KEXP’s live stream: kexp.org. For the next 14 days, you can also listen to an archive of the entire show: http://www.kexp.org/archive#/2015/07/24/6AM/00.
KEXP is one of the most influential listener-supported music radio stations in the country. More than 200,000 listeners from around the world tune in to the station each week over the air and online. On KEXP’s YouTube channel, videos of exclusive in-studio performances garner more than 1.7 million views per week. KEXP produces over 500 live performances each year. For more information, please visit www.kexp.org.
