Beastie Boys rapper Mike D (Michael Diamond) has spoken about how the death of bandmate Adam "MCA" Yauch from cancer in 2012 left him unable to write music, saying he would open a computer file and simply feel sadness. In a new interview, the 60-year-old reflects on the band's journey from the frat-boy satire of their 1986 debut Licensed to Ill, which sparked tabloid outrage and moral panic during their 1987 UK tour, through their evolution into one of their generation's most musically and politically progressive acts before disbanding after Yauch's death.

Since the Beastie Boys ended, Diamond has focused on producing records for bands including Soft Play and the Hives, while his sons Skylar and Davis perform as the indie pop duo Very Nice Person. Jamming with them reignited his own passion for songwriting, leading to his debut solo album, Thank You, in which he grapples with themes of greed, mortality and his past. The interview also revisits the band's turbulent early years, including their acrimonious split from Def Jam and the creative reinvention that produced 1989's Paul's Boutique with the Dust Brothers.