With the untimely and very sad passing of Adam Yauch of the group Beastie Boys this week I was reminded of their song Cooky Puss that I first heard on my local college FM station, WXCI FM (Danbury, CT) in 1984.

I was also interested to learn of the Dalai Lama's reaction to Yauch's death which is highlighted in the article from earlier today as shown below:

From newstrackindia.com:

Dalai Lama leads tribute to 'Beastie Boys' rapper Adam Yauch

London, Sat, 05 May 2012

London, May 5 (ANI): Dalai Lama, along with several members of the entertainment industry reacted with sadness and came forward to express their condolences following the death of 'Beastie Boys' rapper Adam Yauch on Friday. He was 47.

The hip hop star, also known as MCA, passed away after a long battle with cancer.

The Buddhist monk met with Yauch several times, most recently in July.

Yauch, who was born to a Catholic father and Jewish mother, had long practised Tibetan Buddhism after converting in 1994.

"Adam had helped us raise awareness on the plight of the Tibetan people by organizing various freedom Tibet concerts and he will be remembered by his holiness and the Tibetan people," the Daily Mail quoted a spokesperson for the Dalai Lama as saying.

The rapper's later musical works were influenced by his new-found religion and Yauch set up and donated generously to the Milarepa Fund which he set up to support Tibetan independence.

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I have a special fondness for the new wave music, synth pop, hip hop, and rap music that appeared on the music scene in the early '80s and to lose yet another musician from this period is a reminder that we are now some 30 years from when this music hit the airwaves and music stores. My sympathies go out to Adam's family, friends, and fans.

Here's a version of Cooky Puss with a music video look to it:

From Wikipedia regarding Cooky Puss:

Cooky Puss is the second EP by the Beastie Boys, and features their first hip hop recording. It was released in 1983 as a 12-inch single on Rat Cage Records. The title, title track, and lyrics are satirical references to the Cookie Puss ice cream treat.

All 4 tracks, along with the entire Polly Wog Stew EP, appear on the compilation album Some Old Bullshit.

The title track samples Steve Martin's "My Real Name", from his 1978 album A Wild and Crazy Guy. It also contains parts of various crank calls from the group to a local Carvel restaurant.

The airline corporation British Airways used a portion of 'Beastie Revolution' (without the band's permission) in one of their television ads; the Beastie Boys contacted a lawyer and successfully sued British Airways for $40,000. This money was then used to rent an apartment at 59 Chrystie Street in Chinatown, New York City. This apartment was not only used as a place to live, but also as a place for the group to rehearse and record. While living there, they honed their skills and transitioned from punk rock to hip hop. The apartment was remembered in "59 Chrystie Street", a song on 1989's Paul's Boutique LP.