This 1987 clip of the Beastie Boys on The Late Show shows Joan Rivers at her best

by Tyler Munro

September 4, 2014

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We’re really, really sad to hear that Joan Rivers has passed away, succumbing to complications from throat surgery earlier today. But we wouldn’t want to let our emotions outweigh what really matters right now—remembering just how fantastic she was. Often controversial, she was a trailblazer and an inspiration; a personified ball of sass, wit and style.

After learning that she wasn’t being considered as a possible replacement for her longtime friend Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, Rivers went onto star on Fox’s Late Show, which while far from a success wasn’t without its high-points. One such moment was an episode in the show’s first year that featured a young Beastie Boys at their most rambunctious. Clearly unfamiliar with their work, Joan stumbled with their album title, repeatedly calling it License to Kill instead of License to Ill, but she didn’t bomb. Far from it. As always, she turned the gaffe into a gag.

The resulting 12-minutes, compiled in a YouTube video below, is a fantastic contrast between the Beastie Boys early characters and Rivers’ ability to think on her feet and handle what, by all estimations, probably shouldn’t have gone as well as it did.

Joan Rivers was 81. A self-made star with an at times unparalleled work ethic, she’ll be dearly missed.

Tags: Music, News, Beastie Boys, Joan Rivers

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