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Difference between revisions of "Johnny Ryall"

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(Created page with "Subject of the [https://genius.com/2197959 titular song] from the Beastie Boys' acclaimed 1989 album ''[https://www.allmusic.com/album/pauls-boutique-mw0000199269 Paul's Bouti...")
 
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==External links==
 
==External links==
*[https://paulsboutique.info/Johnny_Ryall Paul's Boutique Samples and References List]
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* [https://paulsboutique.info/Johnny_Ryall Paul's Boutique Samples and References List]
*[http://www.adioslounge.com/deconstructing-johnny-ryall/ Deconstructing "Johnny Ryall"]
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* [https://www.adioslounge.com/deconstructing-johnny-ryall/ Deconstructing "Johnny Ryall"]
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[[Category:1989|Ryall, Johnny]]
 
[[Category:1989|Ryall, Johnny]]
[[Category:Hip hop|Ryall, Johnny]]
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[[Category:Songs|Ryall, Johnny]]
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[[Category:Rock|Ryall, Johnny]]

Latest revision as of 05:48, 30 May 2025

Subject of the titular song from the Beastie Boys' acclaimed 1989 album Paul's Boutique. According to the lyrics, Ryall, a homeless man who hung out on Mike D's stoop, was a former rockabilly star from Memphis who claimed to have written "Blue Suede Shoes." He's described as:

A rockabilly star from the days of old
He used to have teeth all filled with gold
A platinum voice, but only gold records
On the bass was Boots on the drums was Checkers
Luis Vuitton with the Gucci guitar

In reality, according to Dan LeRoy's Paul's Boutique: 33 1/3, "Johnny Ryall" was a real homeless man, but his backstory was created by Mike D's roommate and tour manager, Sean Carasov, who said the homeless man "looked like the fifty-miles-of-bad-road version of Chet Baker" (79). The band occasionally referred to the character's exploitation by the music industry in their own battles with their labels.

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