“Under The Influence” is a veritable who’s-who of heavy hitters: Alex Pardee, Plasticgod, Israel Sanchez and Shepard Fairey are just a sampling of the artists who contributed to the show. The artists chose varied mediums to create the paintings, drawings and sculptures, including stained glass, oil, acrylic, gouache, Chipotle menus, spray paint and hand-sewn plush. Stand-outs include Jonathan Bergeron’s “Beastie Calavera,” Augie Pagan’s “Sabotaged,” Sean Clarity’s “Meanwhile in Beastieville,” and Roland Tamayo’s “Socialize.” We were also pleased to see that two of our favorites, Tony Philippou and Andrew Hem, contributed strong pieces to the show. Philippou’s heart/rings aesthetic was effectively harnessed for “Judas The Saboteur;” Hem’s “Sabotage” is an excellent display of his quirky portrait perspective, and “Beastie Matchbox” embodies his gift for daring use of color.

If opening-night’s maximum-capacity crowd was any indication, the show should prove to be a smashing success for the gallery. Jensen Karp, co-owner and director/curator of Gallery 1988: LA, shared his thoughts the morning after the opening:

“Under the Influence” was over a year in the making. How did it come about?

We had done a tribute show in Jan 2008 for Stan Lee and had almost 100 artists reinterpret and remix his legendary comic book creations, and it was a huge success. And we have always loved the idea of taking a subject matter or avenue of inspiration that doesn’t immediately jump out at you as a likely place for a fine artist be influenced by, and using that to create an art show. Rick Rubin had visited our gallery once and he’s such a hero of mine, and he immediately was thrown around as a possible person to tribute in 2009. And every time we sat down to visualize the show, we just kept hoping for Beastie Boys pieces, considering their longevity, visuals and just overall aesthetics. So, sorry Rick Rubin, but we cut out the middleman. We contacted Beastie Boys management, and the band was really into the idea, and we went ahead. But Rick Rubin, as well as Beastie Boys, are ALL heroes of mine and some of the most influential pioneers of our generation obviously, so it made for an amazing fit with the “Under The Influence” series.

How was this show different from past shows at Gallery 1988?

We do these large-scale group shows about 4 times a year. They are insanely hard to produce, but the results are always so rewarding. This show was different because it was the first time we employed a musical element to the show. We’ve paid tribute to old school video games, cult movies, Stan and Disney, but never anything involving the music business. So, making sure that music, especially the Beasties, meant something to our stable of artists, was something we had to make sure. And the response made us look stupid since every artist was like, “I’ve been waiting for you guys to do something like this!”

How many artists participated in “Under the Influence,” and how were they chosen?

There were almost 100 artists in this year’s “Under The Influence” show and they mostly are artists who have shown with us numerous times during our 5-year history. Also, these large group shows is where we LOVE to incorporate new artists to the gallery, both bigger names who have never made a stop here, or up and coming names we’re giving a shot to. I love these types of shows because we also usually include 5-10 artists who have never shown in a gallery before ever to give an opportunity to find the next big thing.

The works are so diverse and imaginative. What is it about Beastie Boys that inspired such an intense outpouring of creativity?

I think when you look at Beastie Boys, they are the group of my generation that have really reinvented themselves in some amazing ways. From starting as a punk band, to rapping during the genre’s birth in Brooklyn signed to Def Jam, to maturing with their fans to their last album of all instrumentals, we’ve been there for a full ride with them. And with the artistic people that came up with them (or because well known because of the Boys), from Rubin to Glenn E. Friedman to Biz Markie to LL Cool J to Spike Jonze to even At the Drive In – they are just such a serious source of inspiration that it bleeds into a lot of peoples’ lives, and this exhibit proves that.

Have Beastie Boys seen any of the works? What did they think?

Yes, they have and it seems they really love it. I only say “seem,” because most of their questions for me, after seeing the work, were asking if Bret Michaels planned on attending the opening reception, if Brendan Fraiser has ever worn his outfit from “Encino Man” when looking at art, and what cheese we planned on serving. I was told jokes like that is their seal of approval. And they have already expressed a lot of interest about turning the artwork into posters. So, that made me really happy, not to mention dudes I obsessed over during my childhood have our gallery on their radar at all.

What’s your favorite Beastie Boys song or record?

I think Paul’s Boutique shaped most of my childhood. I had a pet lizard named “Beastie.” They were always a big deal in my house, especially since one of my first concerts as a kid was “Kings from Queens” which was them and Run DMC. But Paul’s Boutique really tapped into a lot of creativity with me. With the samples they and the Dust Brothers used, it just showed me what can be made from inspiration. And what they were doing with Led Zeppelin or Rose Royce records is what we do with art shows now. We take unlikely sources of inspiration for fine artists and turn them into art, just to prove what they really mean. They did the same for rap on that record, cause I was listening to Zeppelin and also loving Beastie Boys and Eric B. and Rakim. They were the perfect fit.

["Under The Influence: The Official Tribute to Beastie Boys" runs through January 29th at Gallery 1988: Los Angeles, 7020 Melrose Ave. 90038, (323) 937-7088. The show is also online at http://beasties88.blogspot.com/.]