Mike D of the Beastie Boys is one half of a fascinating conversation in New York magazine today. (You will not be surprised to learn that the other half is David Marchese, the interviewer who has recently conducted wildly entertaining chats with Julian Casablancas, Quincy Jones, and Erykah Badu among others.)

Over the course of the Q&A, Mike talks about the differences between New York then and now (your car is a lot less likely to get stolen), his children’s love for $uicideboy$, his own love for surfing, and why he has embraced a “nomadic” existence that recently involved living for four months in Bali with his family. (“After what happened with Adam [Yauch], I realized that life can be short. Especially being a parent, the moments I appreciate most are when I’m with my kids and we’re all experiencing something together.”)

He also speaks about his current relationship now with Adam Horovitz, aka Ad-Rock, and figuring out what he wanted to do with his life while grieving Yauch, aka MCA, who died of cancer in 2012, thereby ending the Beastie Boys. Also, deep into the interview, there is this exchange:

Can you remember something you’ve been played that was supposed to sound like the Beastie Boys?
This is an old thing, but I remember seeing Dee Barnes at a club and she said, “You’ve gotta hear this new group, Cypress Hill. There’s something about their voices that reminds me of you.” That’s kind of the best-case scenario.

What’s the worst-case scenario?
Not that it’s ever happened, but my fear would be that someone would be like, “311. You love those guys, right?” I’m sure they’re nice people — [their music] isn’t my cup of tea.

It’s true: They are very nice people!