Adam Yauch On Oscilloscope's New DVD Club, His Cancer Recovery, and Beastie Boys' Coachella Plans

Adam Yauch's Tribeca-based baby, Oscilloscope Laboratories, has had what any small, independently financed distribution company should consider a banner year. Since we last checked in with them in April, they managed not only to survive in a pretty devastating climate, but to flourish, putting out a steady stream of eclectic, always interesting indie releases. Now, Oscilloscope is trying something interesting: The Circle of Trust is their answer to the Dessert of the Month club, its $150 membership fee getting you one moist and delicious DVD per month, before they hit stores.

"It's just kind of an experiment we thought we'd try to see if people were interested in it," Yauch told Movieline today from Hawaii, where he's vacationing. "Basically, if you sign up you get the next 10 DVDs we're putting out, a week before the street date. Once people have signed up, they can buy our back catalogue for half-price."

Yauch realizes his good fortune. "It's been a great year, really exciting for us," he said. "Shortly after we started the company a couple other smaller distributors folded, so we've been able to fill a bit of a void there, helping films get out that might not have otherwise gotten out."

Indeed, were it not for Oscilloscope, audiences may have never had access to some of the year's best films -- docs like Burma VJ and No Impact Man, or the powerful post-war drama The Messenger, starring Ben and Samantha Morton.

As for a presence at this year's Sundance, Yauch assures us Oscilloscope will "definitely" be on the lookout for promising new acquisitions come January, but he doesn't have his eyes on anything specific just yet. "They just announced, right? I haven't really had a chance to study it. I'm trying to soak up some sunshine."

And what about that other creative outlet in his life: a little trio known as the Beastie Boys? Yauch is focusing on rest and relaxation following a scary experience last summer -- the discovery of a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland.

"We're just in the process of figuring that out now," he told us, referring to the band's new album and tour dates. "The record was pretty much set for release this past September, but we had to postpone it, because of health issues. I had cancer." Asked how he was doing, the Artist Also Known as MCA said, "I'm feeling fine now, after the surgery. But it's definitely an interesting thing, you know?"

Fine enough, say, for a Beastie Boys appearance at the 2010 Coachella Festival?

"Maybe so. That's definitely something we're discussing and trying to figure out if that makes sense. Believe me, it would be fun if it does come together."

· Oscilloscope's Circle of Trust [Oscilloscope.net]