Rick Rubin, a legendary record producer behind hits from artists like Johnny Cash and Adele, dives deep into creativity and authenticity. He discusses the importance of trusting your instincts over public opinion, and how self-censorship is affecting artistic expression today. Rubin shares insights on the emotional connections that shape music and the necessity of listening amidst distractions. He argues that creativity is a shared human experience, emphasizing that both innate talent and learned skills play vital roles in artistic expression.
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Shared Lineage
Rick Rubin's dad frequented jazz clubs, often as the sole white person.
Rubin had a similar experience in early hip-hop clubs, connecting with his father's past.
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Earliest Musical Memory
Rubin's earliest musical memory is dancing to The Beatles' cover of Chuck Berry's "Rock and Roll Music."
This sparked a lifelong fascination with music discovery.
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Def Jam's Dorm Room Beginnings
Rubin transformed his NYU dorm room into Def Jam Recordings, initially focused on documenting hip-hop's raw sound.
It began organically, without business intentions, driven by his passion for the music.
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Cinema Speculation
Quentin Tarantino
Cinema Speculation is Quentin Tarantino's debut nonfiction book, published in 2022. The book is a series of essays organized around American films from the 1970s that Tarantino saw during his youth. It includes analyses of films such as 'Bullitt', 'Dirty Harry', 'Taxi Driver', and others, along with autobiographical elements and cultural context. The book is a blend of film criticism, film theory, and personal history, reflecting Tarantino's unique perspective as a filmmaker and avid movie lover. It also includes quotes from film critics, personal interviews, and other secondary sources to provide a rich and informative narrative about the cinema of the 1970s[1][4][5].
The Timeless Way of Building
Christopher Alexander
In this book, Christopher Alexander introduces the concept of the 'quality without a name,' arguing that this intangible quality is essential for creating buildings and spaces that feel right to human beings. The book is part of the Center for Environmental Structure series and lays the foundation for Alexander's subsequent works, including 'A Pattern Language' and 'The Oregon Experiment.' It emphasizes the importance of aligning building design with the natural and human environment, rejecting mass-manufactured materials, and focusing on individual attention to detail in construction. The book is written in a unique style, often resembling prose poetry or religious scripture, and includes numerous full-page photo illustrations to support its arguments[2][3][5].
The Creative Act
A Way of Being
Rick Rubin
In *The Creative Act: A Way of Being*, Rick Rubin distills the wisdom he has gained from a lifetime of working with artists across various genres. The book is not just about music production but about the broader creative process and how it applies to everyone's life. Rubin emphasizes the importance of reconnecting with a state of innocence, being aware of the world, and tapping into what he calls 'Source'—an infinite and constant flow of ideas and inspiration. The book is structured around 78 areas of thought, providing practical wisdom, philosophical insights, and encouragement for anyone seeking to enhance their creative expression.
People don’t usually think about Adele in the same breath as Johnny Cash. The Beastie Boys in the same breath as Jay-Z. Justin Bieber and Slayer. Neil Young and Lady Gaga. The Dixie Chicks and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But all of these iconic artists have a single person in common: producer Rick Rubin.
Ever since Rubin created Def Jam Recordings from his college dorm room forty years ago and helped launch the global phenomenon that is hip hop, Rubin has produced some of the world’s most popular records. If you look at his discography, it’s almost unbelievable. Rubin works on up to ten records a year, and has become something of a high-priest of popular music.
Today, I talk to Rubin about his new book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. We talk about what it means to be creative, how to trust your own gut, separating the art from the artist, what he thinks of growing self-censorship in our music, art and culture, and what it means to listen in an era of non-stop distraction.
And to follow Rubin’s next projects, you can visit tetragrammaton.com
Honestly with Bari Weiss 
