Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond

Most people know Rivers Cuomo as Weezer’s brilliant, quirky lead singer. But one thing people may not know, is that several years ago, a bizarre conspiracy theory made its way around the Web that Rivers was actually Kurt Cobain. To mark the release of Weezer's incredibly catchy new album, OK Human, Rivers explains to Rick Rubin why the band ditched their classic guitar-based style for an orchestral sound. They also talk about the specific substances Rivers took to write his hit song “Hash Pipe,” and Rivers entertains the Kurt Cobain conspiracy as if it were all true.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear old and new interviews, often with bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/You can find the playlist for this episode HERE — enjoy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rick Rubin connected with Earth, Wind & Fire's Verdine White to talk about the early days of the band and about their producer, Charles Stepney, who Verdine calls their George Martin. Also Rick reads to Verdine a poignant note from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea about what makes Verdine’s bass playing so special. Earth Wind and Fire are the black Beatles. Their influence simply can't be overstated. You’d be hard pressed to find a wedding or graduation party in the last 50 years where their music didn’t bring generations together to dance and sing their hearts out. Earth Wind and Fire’s music is intricate, combining melody with mysticism and jazz to create some of the most instantly recognizable and profound music of the 70s.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear old and new interviews, often with bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/You can find some of our favorite Earth, Wind & Fire songs HERE — enjoy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nas dropped one of the most universally loved rap albums of all time in 1994 with Illmatic. Few legends in Hip Hop have been able to maintain their relevance over several decades based on their skill alone. Nas has never chased headlines or crossover success. He’s always seemed focused on elevating his craft and the culture. And that dedication has paid off. King’s Disease is Nas’ 12th album, and earned him his 14th grammy nomination. It’s up for Best Rap album at this year’s awards. Rick Rubin connected with Nas over Zoom recently to talk about his earliest experiences with rap in Queens, how recording his last album with Kanye West in Wyoming almost took him out of his zone and how early beef with Jay Z made them both stronger rappers.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear old and new interviews, often with bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/You can find some of our favorite Nas songs HERE — enjoy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rick Rubin speaks with friend, pioneering rock journalist, Lisa Robinson about her over 40 year career that's seen her interview everyone from John Lennon to Lady Gaga, from Jay Z to Eminem, and even an 11 year old Michael Jackson. They also talk about her new book, Nobody Ever Asked Me About The Girls. Lisa’s career started in the 1970s when she embedded on world tours with Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. In the decades since, she’s partied with Bowie, dined with Beyonce, and talked through the night with Joni Mitchell. She has a lot to say about everything …. including how she and her husband, music producer Richard Robinson, practically lived at CBGBs during the mid-70s and why she felt compelled to write her latest book— which features excerpts from interviews she’s done with Bette Midler, Rihanna, Adele, Stevie Nicks and so many more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singer/songwriter, pianist, alt-rocker Ben Folds has been releasing records since the 90s. Sometimes with his band Ben Folds Five, sometimes solo. In this episode of Broken Record, he connects with Bruce Headlam to discuss the origins of his biggest hit, "Brick," the time Kesha dove into a pool fully clothed to rescue his phone, and the time he unknowingly destroyed a priceless Steinway piano on Australian TV, plus other anecdotes from his memoir, A Dream About Lightning Bugs. Enjoy this episode—taped live in-studio, before the pandemic—and we'll be back to our weekly Tuesday release schedule next week.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear old and new interviews, often with bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcastYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/You can find some of our favorite Ben Folds songs HERE — enjoy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Dickey is co-founder and chairman of the JackTrip Foundation and the creator of Virtual Studio.The awkward and disjointed experience of making music over the internet is a solvable problem. Virtual Studio is a device that works with the open source software application JackTrip to enable musicians of all ages to collaborate across locations online.Virtual StudioJackTrip Open Source Software ApplicationJamKazam11 Tools for Collaborating on Music Remotely Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nashville producer Dave Cobb has earned six Grammys for his standout work with artists like Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile and Chris Stapleton. Over the past 15 years Dave's managed to inject some much-needed soul into country music. In this interview with Rick Rubin, Dave talks about coming up as a session player in Atlanta in the early ‘90s with hip-hop and R&B producers Jermaine Dupri and Dallas Austin. They also talk about the power of being an outsider, and the value of goofing around in the studio.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear old and new interviews, often with bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcastYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/You can find some of our favorite Dave Cobb songs HERE — enjoy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim James talks about and performs some songs off My Morning Jacket's The Waterfall 2. The album of holdovers from the band's 2015 album came out in July. Jim explains to Bruce Headlam why these songs finally came out five years after The Waterfall. And other exciting projects the band are sitting on. Plus what it was like to tour with Bob Dylan and Wilco and why My Morning Jacket might not exist if it wasn't for Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection."Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear old and new interviews, often with bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcastYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/You can find some of our favorite My Morning Jacket and Jim James songs HERE — enjoy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Blake speaks with Rick Rubin about his new Covers EP. Since his debut album in 2011, the British-born James Blake has gone on to win England's top musical honor, the Mercury Prize, and a Grammy. He’s also produced and collaborated with a ton of musicians including Jay-Z, Beyonce, Billie Eilish, and Travis Scott. A few years back in 2016 James flew from England to Malibu to work with Rick Rubin at Shangri-La. They worked together on his third album, The Colour In Anything. As you'll hear in this conversation with Rick today, James Blake had a life-changing experience while working and living at Shangri-La. In fact, has made LA his home base ever since. James also recalls an embarrassing teenage experience that left him making music in secret for years. And tells Rick that recording his new EP of covers solidified his love of perfect pop songs.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear old and new interviews, often with bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcastYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/You can find some of our favorite James Blake songs HERE — enjoy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rick Rubin connected with Pharrell Williams over Zoom recently to talk through and listen to some of the biggest hits from Pharrell’s illustrious career. They chat about what Pharrell is currently working on (Rihanna!), the French powdered drink mix that helped P write “Get Lucky” with Daft Punk, and why Pharrell thinks he sounds like a sick billy goat on the hook for Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful.” And be sure to check out Pharrell's new podcast OTHERtone - https://link.chtbl.com/brokenrecordSubscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear old and new interviews, often with bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcastYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/Hear all the songs Pharrell mentioned in the episode, along with his favorite Neptunes-produced tracks HERE — you can also enjoy a playlist of some of Pharrell's favorite songs as told to Rick Rubin HERE — enjoy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.