Episodes

Rick Nielsen is best known as Cheap Trick’s lead guitarist and main songwriter. In the late '70s, Cheap Trick helped popularize power pop with their songs “Surrender” and “I Want You To Want Me," which were precursors to the pop punk explosion in the '90s with bands like Green Day and Blink-182. In June, Cheap Trick released their 20th studio album, In Another World that's chock full of Rick Neilsen’s monster riffs that recall their glory days in the 1970s. On today’s episode, Bruce Headlam tal...

Mark Ronson's big break as a producer came from working with Amy Winehouse to find the perfect sound for her career defining album, Back To Black. Since then, Ronson has gone on to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe and seven Grammys for producing chart-topping hits for artists like Lady Gaga, Adele and Bruno Mars. Ronson’s sound is often associated with danceable, driving rhythm sections—which makes sense, considering his background as a renowned DJ. In today’s interview with Rick Rubin we’ll hear M...

BROCKHAMPTON's original members formed after posting on a Kanye West fan message board in 2010, and then started making music in The Woodlands, Texas. Since then, they’ve turned the idea of a boy band on its head. With as many as 14 members at times, BROCKHAMPTON's deconstructed the traditional pop star/rap ethos by being unapologetically inclusive of racial and sexual identities. Today BROCKHAMPTON's frontman Kevin Abstract talks through the group’s sixth and latest album, Roadrunner: New Ligh...

Archie Shepp is a tenor saxophonist and composer who's spent over half a century contributing to the evolution of Black music. Shepp has long fought for Black musicians to get their fair share of credit, recognition and recompense for their contributions to popular music. Shepp's been considered a leader of avant-garde jazz since the 60's. He's famously played alongside John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, and the great free jazz pianist, Cecil Taylor. But 84-year-old Shepp doesn’t consider the music he p...

Craig Finn, the lead singer and songwriter of The Hold Steady, is known for his vivid, literary-style songwriting. He often writes about characters going through an existential crisis. The Hold Steady released their eighth album, Open Door Policy, earlier this year. This time around, the Minneapolis-born Finn says his focus is on themes related to the trappings of technology and late-stage capitalism. On today’s episode Craig Finn talks to Bruce Headlam about how the Drive By Truckers inspired ...

Moby may be one of the most highly recognizable dance-music artists of all time, but he’s also a talented multi-hyphenate whose unconventional 30-year career includes massive success as a producer and DJ, and notoriety as an animal rights activist. Moby’s latest project, Reprise, is a greatest hits album that revisits the highlights of his extensive catalogue. Recorded with the Budapest Art Orchestra and various vocalists like Jim James, Moby’s most well known electronic songs are reimagined on ...

Brian Eno’s 50-year career is teeming with innovation. He started out playing synths in the early ‘70s as a member of the UK glam-rock band Roxy Music and went on to create an entirely new musical genre—ambient music, and later he recorded a series of solo albums and eventually produced career-defining albums for a host of bands including U2, Devo and Coldplay. On today’s episode Rick Rubin talks to Brian Eno about his new radio station through Sonos Radio HD called The Lighthouse, and his love...

Liz Phair helped lay the foundation for a generation of fierce, independent artists on her gritty 1993 debut album, Exile In Guyville. Early in her career, she pushed for freedom and creative control, especially for female artists. It's something she’s finally seeing become the norm in the industry. That progress inspired her new record, Soberish where she reunites with the producer of her first two albums: Brad Wood. On today’s episode Bruce Headlam talks to Liz Phair about how her approach to...

Rhiannon Giddens is a brilliant fiddle and banjo player who’s one of the few musicians alive today trained in the centuries-old black string band tradition. Giddens is a North Carolina native but now lives in Ireland, not far from her partner Francesco Turrisi. During lockdown, the duo recorded their latest album, They’re Calling Me Home. On today’s episode, Bruce Headlam talks to Giddens about her decision to write from a cultural point of view rather than her own. Giddens also talks about how ...

In 2005 singer Bonnie "Prince" Billy a.k.a. Will Oldham and guitarist Matt Sweeney released the Superwolf album, which has developed a cult following that includes Rick Rubin who absolutely fell in love with the project. Now, 16 years later, they’re back with the follow-up, Superwolves. The new album was five years in the making—a leisurely pace that allowed Oldham and Sweeney to be incredibly intentional with their creative choices. On today’s episode, Rick Rubin talks to Oldham and Sweeney ab...

Peter Frampton is a classic rock guitar god who rose to international fame in the late ‘70s with his chart-topping double album, Frampton Comes Alive! Justin Richmond caught up with Frampton recently to talk about his new album of cover songs, Frampton Forgets The Words, that provides insight into his expansive 50-year career. Songs like “Loving The Alien,” a David Bowie song that Frampton says is a tribute to his childhood friend who helped revitalize his career. And George Harrison’s “Isn’t It...

System of a Down’s classic Rick Rubin-produced album, Toxicity, turns 20 this year. Released in 2001 one week before 9/11, the politically charged and wildly bizarre album provided the perfect soundtrack for a world descending into chaos. Serj Tankian, the lead singer of System, is no stranger to conflict. His family is Armenian and migrated to Los Angeles from Lebanon to escape a civil war when Serj was seven years-old. Today we’ll hear Rick Rubin talk to his good friend Serj about how hearing ...

Listening to Jimbo Mathus and Andrew Bird’s new album, These 13, is like taking a trip down South … a century ago. It’s new territory for Andrew Bird, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist from the Chicago suburbs who’s been a successful indie folk singer/songwriter and also recently acted on the fourth season of Fargo. But for Jimbo, as a Mississippi resident, some of this music can hit too close to home. Surrounded by the ghosts and old battlefields of the Civil War, some songs he finds ...

Few bands have experienced such extreme highs and lows as the Bee Gees. Throughout their decades-long career, the band of brothers managed to be both grossly underrated and one of the best-selling acts of all time. Barry Gibb and his younger twin brothers Maurice and Robin Gibb started out in the late ‘50s as a teenaged pop group in Australia. On today's episode Rick Rubin talks to Barry Gibb about how the Bee Gees' impeccable three-part harmony caught the ear of the prominent UK manager Robert ...

Merry Clayton is a legendary backup singer who has managed to consistently steal the spotlight. Merry’s journey from a renowned backup singer to a solo artist was documented in the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom in 2013. Almost exactly one year after the film was released, Merry was involved in a near-fatal car accident that resulted in her losing both of her legs. After years of intensive physical therapy, Merry is back and set to release a brand new album, Beautiful Scars. On ...

Marianne Faithfull has been many things throughout her half a century in music—a close confidant of the Rolling Stones, a pop star, a homeless drug addict and a critically acclaimed comeback artist. Despite a career filled with personal and professional turmoil, Marianne Faithfull has always managed to find her footing. Last year, just as Europe went into quarantine, Marianne started recording a series of spoken word renditions of 19th Century Romantic poems scored by Brian Eno, Nick Cave and he...

Valerie June has helped widen the scope of contemporary Americana music. She’s one of few African American women in the category and her unique combination of gospel and Appalachian folk is a shimmering example of what's possible in the roots-music tradition. Broken Record producer Leah Rose caught up with Valerie to talk through her stunning new album, The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers. They also talk about Valerie’s new collaboration with the legendary Stax singer, Carla Thomas, a...

Malcolm Gladwell recently spoke with Ziggy Marley as part of the Live Talks Los Angeles series. Their conversation centers around a book of photographs Ziggy curated called Bob Marley: Portrait of the Legend. Ziggy has gone on to become a reggae icon in his own right and is now an eight-time Grammy winner, a philanthropist, author and keeper of his dad’s legacy along with the rest of the Marley family. Today we’ll hear Malcolm and Ziggy talk about the turbulence in '70s Jamaica caused by two opp...

Since forming in 1996, Linkin Park has sold over 100 million records worldwide. Their enormous success mixing genres like hip-hop, metal and anthemic pop was spearheaded by the band’s ultra-talented founder, Mike Shinoda. In this episode Rick Rubin talks to Mike about the albums he produced with Linkin Park that helped redefine the band’s sound. Mike also reminisces about the band’s early inner-personal dynamics. And Mike talks about the community of thousands of followers he's amassed on Twitch...

Since his first conversation with Rick, Kenny Beats’ star has continued to rise. In the past couple of years he has produced songs with Ed Sheeran, Da Baby and Vince Staples. He’s also taken several trips to the UK, and produced over 30 songs with British artists like FKA Twigs and Slowthai. Today, Kenny explains how for the first time in the history of hip-hop, an American sub-genre made its way across the pond to the UK, only to come back to the States in an updated form that is now influencin...

There’s a reason Kenny Beats is one of the great young producers in Hip Hop. Because he has a vast understanding of the regional sounds and histories of cities to pull from when making beats for an artist. This allows him to find a common musical language with rappers. Which is super important in an art form as hyper-local as rap. We’re kicking off a two part series of interviews with Kenny Beats, in the one you’re about to hear which was taped a while back, Kenny maps out the evolution of regio...

Rick Rubin speaks with the great Joan Baez fresh off her birthday and the announcement that she'll be among this year's Kennedy Center honorees! Joan was known the world over as the Queen of Folk at the height of her career in the 60s. She used her fame to help spread the tenets of the non-violence movement, and was a close ally to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Joan also helped introduce Bob Dylan to the world by giving him stage time at her shows when she was the biggest ticket in town and he was ...

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,”...

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 musi...