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

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Latest Episodes:

John Frusciante Returns, Part 3 Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

We’re back with the third episode in our John Frusciante Returns series. Over the past couple of months Rick Rubin and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers have come together to tape an on-going series of conversations that dives deep into John’s philosophical and practical approach to writing music and playing guitar. If you haven’t heard the previous episodes, make sure to check them out.

Today, we’ll hear John talk about his love of electronic music and how he struggled to fall back in love with guitar-based rock before recording the Chili Peppers latest set of albums. He also talks about the process of making Californication, and near the end of the interview, John picks up a guitar to play through some of his most well known guitar parts from that album.

You can listen to a playlist of some of our favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers songs HERE.

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Stormzy Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

The British hip-hop subgenre grime first started to bubble up in London in the early aughts. Artists like Wiley and Dizzee Rascal developed an entirely new style by rapping over lightning-fast beats inspired by UK garage, techno and jungle.

Today’s guest, Stormzy is at the forefront of grime’s newest generation. He rose to prominence in 2015 after uploading a video to YouTube where he freestyled over classic grime tracks. Since then Stormzy has released three number one albums in the UK, won three Brit Awards, and become the first British rapper to headline the Glastonbury festival.

Just before releasing his third album, This Is What I Mean, Stormzy met up with Rick Rubin in London for a cover story from i-d Magazine’s Royalty issue. This is the recording of that conversation. On today’s episode we’ll hear Stormzy play Rick songs from his new album, and explain why he decided to consider his audience last when recording it. And Stormzy talks about how a painful break-up and trusting God helped lead him to a new melodic, soulful sound.

You can listen to a playlist of some of our favorite Stormzy songs HERE.

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Neil Young Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

If Broken Record had an all-star list, Neil Young would be at the top. He’s been on the show three times now, and his legendary body of work has been brought up by more musicians interviewed on our show than any other artist—except maybe Joni Mitchell. That’s because Neil is a true artist’s artist. His dedication to his craft is resolute. He’s been writing and singing songs since the early '60s and his creative output has been near constant for the last six decades.

Neil stopped by Shangri-La following the release of Crazy Horse’s latest album, World Record. The album was produced by Rick Rubin, and on today’s episode, Neil talks to Rick about the remarkable way the new songs were conceived. Neil also reminisces about recording After The Gold Rush and Harvest. And he explains how THC changes his relationship to music.

You can listen to a playlist of some of our favorite Neil Young songs HERE.

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Scoring Bad Women Nov 26, 2022

Show notes

Today we're sharing a fun conversation with the musicians who scored another Pushkin Industries podcast—Bad Women. The first season of Bad Women focused on reconstructing the lives of the five women that Jack the Ripper murdered. Now, the second season centers around a murderer every bit terrifying as Jack the Ripper, the so-called Blackout Ripper.

On today's episode, Justin Richmond speaks with sound designer Pascal Wyse and jazz guitarist Ed Gaughan about their music-rich score. They talk about how they evoked the atmosphere of war-time bars and jazz clubs in 1940's London, and we'll hear them play examples of arrangements they created for the series.

Listen and subscribe to season two of Bad Women HERE.

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Jacob Collier, Part 2 Nov 24, 2022

Show notes

Today we have part two of Bruce Headlam’s conversation with YouTube sensation turned five-time Grammy winner Jacob Collier. Weleft off our last episode with Jacob talking about what it’s like to perform to an audience of thousands of people after spending years growing his fan base online. In this episode, we’ll hear Jacob play the piano and go even deeper into music theory.

Jacob also talks more about his new album, Piano Ballads, and about how the song “Moon River” taught him the power of centering his avant-garde arrangements on emotions.

You can listen to a playlist of some of our favorite Jacob Collier songs HERE.

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Jacob Collier, Part 1 Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

Musical genius and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier joins us today for part one of a two-part conversation. In 2011, when Jacob was only 17, he began posting videos to YouTube of himself singing and playing music. His break-out video, a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” received millions of views and praise from musical legends like Herbie Hancock, David Crosby, and Quincy Jones.

Since then, he’s gone on to release five albums, including his 2016 self-produced debut In My Room, and this year's Piano Ballads, an 11-track album of improvised piano pieces he played at various shows during a recent tour.

On today’s episode, Bruce Headlam speaks to Jacob Collier about making his latest live album, his creative process, and his musical admiration for Stevie Wonder. Jacob also plays piano throughout the two episodes, and breaks down advanced musical concepts.

You can listen to a playlist of some of our favorite Jacob Collier songs HERE.

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Maggie Rogers Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

Maggie Rogers has never been one to mince words. Aside from her powerhouse voice, one of Maggie’s superpowers is her ability to write pop songs fueled by radical emotional transparency. And while it’s thrilling when an artist bares their soul, that level of constant vulnerability can be unsustainable.
In 2019, after releasing her Grammy-nominated debut, Heard It In A Past Life, and then touring the album relentlessly, Maggie was desperately in need of time away from the spotlight. Just before the pandemic she retreated to her parent’s home in coastal Maine. There, she began writing and recording for her follow-up album, Surrender.

Maggie also started to think deeply about her role as a pop star, and the relationship between herself and the audience. In 2021 she enrolled in a masters program of religion and public life at Harvard Divinity School. There, her studies focused on the spirituality of public gatherings and the ethics of power in pop culture.

On today’s episode, producer Leah Rose talks to Maggie Rogers about how comforting it was for her to become a student again. Maggie also recalls the time she took motorcycle lessons to re-channel the massive amounts of adrenaline she experienced on her first tour. And, we’ll hear the song from Maggie’s new album that she says is the perfect distillation of where she is at now as an artist.

You can hear a playlist of our favorite Maggie Rogers songs HERE.

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From Inside Voice: Lake Bell and the Mechanics of Singing Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

In her new Pushkin audiobook Inside Voice: My Obsession with How We Sound, actress/writer/director/producer Lake Bell goes down some fascinating rabbit holes, exploring the psychology and social science of our voices. But you gotta start with the mechanics. In this excerpt you’ll hear Lake's conversation with ENT doc to the stars Dr. Randolph Schnitman. He's treated the who’s who of music, strengthening and even saving their voices. If you’re interested at all in how our voices make beautiful music, you’ll like Inside Voice. Available at insidevoiceaudiobook.com, Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, and wherever audiobooks are sold.

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John Frusciante Returns, Part 2 Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Today we’re excited to bring you the next installment of our John Frusciante interview series. John first came on the podcast back in April to help celebrate the release of the Red Hot Chili Peppers album, Unlimited Love. Then he returned in mid-October to discuss Chili Pepper history, one album at a time.

On today's episode we'll hear John talk about the Chili Peppers brand new release—their second number one album in six months—Return Of The Dream Canteen. John also picks up a guitar and walks Rick through his pre-show warmup and demonstrates how he came up with the now-classic major to minor chord changes on “Under The Bridge.” And, he talks about how he was able to overcome his desire to impress others while recording Stadium Arcadium.

Stay tuned to the end of this episode for details about part three of what is shaping up to be an intimate series of interviews between Rick Rubin and John Frusciante.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers songs HERE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gabriels Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Today we are featuring one of the most thrilling new groups in contemporary soul music—Gabriels. And lucky for us, they performed three songs, one of which is still unreleased, live for Broken Record.

Gabriels consists of three very distinct pillars of talent: lead singer Jacob Lusk, who was raised in Compton singing gospel. Keyboardist and producer Ryan Hope, who grew up a lover of dance music in his native UK. And Los Angeles native, Ari Balouzian, who serves as Gabriels' in-house composer and violinist.

Gabriels’ origin story is as unconventional as their diverse musical backgrounds. In 2016 Ryan Hope and Ari Balouzian were hired to direct and score a commercial with a gospel choir. After hearing the choir director Jacob Lusk sing, a light went off for Ari and Ryan. Over the course of the next couple of years, the trio started to record and release songs independently. In 2021, those songs caught fire online. Sir Elton John said their debut EP was one of the most seminal records he’d heard in the last 10 years.

On today’s episode Rick Rubin sits down with Gabriels to hear how they were able to create a working environment that allowed space for vulnerability and musical exploration. And lead singer Jacob Lusk tells a harrowing story about getting lost in the LA county jail system in an effort to clear his name so he could appear in the finale of American Idol.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs by Gabriels HERE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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