The Great Creators with Guy Raz

Latest Episodes:

Inside the Mind of Ben Platt, the “Dear Evan Hansen” Star 1 Oscar Short of an EGOT (at 30!) Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

Ben Platt is an actor, singer, and songwriter who’s quickly become one of the most decorated performers of his generation. He sits down with Guy to talk about his first professional acting role at age 9, breaking out in “Pitch Perfect” and the runaway success of “Dear Evan Hansen,” finding his voice as an “authentically” queer artist, and the secret ingredient behind his success: “sacrifice”.

Buy Ben’s new album, “Honeymind”, here: https://interscope.com/collections/ben-platt/products/honeymind-cd

Ben’s current residency at the Palace Theatre on Broadway: https://www.broadway.org/shows/details/ben-platt-live-at-the-palace,842

Links from the Show:

• Ben performing “I’ve Got the Magic in Me” in Pitch Perfect

• Ben singing “You Will Be Found” (from “Dear Evan Hansen”) on America’s Got Talent

• “The Politician” on Netflix

• Ben’s duet with Lin-Manuel Miranda

• “Cherry on Top” Official Music video (from “Honeymind”)

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Audra McDonald to David Duchovny, Jason Sudeikis, and Tom Hanks – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Seth Meyers: Lessons in Comedy from 20 Years Inside 30 Rockefeller Plaza (2023) May 28, 2024

Show notes

Seth Meyers was a key player in creating some of the best seasons of Saturday Night Live. Now he's hosting Late Night in the very same building. In this classic episode from 2023, you’ll hear how his two-person comedy show in Chicago randomly landed him in front of just the right person to get him an audition at SNL.

Seth also opens up about the anxiety he felt competing with his extremely funny co-stars. And he explains some of the ways he has managed to lead Late Night to new heights.

Links from the show:

Seth in Northwestern's improv troupe in 1992
Seth and his brother Josh on Late Night
Seth at the 2011 White House Correspondent's Dinner
Seth as David Zinger
Compilation of Seth and Stefon
A Closer Look from Late Night
Seth doing standup
Seth's Instagram
Seth's Twitter

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael McDonald: I Went from “Couch Surfing” to Playing Arenas… in Just a Few Days! May 21, 2024

Show notes

Michael McDonald brought his legendary singing voice and songwriting talent to not one but two legendary bands: Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers, the latter of which earned him a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Michael sits down with Guy to talk about writing classic songs on envelopes and forgetting about them for years; feeling self-conscious on stage as a frontman; his solo career; what he thinks of the term “yacht rock”; and how getting sober saved his life.

Michael’s memoir is called “What a Fool Believes”. You can buy it here.

Links from the show:

I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near) music video
Warren G: Regulate music video
What a Fool Believes music video
Sweet Freedom (1986)
Michael talking about singing on Steely Dan’s “Peg”
Rick Moranis SCTV sketch about Michael
Three Michael McDonalds Sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (w/ Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake): Tonight Show
Family Guy having fun with Michael’s famous backing vocals
Michael’s Instagram
Michael’s Facebook page
Michael’s memoir, “What a Fool Believes”

See all our episodes – including conversations with Tom Hanks, Jason Sudeikis, Bjork, and many more – at TheGreatCreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Bob Dylan Pushed Me Way Out of My Comfort Zone”: T Bone Burnett, the Mysterious 13X Grammy Winning Producer and Soundtrack Wizard May 14, 2024

Show notes

T Bone Burnett is one of the most accomplished music producers of the past 50 years. He sits down with Guy to talk about buying a recording studio at age 17; being pushed out of his creative comfort zone by Bob Dylan on the Rolling Thunder Revue tour; building soundtracks for the Coen Brothers and True Detective; and why, at age 76, he’s the happiest and most creative he’s ever been.

T Bone’s new album, The Other Side, is available here: https://shop.tboneburnett.com/

Links from the Show:

Rolling Thunder Revue documentary on Netflix
True Detective Season 1 soundtrack
Big Lebowski soundtrack
Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack
George Clooney performing I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow in O Brother Where Art Thou?
Los Lobos: How Will the Wolf Survive? Album
T Bone’s Instagram

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Diplo to Jewel to Andy Garcia to Tom Hanks – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Duchovny: His Journey from PhD Student to The X-Files, Why He Writes Novels and Music, and Failure as a "Rich" Experience May 07, 2024

Show notes

David Duchovny sits down with Guy to talk about his wide-ranging creative life. He describes the “gut instinct” that led him to drop out of a Yale literature program and pursue acting; his iconic roles as Agent Mulder in The X-Files and Hank Moody in Californication; why he writes novels and makes music; and embracing failure as a critical learning experience in life and work.

David’s new podcast is called “Fail Better”, and his film Bucky F*cking Dent comes out in June 2024.

Links from the Show:

David’s new podcast, “Fail Better”
IMDb: Bucky F*cking Dent
David’s books
Live performance of his song Layin’ on the Tracks
David’s music on Spotify
David Duchovny Breaks Down His Career, from 'The X-Files' to 'Californication' | Vanity Fair
Malice, the show David was shooting in London at the time of this recording:

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Hilary Swank to Diplo – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lainey Wilson: The Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Who "Felt Like a Complete Outsider Moving to Nashville to Chase My Dreams" (2023) Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

Lainey Wilson burst onto the country music scene in 2022 with her album Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’. But for seven years before that, she struggled to make it in the high-pressure Nashville music scene. And before that, she was a kid from a tiny town in rural Louisiana with a dream of being a country star.

In this encore episode from 2023, Lainey joins Guy to talk about how she handled the hard times, what she’s learned about the art of collaboration during the making of two acclaimed albums, and what defines her unique style – which she calls “Bell Bottom Country”.

Links from the Show:

Lainey Wins the 2023 CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year
Tougher Music Video
Things A Man Oughta Know Music Video
Lainey’s French Bulldog Hippie Mae’s Instagram
Hillbilly Hippie Official Lyrics Video
Lainey’s Female Vocalist of the Year (2022) Acceptance Speech
Lainey’s New Artist of the Year (2022) Acceptance Speech
Tougher album (2016)
Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’(2021)
Bell Bottom Country (2022)

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Billy Idol: “Underneath the Drugs and Acting Out is Someone Who Really Believes in What He’s Doing” Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

One of the first – and biggest – stars of the MTV era, Billy Idol is nothing short of a rock icon. He sits down with Guy Raz to share how the Sex Pistols inspired him to start a band instead of working for his dad; the stories behind the songs “Dancing with Myself” and “Rebel Yell”; his famously edgy image and lifestyle; and the workout routine that allows him to tour internationally into his late 60s.

Buy the 40th anniversary expanded edition of Billy’s album “Rebel Yell” here: https://billyidol.lnk.to/RebelYellExpanded

Links from the Show:

Sex Pistols swearing on TV with Bill Grundy
Generation X: Kiss Me Deadly
Dancing with Myself music video
Rebel Yell
White Wedding
Eyes Without a Face
Hot in the City
Billy’s Instagram
His YouTube channel

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oskar Eustis: Bringing “Hamilton” to the Stage and Making Theater Accessible to All Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

Oskar Eustis is the Artistic Director at the Public Theater in New York City. He sits down with Guy to talk about “falling into the avant-garde rat hole” early in his career; convincing Lin-Manuel Miranda that Hamilton was more than a concept album; bringing theater to senior centers, women’s shelters, and prisons; and why he believes performing arts are essential to democracy.

See what the Public theater has playing here: https://publictheater.org/

Links from the Show:

Lin-Manuel Miranda debuts Hamilton at the White House in 2009
Oskar’s TED Talk
Brief profile of the Public Theater’s Public Works program
Shakespeare in the Park

For more conversations like this – including interviews with theater legends like Audra McDonald and Nathan Lane – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

X Ambassadors: How a "Fake Manager" and an Accidental Jeep Jingle Ignited the Band’s Massive Success Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

Sam Harris is the frontman for X Ambassadors, a multi-platinum pop rock trio from Ithaca, New York. Sam sits down with Guy to talk about his bond with his brother and bandmate Casey, who was born blind; how X Ambassadors felt “so not cool” and faced lots of rejection while trying to make it in the Brooklyn indie rock scene of the late 2000s; and how getting tricked into writing the song “Renegades” for a Jeep commercial turned into a big break.

Sam also shares the story behind getting discovered by Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds; his daily routine and habits; the two recent, emotional events that inspired the band’s new Ithaca-focused album; and much more.

You can buy X Ambassadors’ latest album, Townie, here: https://shop.xambassadors.com/

Links from the Show:

Litost
Jungle music video
Renegades
Unsteady
Your Town (Todd Peterson tribute from Townie)
No Strings (from Townie)
Blinding Lights (The Weeknd Cover)
Sam Nelson - when love has gone (Sam solo)

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Natalie Merchant: Loneliness is My Signal to "Get Busy" and Create Apr 02, 2024

Show notes

Singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant shot to fame as the lead vocalist for the indie-folk band 10,000 Maniacs, then left the band at the height of their popularity to build a successful solo career. She sits down with Guy to talk about the political concerns that animate her work; what a dinner with Allen Ginsberg and Philip Glass taught her about creativity; how a degenerative spinal disease almost ended her artistic career; and her newest project honoring a late Italian poet who’s been nearly erased from history.

Natalie’s ninth studio album is called Keep Your Courage.

Links from the Show: