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

The lead singer and keyboardist for Devo, Mark Mothersbaugh, is an avant-garde, new wave pioneer. Although critics sometimes classify Devo as a joke band, the Akron, Ohio art-punks’ ethos was created in response to a very serious event—the 1970 shooting at their college, Kent State. Following the incident, the band took on the name “Devo,” short for what they felt was organized society’s “de-evolution.” Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s Devo helped lay the groundwork for DIY, anti-establishment bands by releasing bizarre and left-of-center music and conceptual films that helped usher in the music video revolution. In addition to his work with Devo, Mark Mothersbaugh has also created a long and successful career scoring for TV and film. His credits include, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, The Rugrats TV show and movies, and he’s scored several classic Wes Anderson-directed films including The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore. On today’s episode Justin Richmond talks to Mark Mothersbaugh about how he developed his quirky sensibility as one of five kids growing up in a chaotic household with exotic animals. Mark also tells a story about the time Richard Branson suggested that Johnny Rotten join Devo after the Sex Pistols broke up. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Mark Mothersbaugh songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 Loka 20231h 6min

Laufey’s fast rise to fame is a pandemic success story. During lockdown, the 24-year-old multi-instrumentalist built a substantial following on social media where she was known as “jazz girl.” Since then the Icelandic-Chinese singer/songwriter has released two studio albums that blend classical, pop and jazz. The first single from her most recent release, Bewitched, has been streamed over 20 million times globally since its release a couple months back. Raised in Iceland, Laufey started playing cello and classical piano when she was four years old. By 15 she was performing with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra as a cello soloist. The Chinese side of her family has been studying classical music for generations—Laufey’s mom is a professional violinist and her maternal grandfather taught violin at China’s Central Conservatory of Music. And while Laufey’s classical training runs deep, perhaps the most surprising thing about her ascent to stardom is the fact that she's now known as a singer/songwriter as much as a musician. On today’s episode I talk to Laufey about how she started singing jazz standards online, and what inspired her to write her own songs as well. She also talks about the great sacrifices her Chinese family made during the Cultural Revolution when there was a strict ban on playing classical Western music. And she sings two original songs for us including her single, “From The Start.” You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Laufey songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

24 Loka 202352min

Hermanos Gutiérrez may be an instrumental guitar band, but they have zero interest in shredding. Instead the Swiss-Ecuadorian brothers, Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez, take a minimalist approach to playing. They create hypnotic, sweeping compositions inspired by classical Latin guitar and film scores from old Spaghetti Westerns. In 2022, after releasing three albums independently, Hermanos Gutiérrez signed to Easy Eye Sound, a label owned and operated by Dan Auerbach, guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys. Last October they released the album, El Bueno Y El Malo to critical acclaim. The album features the song “Tres Hermanos,” where Auerbach joins the brothers on guitar. Today we’ll hear Estevan and Alejandro play that song, along with a couple other songs live from Auerbach’s studio in Nashville, TN. Justin Richmond also talks to Hermanos Gutiérrez about how their brotherly spats sometimes fuel their playing. Then they recall a recent performance in Mexico City where they played during a volcanic eruption. And how Dan Auerbach knew he wanted to meet with Hermanos Gutiérrez after seeing them play for just 15 seconds. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Hermanos Gutiérrezsongs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Loka 202356min

Pete Townshend, the legendary guitarist and songwriter for The Who, is one of the most decorated rock stars alive. He’s been inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, received Kennedy Center Honors, and lifetime-achievement awards from both the Brit Awards and the Grammys. Pete's iconic power chord-guitar style and early use of synthesizers established him as a musical innovator in the '60s and '70s. After a string of chart-topping singles in the early '60s, Pete set to work writing the first-ever rock opera, a project that became the double album Tommy. Tommy is widely recognized as The Who’s breakout record, and is considered a masterpiece by many critics. Following its release, Pete started writing songs and a script for a sci-fi epic called Life House. After that project was scrapped, the songs wound up on different releases from the band over the next decade including their 1971 classic, Who’s Next. Last month The Who released an epic box set called Who's Next/Life House that contains 155 tracks, 89 of which are unreleased. The set also includes a graphic novel, unheard demos, complete live concerts, posters and collectable pins. On today’s episode Justin Richmond talks to Pete Townshend about how some of the ill-fated effects of technology that he predicted on Life House have come to pass. Pete also explains why he decided to target a specifically male audience when writing music for The Who. And he gives an unexpected take on the Grateful Dead and San Francisco’s music scene in the '60s. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Pete Townshend songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Loka 20231h 13min

Today we are sharing a very special project we've been working on at Pushkin, a new podcast with the one and only, Sir Paul McCartney. The show’s called McCartney: A Life in Lyrics and it's full of insightful conversations between Paul McCartney and his friend, the Irish poet Paul Muldoon. Together they taped years of conversations digging into Paul’s lyrics and songwriting process. And because it’s impossible to separate the art from the man, a lot of McCartney's personal life gets revealed along the way, like insight into his family life in Liverpool, the success and breakup of the Beatles, Wings and so much more. McCartney: A Life in Lyrics dropped with two episodes today—one on The Beatles "Eleanor Rigby," and the one we're presenting here for you today on "Back In the U.S.S.R." If you love music and songwriting and have ever wanted to be a fly on the wall for in-depth conversations with a Beatle, then McCartney: A Life in Lyrics won’t disappoint. You can binge the entire first season now by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Loka 202318min

Amanda Shires is a Texas-born singer/songwriter who got her start at 15 when she joined Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys on fiddle. After starting her solo career in 2005, Shires continued to play with a number of other bands including her husband Jason Isbell's band, the 400 Unit. In 2019, she started the all-female country supergroup The Highwomen, which includes Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Maren Morris. After the 2022 release of Amanda Shires’ seventh solo album, Take It Like A Man, she released an album of covers with the late Bobbie Nelson—who’s primarily known for playing piano in her younger brother Willie Nelson’s band. Amanda initially enlisted Bobbie to play on her version of Willie’s classic, “You Were Always On My Mind,” but they continued to record together. The resulting collection of songs became the album Loving You, which was released this past June, nearly a year after Bobbie’s death. On today’s episode Justin Richmond talks to Amanda Shires about Bobbie Nelson’s unfortunate start in the music business. Amanda also talks about why she feels more comfortable singing about society’s big issues alongside The Highwomen. And she remembers the time she went to Vegas and gambled away all her band’s tour money—only to win it all back after playing craps through the night. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Amanda Shires songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 Syys 202347min

Today we are sharing an episode of one of our favorite shows on the Pushkin network, Talk Easy, hosted by Sam Fragoso. In this episode Sam talks to the renowned Swedish music producer and composer, Ludwig Göransson. Ludwig is a Grammy and Academy award winning producer and composer who scored Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, The Mandalorian, and most recently he scored Christopher Nolan's epic, Oppenheimer. He’s also produced records and wrote songs for HAIM, Rihanna, Adele, and Childish Gambino. He's a truly talented musician who's reenergizing modern films compositions. We hope you enjoy this chat as much as we do!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Syys 202359min

DJ Drama is one of the most iconic mixtape DJs of all time. His legendary Gangsta Grillz tapes helped propel artists like T.I. and Young Jeezy to stardom. His classic Dedication series reinvigorated Lil’ Wayne’s career in the early and mid-2000s. By 2007, the underground mixtape market was booming. But in January of that year DJ Drama and his longtime business partner Don Cannon were arrested by federal agents and charged with bootlegging and racketeering. The much publicized raid only boosted DJ Drama’s profile. In the years since, DJ Drama has built a successful record label and he’s continued to make mixtapes. Tyler The Creator even crafted his latest album, Call Me If You Get Lost, with DJ Drama’s classic adlibs all over it. It won the Grammy for best rap album in 2022. That same year though, while DJ Drama was professionally at the height of his success, personally he was battling an addiction to opioids—an ongoing struggle he’s only recently started to talk about publicly. On today’s episode Leah Rose talks to DJ Drama about how he got sober after being what he calls “a functioning junkie” who spent six figures a year on opioids. He also tells the story of how Lil Jon recorded his iconic “gangsta grillz” drops in Drama’s laundry room. And Drama explains why he decided to sign Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow to his Atlantic Records imprint, Generation Now. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite DJ Drama songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Syys 202356min