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

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 talks to Rick Neilsen about Cheap Trick’s origin story while Neilsen fiddles around on an electric guitar and samples riffs from the new album. Nielsen also talks about how he was hired to bring a hard rock sound to John Lennon’s final album with Yoko, Double Fantasy, and what it was like working with the Beatles legendary producer, George Martin.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear all of our interviews:  https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.comCheck out a playlist of our favorite Cheap Trick and power pop tracks HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Jul 202133min

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 Mark talk about the day he met Amy Winehouse and how she might’ve confused him for Rick Rubin. Mark also talks about the night he fell in love with DJing, growing up with his step-dad in Foreigner, and how being isolated from his studio during the pandemic caused him to think that his days as a pop music producer might be over. Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear all of our interviews:  https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.comCheck out a playlist of our favorite Mark Ronson tracks HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Jul 202155min

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 Light, New Machine with Rick Rubin. We’ll hear Kevin talk about how the project slowly evolved from a pop album to something darker and more rap driven. Kevin also explains how supporting one of the group’s members through losing their dad became the album’s creative thrust, and explains why their next album will probably be their last.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear all of our interviews:  https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.comCheck out a playlist of our favorite BROCKHAMPTON and Kevin Abstract tracks  HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Jul 202140min

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 plays jazz at all. He calls it “African American music” to acknowledge the Black Americans who created the tradition.On today’s episode, Justin Richmond talks to Archie Shepp about how an assignment he received in the third grade sparked the activism that's been ever present in his 60-year career. Shepp also talks about his relationship with Coltrane, who he says never took his horn out of his mouth. And he also recalls the rhetorical power of Malcolm X and the lasting image of seeing him speak to a sea of black heads on the streets of Harlem.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear all of our interviews:  https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.comCheck out a playlist of our favorite Archie Shepp tracks  HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 Jun 202142min

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 him to create The Hold Steady, how Springsteen taught him to vamp, and why he feels like it’s his duty to not only write about the party, but to write about the hangover too.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear all of our interviews:  https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.comCheck out a playlist of our favorite Craig Finn and Hold Steady tracks  HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Jun 202137min

At Pushkin, we think of Juneteenth as an opportunity to reflect on the past and think about the future: How do we build a more just and equitable society? We strive to make podcasts that help answer that question, and in honor of Juneteenth, we’re highlighting two of them. In this episode, you'll hear previews of our new shows Be Antiracist and A Slight Change of Plans. We hope these episodes inspire thinking and conversation around issues of race in your own lives.You can listen to more episodes at www.pushkin.fm/show/  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Jun 202127min

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 Reprise into sparse, soul-stirring compositions.On today’s episode we’ll hear Rick Rubin and Moby reminisce about their early punk rock days in New York City, and the first time Moby ever heard house music while dancing in a club basement next to Prince. Moby also talks about what it was like to be buddies with David Bowie, getting sober, and why he decided to sell the big fancy castle he lived in all by himself.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear all of our interviews:  https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.comCheck out a playlist of Moby's early influences from the NYC club scene  HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Jun 20211h

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 for the musical space that exists between humans and machines. Eno also recalls predicting the birth of hip-hop in the back of a cab with David Bryne, and he explains why listening to Beyoncé through a wall is strangely satisfying.Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear all of our interviews:  https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.comCheck out a playlist of our favorite Brian Eno songs HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Jun 202155min