Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon
NEW: Now Includes a Bonus Chapter from Paul Simon & Malcolm Gladwell Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon is unlike any artistic portrait you’ve ever heard before. Recorded over a…
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Order your copy of Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam’s new audiobook, Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon, now! If you purchase directly from our website, you’ll receive an exclusive Listener’s Guide. Check it out below.
For generations of music lovers, the liner notes on albums were a central part of the way music was heard. You bought an album and it came with an accompanying narrative: a digression, an aside, a backstory—maybe even an invented history. We intuitively understood that great music required not just listening but conversation between the artist and the audience and the audience and the rest of the world.
Broken Record is a podcast that restarts those conversations—in a world without liner notes—for a new audience of music lovers.
Broken Record is hosted by Justin Richmond with interviews by producer Rick Rubin, writer Malcolm Gladwell, and former New York Times editor Bruce Headlam.
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Photo: Maria José Govea, @thesupermaniakIt’s been 10 years since Arcade Fire’s exceptional third album, “The Suburbs,” earned a Grammy for Album Of The Year. It’s a distinction that helped catapult the…
Benmont Tench on Life with Tom Petty
Photo: Megan McIssacTo celebrate the release of Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers & All The Rest” box set, Rick Rubin connected with Heartbreakers keyboardist, Benmont Tench for a conversation. Benmont started playing…
Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” II with Adria Petty
Photo: Martyn AtkinsTom Petty crafted another of his many perfect albums back in 1994, this time with Rick Rubin producing. âWildflowersâ was released as a single disc, Pettyâs first for…
Joe Henry
Joe Henry is likely one of the best living singer-songwriters that you’ve never heard of. But even if you don’t recognize his name, you’ve probably heard his work. He’s been…
Khruangbin
Khruangbin will tell you they did everything wrong. Gave their band a Thai name, play mostly instrumental music, two members wear wigs, they record in barn ... and yet, they’ve…
Burt Bacharach & Daniel Tashian
Burt Bacharach is a living legend. He’s written hits sung by Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Costello, Dusty Springfield and so many more. With that kind of a resume, he…
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie tells Rick Rubin there’s a reason she isn’t a household name in the U.S. A pioneering artist in the Greenwich Village folk scene, she could’ve been Bob Dylan,…
Don Was
Photo: Mathieu BittonRick Rubin talks to Don Was about his early days in Detroit, his time in Was Not Was and his wide ranging career producing defining albums for the…
Flying Lotus
Photo: Eric ColemanFlying Lotus is one of those producers who creates an entire aesthetic world with the music he makes. Over the past 13 years he’s released four solo albums,…
Emma Louise: Fresh Find
Photo: Thom KerrIn a bonus Fresh Find episode, Bruce Headlam interviews Australian singer-songwriter Emma Louise about having an accidental overseas hit and pitching her voice down so that it’s unrecognizable…
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile came by Shangri La last year to talk to Rick Rubin with Tanya Tucker about the album they made together, “While I’m Livin’.” After Tanya left, Brandi stayed…
Justin Townes Earle: In Memoriam
Our episode with Justin Townes Earle was scheduled to run next month. But after we heard about Earle’s passing over the weekend, we decided to put it out sooner. It’s…
Vagabon: Fresh Find
This week’s Fresh Find, Vagabon, is a self taught, Cameroonian-born musician whose haunting voice and genre defying style has won over critics at both The New Yorker and Pitchfork. In…
Run The Jewels Return!
***Run the Jewels are raw and so is the language in this episode***Killer Mike and El-P return to Broken Record to discuss the creation of their fourth album, RTJ4, and…
Berhana: Fresh Find
Broken Record is bringing you a Fresh Find this week. We discovered Berhana after a key placement in Donald Glover’s show Atlanta. In this episode, Berhana talks about growing up…
Margo Price
A tornado raged through Margo Price’s home-base of Nashville right as she was preparing to release her third album in March. A month later Margo’s husband and longtime collaborator, Jeremy…
Broken Record Presents: Questlove Supreme with Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin joins Questlove and crew on their Questlove Supreme podcast. They discuss Rick’s early Def Jam days, working with the Geto Boys, his process for taking on production work…
Huey Lewis
Back to the Future is turning 35 and there’s no better way to celebrate than a conversation with Huey Lewis who turned in one of the more memorable movie themes…
Beastie Boys and Spike Jonze
It’s been nearly 35 years since the Beastie Boys released their classic debut album, “Licensed To Ill.” In this candid conversation, Rick Rubin, who started out as the Beastie’s DJ,…
Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams is defying convention. While most of her peers have settled into a well worn groove, the alt-country icon just released an album that’s way more punk than country.…
RZA Talks Wu-Tang and Creativity In Quarantine
Rick Rubin checks in with RZA on Zoom and finds out he’s been peaking creatively while in quarantine. Their wide-ranging conversation covers RZA’s first experiences with hip-hop, ODB’s parkour-like skills…
Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe wrote the classic "(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" (made famous by Elvis Costello), produced one of the UK’s first punk records ("New Rose" by the…
Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell is one of the most important Southern voices in music today. He started writing and releasing his own songs in 2007, after a stint with the Drive By…
Tame Impala
Rick Rubin talks to Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker about his newest release, “The Slow Rush,” and his creative process. Kevin shares key influences on some Tame Impala songs and also…
Drive-By Truckers
Drive-By Truckers play music from and talk about their twelfth album, “The Unraveling.” The band of Alabamans—represented here by Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood—discuss how the political climate shaped the…
Richard Russell on Building the Greatest Indie Label Ever
XL Recordings has released music from Adele, Tyler the Creator, MIA, Dizzee Rascal, Radiohead, The White Stripes, King Krule and many other beloved, boundary-pushing artists. Richard Russell has been with…
BONUS: David Blaine with Rick Rubin
Photo: InstagramRick Rubin, like all of us, has been thinking a lot about fear lately. And few people on the planet understand fear in the same way that Rick’s good…
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys talks with Malcolm Gladwell via Zoom about her newly released book, “More Myself: A Journey¸” and how writing it influenced her upcoming album, “Alicia.”
Glen Hansard
Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, and star of the movie Once, talks to Bruce Headlam about his newest solo album, "This Wild Willing" and how he nearly sampled a Queen and…
BONUS: Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield
Rick Rubin talks with his friend, world-renowned Buddhist and meditation teacher, Jack Kornfield. He’s long been one of the most influential figures in American Buddhism.He connects with Rick by Zoom…
Nathaniel Rateliff
Nathaniel Rateliff talks to Bruce Headlam about his new solo album, “And It’s Still Alright,” a deeply intimate project that reflects on the loss of his former producer and good…
Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir talks to Rick Rubin about why the legendary band was never focused on their studio recordings, and how they were always more interested in seeing…
Esperanza Spalding
Bassist, songwriter, and composer Esperanza Spalding sits with Bruce Headlam to discuss her latest work and the opera she’s writing with the legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter. They also discuss why…
Run The Jewels
Run the Jewels recently took a (smoke) break while working on their fourth album at Shangri-La and taped this podcast with Rick Rubin. Killer Mike and El-P tell Rick about…
James Taylor Comes Clean
James Taylor’s voice sounds sweet and carefree. It’s a gift that hides the darker side to his lyrics and life. He and Malcolm Gladwell sat and uncovered some of the…
Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels: The King of Rock
Run-DMC were the first rap group on the cover of Rolling Stone. The first to go gold, platinum and multi-platinum. They were true pioneers of hip-hop in the '80s, releasing…
Robbie Robertson: Leader of The Band and Architect of Shangri La
Photo: Silvia GravWhen Robbie Robertson turned a house perched above a Malibu beach into a home studio in the 1970s, he had no idea it’d remain a refuge for artists…
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne
Just before the release of his first solo album in over a decade, Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon sat with Rick Rubin to talk about his tumultuous career that’s…
Booker T. of the M.G.’s: Time Is Tight
Booker T. Jones — as leader of Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Stax record’s house band — helped popularize the sound of Southern soul music. Working alongside Stax legends like…
Brittany Howard Goes Solo
Brittany Howard, lead singer of the Alabama Shakes, talks to Rick Rubin about making her first solo album, “Jamie.” She shares a never-before-heard demo from the album and talks about…
André 3000 and Rick Rubin In Conversation
André 3000 opens up to Rick Rubin in one of his most candid interviews ever. He talks about the early days of OutKast, how he first found his voice, how…
Bon Iver’s Past and Present
Justin Vernon and producer Chris Messina from Bon Iver, discuss the new album "i,i" with Rick Rubin. Listen as they bond over their love for remote recording spaces, the importance…
FKA Twigs Heals with Magdalene
FKA Twigs and Rick Rubin dive deep into the creative journey that lead to Twigs’ stunning new album, “Magdalene.” They cover the physical and emotional trauma that inspired the album,…
Flea: Acid For the Children
Flea sat with Malcolm Gladwell to discuss his newly released memoir, "Acid For the Children," for the very first live taping of Broken Record! The book is a journey through…
Norah Jones Begins Again
Norah Jones sits with Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam at The Bridge Studio in New York to talk about — and play through — her latest album, “Begin Again.” The…
Leonard Cohen’s Legacy with Adam Cohen: Thanks for the Dance
Photo: Sony Music EntertainmentLeonard Cohen died three weeks after releasing his last record, You Want It Darker, in 2016. It was the first album he worked on this son, Adam.…
The Black Keys: Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney
Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney join Rick Rubin at Shangri La to talk about their first tour in five years, scalpers screwing fans out of tickets, their new album—"Let’s Rock"—and…
Brandi Carlile & Tanya Tucker
Brandi Carlile grew up adoring Tanya Tucker for her rebellious spirit. But it’s that same nature that almost derailed Tanya’s comeback album, "While I’m Livin," co-produced by Brandi. Tanya quit…
Rex Orange County Is Major
Rick Rubin sits with 21 year old British songwriter Rex Orange County to discuss his major label debut, "Pony." While Rex is still mostly performs solo on the record (aside…
Wyclef Jean Goes Back To School
Wyclef Jean, who’s had solo hits and with the Fugees, and produced hits for Destiny’s Child, Shakira, and Carlos Santana came back this year with a new project, "Wyclef Goes…
Yola’s Walk Through Fire
After years honing her craft in the UK Yola finally lands with her beautiful album, "Walk Through Fire." Produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, the album combines classic country,…
Tyler the Creator Talks Igor
Tyler, the Creator spent three days this summer in Italy with Rick Rubin. At the end of the three days they sat down to record a conversation about Tyler’s new…
Jack White & Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs
Jack White and Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs play through some songs off their new record, "Help Me Stranger" and talk with Malcolm Gladwell from Jack’s Detroit home. Rick Rubin…
Vampire Weekend Returns: Ezra Koenig with Ariel Rechtshaid
Vampire Weekend returned this month with their first record in six years, "Father of the Bride". And long before it sat on top of the Billboard album chart, the band’s…
J.S. Ondara: Knockin’ on America’s Door
Bruce Headlam discovered J.S. Ondara listening to his car radio late last year. And with a great showing at South By Southwest and a spot opening for Neil Young this…
Linda Perry: Making Hits Her Way
Linda Perry is one of the only women considered a go-to producer in the music industry. After finding success with her band 4 Non Blondes and their ubiquitous single, "What’s…
T Bone Burnett: Perfection Is Second-Rate
T Bone Burnett helped launch the careers of Los Lobos, Counting Crows, Gillian Welch; revive the careers of Roy Orbison and Robert Plant; course-correct Elvis Costello’s career in the mid-eighties…
Pentatonix: The Art of A Cappella
Malcolm Gladwell, along with guest-host, Daisy Rosario, talks with the five members of Pentatonix from GSI Studios in NYC. The quintet, who got their start on YouTube, discuss their approach…
How To Write A Hit Song: The Love Junkies
Lori McKenna, Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey—known as the Love Junkies—write some of the best songs in Nashville today. Between the three of them, they’ve helped launch Taylor Swift, pushed…
Mary Gauthier
Mary Gauthier is one of the most unique songwriters in Nashville. Forgoing the city’s often conventional pop sound, Gauthier’s songs are unafraid to probe into what she calls "the extremely…
David Byrne
Rick Rubin and Malcolm Gladwell talk with David Byrne (formerly of Talking Heads) about protest music: some of his favorite protest songs, the earliest ones he heard, how they affected…
Questlove Part 2
Questlove talks about how he got involved with D’Angelo’s “Voodoo” record, the evolution of his drumming style, how he approaches DJ’ing, and tells the best Obama story ever. Part 2…
Questlove: Part 1
Questlove talks about how he got involved with D’Angelo’s “Voodoo” record, the evolution of his drumming style, how he approaches DJ’ing, and tells the best Obama story ever. Part 1…
Tom Petty and the Creation of ‘Wildflowers’
For the season one finale of Broken Record, Malcolm Gladwell talks with Rick Rubin about Tom Petty, who died in October 2017 at the age of 66. Rubin and Petty…
Dave Hill and the Epistemology of Norwegian Black Metal
Malcolm Gladwell sits down with comedian, guitarist, and legendary metalhead Dave Hill, as he recounts how an email exchange between his alter ego Lance and a Norwegian black metal impresario…
Rosanne Cash
“She Remembers Everything” is the name of the latest Rosanne Cash album, the 14th of her amazing career. Rosanne and her husband and musical collaborator, John Leventhal, sit down with…
Nashville Revolution: Bobby Braddock, Don Schlitz, and Don Henry
Malcolm Gladwell talks to three songwriters who helped transform country music in the 1970s. Gone were cowboy hats, train whistles and church suppers. In came songs about desperation, loss, changes,…
Rufus Wainwright
Photo: Matthew WelchElton John has called Rufus Wainwright “the greatest songwriter in the world today.” Broken Record’s Bruce Headlam sits down with Rufus in Los Angeles, where Rufus performs breathtaking…
Nile Rodgers and Chic
Nile Rodgers, the mastermind behind the disco band Chic and producer of artists like David Bowie, Daft Punk and Madonna, plays live with his band and talks about his life…
Rick Rubin
Our introductory episode is a conversation between Rick Rubin and Malcolm Gladwell, covering everything from Rick’s role in the very beginning of hip-hop to his role in introducing Johnny Cash…
Introducing Broken Record
From Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam: Conversations. Arguments. Stories. Remembering old music. Discovering new music. Broken Record: Liner notes for the digital age.
Pilot: Walk on Water
In the fall of 2017, Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, and Bruce Headlam sat down with Eminem and talked about his song “Walk on Water,” featuring Beyoncé. That interview became the…
