"- There are no right answers for anything involved in art. We're all trying experiments to find a way. And even for the things that I work on, I don't have a set way that I do anything. I come to ever..."

"To support it, please check out our sponsors in the description. And now, dear friends, here's Rick Ruben. Are you nervous? - I'm not shaky, but I would say I feel uneasy, and I feel like sooner we st..."

"- It seems like music has the ability to bring us so much depth in our soul that's hard to access any other way. And without it, there would be a loss beyond the pleasure of it. It feels like it's a w..."

"didn't really resonate with me until I spent time on the West Coast, Eagles being an example. When I lived in New York, the Eagles didn't really speak to me. ZZ Top didn't really speak to me. And then..."

"The Eagles, what song of the Eagles connects with you? Are we talking about, like, "Take It Easy," or are we talking more like "Hotel California"? - I'm thinking "Take It Easy," but both are great. - ..."

"yeah, and all of that in a car. (laughs) - Yeah, driving also serves another purpose in, it's one of the things that we can do that we have to pay attention enough not to crash but typically can essen..."

"So doing something difficult, it's just like a airplane taking off or something. Like, for example, running, the first few miles would just be just, first of all, the physical aspect, which is like, "..."

"And it's all for nothing, (laughs) except for the journey that you took to get there. And no one understands. Speaking of which, back to Nietzsche, these questions are ridiculous. So you're gonna have..."

"This is about art, about creation. - Yeah, I would say I feel different, and it's hard to say. It's like, which side of the equation is crazy, you know? - Did you ever find a group of people that you ..."

"I don't know if it's even special music skill-wise. It's a special moment. - Yeah. - I don't know what he's trying to create. From one perspective, it's just an abusive, a person who selfishly gets of..."

"It's like, if we make something that an artist likes, and I don't like, or that I like, and they don't like, we haven't gone far enough. - Hmm, in terms of lineage, the ones that seek destruction and ..."

"listening and not thinking about what you're gonna say next, or what your opinion is, or, you know, not, basically being a recorder and just hearing what comes in, and then once you hear what comes in..."

"like an exciting little discovery together. - Well, so many groups of people making things together in a room, one person'll suggests something, and someone else in the room saying, "Ah, that doesn't ..."

"What is that? - Yeah, I don't know where it comes from. It has been with me from the beginning of my work. The very first album I ever produced, the credit I took was reduced by me instead of produced..."

"- Can I ask you, like, a therapy session question? You mentioned somewhere that one way to kind of think about music, to get into music is to look at the top, like, hundred albums of all time, and jus..."

"but it's almost like part of life is resolving some kind of complex puzzle you have with the people you love, the people close to you, or the people who were not there, all those kinds of things. Ther..."

"and, actually, the harshest love, heartbreak songs (laughs) are always somehow hopeful to me. That's a love song. To me, like, a song about losing love is a song about the great capacity for love in t..."

"♪ There's too many of you crying ♪ ♪ Brother, brother, brother ♪ ♪ There's far too many of you dying ♪ - Feels like it's all around the room more. ♪ You know we've got to find a way ♪ ♪ To bring some ..."

"♪ Oh, oh ♪ (Lex laughing) ♪ Picket lines ♪ - It feels like there's multiple people singing. - Yeah. ♪ Don't punish me with brutality ♪ ♪ Talk to me ♪ ♪ Sister ♪ ♪ So you can see ♪ ♪ Sister ♪ ♪ Oh, wha..."

"to represent the human species, that's the way I think, (laughs) to the aliens. - So I think it's a very personal decision. I think you can make your choice to represent the human species, and I'll ma..."

"That one of your favorites? - On the "Pet Sounds" album? - [Lex] "Pet Sounds." - The opening track. - Do you mind if I play it? - Please. - It's too fun. (laughs) - That's part of their trip, though. ..."

"- But we're not. There's heartbreak in this one, too. (laughs) (Rick laughing) Still to me, like, George Harrison, like, is that the "White Album"? "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." I mean, that, with t..."

"and music producer having done that lengthy interaction with McCartney? - Hmm. Anytime you're around someone who's such a hero, and you spend time with them, and they're a human being, it helps put pe..."

"That's the voice. - [Lex] That's the- - It's overwhelming. - Is it inspiring, or is it, like, 'cause sometimes when you have, and I've gotten a chance to meet, I mean, I love people in general. Like, ..."

"- I think we are all capable of being big fish. I don't think that there are special people. I don't think it's like that. - I would make a case. So the variety of artists that you worked with and bro..."

"- [Lex] It's being broadcast by whatever the source is. - Whatever the source is. - Yeah, I tend to see humans as not quite special in that way. Yeah, it's different kinds of antennas walking around l..."

"live in the most beautiful way. What is that? I feel like that's a good exercise to think about 'cause it's also liberating to think that you can do anything. I mean, more and more, I suppose that's k..."

"doing these silly podcasts, like... - I have a question I have to ask. - Sure. - 'Cause you brought up the suit. - Yeah. - Do you wear the suit, is this your daily uniform outside of podcasting? - So ..."

"It's easy to be like, "I'm always right," you know, just kind of staking your ground. But if you wanna be, like, vulnerable, if you wanna connect with people and just wear your heart on your sleeve, t..."

"- So that was the kind of art. Like, you've gone through a whole process of losing weight, getting in shape, getting healthy. That was a kind of creative act. - It certainly was. It wasn't an intentio..."

"He's the first person when I, you know, talk about heart-rate training, him and other endurance athletes he influenced, he gave me permission to, like, run slower. (laughs) - [Rick] Yeah. - (laughs) I..."

"And I try to be deliberate about making choices after which you will not be the same person. And so I'm nervous about, like, the ultra marathon running world. - [Rick] Mm-hmm. - I have to talk to you ..."

"the performance, whatever you call it, whatever the heck that is because that's not just a song covered by an artist. That's a human being at the end of their life that the rawness of that, I mean, oh..."

"It was a celebration of a really special musician. And it's a totally new kind of celebration. "Hurt" is just one of the songs that's an amazing celebration of Johnny Cash. But "Hurt" is like at the p..."

"♪ What have I become ♪ - What have I become? ♪ My sweetest friend ♪ - (laughs) Written probably for a young man. - Think he was 20 when he wrote it, Trent. ♪ Goes away in the end ♪ ♪ And you could hav..."

"And then when we recorded it, I believe it was two guitar players, if I remember correctly, maybe even three, Smokey Hormel, Matt Sweeney, and Mike Campbell, I believe. And Benmont Tench was playing t..."

"I hear almost anger and frustration. ♪ I will make you hurt ♪ ♪ If I could start again ♪ ♪ A million miles away ♪ ♪ I would keep myself ♪ ♪ I would find a way ♪ - And then it just rings out- - Yeah. -..."

"I mean, it's so simple, so incredible. And it's interesting to have a young man's lyrics in an old Johnny Cash voice, and heart, and mind. Are you a fan of Tom Waits? - [Rick] Of course. - Tom Waits, ..."

"I've had a lot of people, like, tell me how real that, as an older person looking back at that love that you had and realizing it was really, it's still there. Inklings of that love are still there. -..."

"I think even in the Beatles you'll see, like, there are very heavy lyrics, middle- to late-era Beatles, which is still, you know, they're in their you know, early 20s, I guess. - Wow, that's hard to t..."

"as you did with "Hurt"? I have to play it, okay. It's a Tom Waits song that's, like, less than a minute long that I always go back to. It's one I really love and has just a few lines. It's called "I W..."

"- Man, that young man, like, but for people who don't know Tom Waits, you should definitely listen to him, and his voice sounds very different now. And it's interesting to see the evolution of a human..."

"Is there ways that you like to highlight the voice, the lyrics, or there's no one rule? So what is the thing that makes music special? Is it the rhythm, the melody, or, ultimately, the lyrics are alwa..."

"of these people. - I should also, before I forget, there is a lot of song choices on that CD. I would love to see the full options on the CD that you sent to Johnny Cash that I love. So "Solitary Man"..."

"♪ In a castle dark ♪ ♪ Or a fortress strong with chains around my feet ♪ (Lex laughs) ♪ You know that ghost is me ♪ ♪ And I will never be set free ♪ ♪ As long as there's a ghost that you can't see ♪ -..."

"And yet probably you didn't even think of that. You probably thought of it as its role in the culture here in the United States, like, in terms of musically, but it just- - I was, you know, 20, 21 yea..."

"I mean, maybe now that I'm more mature or maybe a little bit more mature, I realize, like, that was kind of the longing for freedom. It felt like, at least at the time, if this is allowed, then anythi..."

"It's like, it really is that. I like things that make me laugh, you know? I like ridiculous things. - [Lex] It's the same person still? - I think so. - Is it strange just how many incredible- - I mean..."

"- I would say there are aspects of me that have changed for sure, but I can't say that it's necessarily better. It's different. I would say, at that time, I was more confident than I am now. And I'm v..."

"what was the darkest moments of your life? What took you there? How did you get out? - It was triggered by a person making a comment about something to do with work that didn't matter. You know, it wa..."

"or partier in any way. And I found a psychopharmacologist who was a psychic, but because she was a psychic, I was okay to see her 'cause, like, I'll listen to a psychic. But I'm not gonna listen to a ..."

"business folks rubbing up against artists can sometimes destroy a fragile mind and soul. To me, like, one of the best representations of an artist, honestly, is Jony Ive, the designer from Apple, and ..."

"And it has to be protected, and it can't happen on the same kind of a timetable that business can. It's just a different thing. Art doesn't come in a quarterly way. - And that doesn't apply just to mu..."

"maybe different funding mechanisms, all that kind of stuff, but. - Tremendous problem that the voices that don't understand interfering with the process is huge. The other side of it is, in success, t..."

"So we need to see what works for us. It's interesting to know. I know on the art side, knowing how it works isn't what makes it work. You know, the magic of it isn't how it works. The magic is the mag..."

"- You've made a lot. It's not just music, everything, rearranging the chairs, the furniture as well. You've done, like I said, the documentary, I guess you would say, with Paul McCartney, and you've d..."

"I feel like it would get closer to the relaxed feeling, same thing we do in the studios. Like, you know, you've heard of red light fever, you know, when artists get nervous, when, like, they play a so..."

"- It's so interesting. So, like, to push back on the alternatives here, so one about the third person, not to make people self-conscious, but I find that I'm so torn on that 'cause sometimes when that..."

"in a way, it breaks the concentration of being inside of it. - That's so well told. But something about saying, "Wow, that solo was great," shows that it reminds you that there's an outside world, but..."

"♪ When my body won't hold me anymore ♪ ♪ And it finally lets me free ♪ ♪ Will I be ready ♪ ♪ When my feet won't walk another mile ♪ - Such a great voice. - So beautiful. ♪ Kiss goodbye ♪ ♪ Will my han..."

"♪ Kept me afraid and cold ♪ ♪ With so much to have and hold ♪ ♪ Mm, mm ♪ ♪ When my body won't hold me anymore ♪ ♪ And it finally lets me free ♪ ♪ Where will I go ♪ - Does he sound this good in studio?..."

"- Wow. That, he's got the power of, like, Jeff Buckley with more, like, so much more sort of flavor to the voice. Just he can go so many different places. It's cool when it's, like, acapella, just mos..."

"It doesn't matter. - I would say I felt maybe in the last 15 minutes I was less aware of anybody else being in the room or any equipment here. - Yeah. - But it took that long. - That's so interesting...."

"and talk. But you love it? You love talking? You love the podcast and just that- - I- - Why did you dive into that? Like why? - It was a strange occurrence. My friend Malcolm said he wanted to start d..."

"'cause their album's coming out now. I interviewed all four members of the band individually I interviewed John, and midway through, Anthony came in, and then I interviewed Flea separately, and interv..."

"see, that's the pushback. There's something about this microphone, or maybe it's just the deliberate nature of sitting down, and let's just talk. There is something about the microphone that, for me, ..."

"- (exhales) As the wind blows again, do you have advice for young people? You're, have a fascinating life journey. Is there advice you can give to people in high school and college about how to have a..."

"- So what does success feel like? Are you grateful? Are you proud of the work you've done in the past, or is there some engine of constant dissatisfaction, like self-criticism of I could have done bet..."

"And I can't do more than that. So there's nothing to be critical of. (laughs) If you always give all of yourself and do your best, which you're capable of doing, I'm not suggesting that you're capable..."

"- [Rick] Doesn't matter. - Speaking of doesn't matter, this life is finite. All of us, even Rick Rubin, will be forgotten one day. Do you think about your- - Tomorrow. (laughs) - mortality. - Tomorrow..."

"- I mean, you see it with garbage. You see the, like, mountains of garbage. It's like, it doesn't really go anywhere. Even when it breaks up- - Yeah. - it disintegrates, but it's never really gone, sa..."