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

Joe Henry and Mike Reid brought two distinct but complementary legacies to Life & Times, their new collaborative album. Joe is a celebrated producer and songwriter known for his atmospheric, deeply literary approach to Americana. Over the decades, he's produced albums for artists like Solomon Burke, Bonnie Raitt, and Elvis Costello, while crafting his own work that blurs the line between folk, jazz, and rock. Mike Reid, a forme...

Since getting his start in the late ‘60s, Labi Siffre has had an unflinching commitment to writing exactly what he feels. The result was a debut album that announced a singular talent: a British singer-songwriter who could move seamlessly from jazz-inflected soul to tender love songs, all while addressing themes of love, identity, and justice that most pop artists wouldn't touch.

Over the next decade, Siffre built a catalog t...

When Chicago released their debut album in 1969, they blended brass, jazz sophistication, and rock power into something completely their own. By 1975, when Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits arrived, the band had already amassed an extraordinary catalog of songs that captured both the experimental spirit of the late '60s and the pop sensibility of the '70s. That compilation became one of the best-selling albums of the decade, intr...

Justin joined You'll Hear It's Adam Maness and Peter Martin to talk Still Crazy After All These Years. Paul Simon's Grammy-winning album was born out of divorce, and produced some of his greatest songs of all time, like "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," "My Little Town," and "I Do It For Your Love." They dive into the story behind this remarkable album, including Steve Gadd's famous drum beat and how Stevie Wonder's Innervisions may h...

In July, Malcolm Gladwell taped a live episode of Broken Record at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City. It was a wonderful night of conversation and music. Drew Holcomb—a Memphis native who has spent the past 20 years performing with his band, The Neighbors—joined Malcolm onstage for the taping.

On today’s episode, you’ll hear how growing up with strict Christian parents shaped Drew's artistic sensibili...

When S.G. Goodman released her debut album, Old Time Feeling, in 2020, critics hailed it as a stunning introduction to a bold new voice in Americana. Co-produced with Jim James of My Morning Jacket, the album showcased Goodman's ability to balance classic Southern sounds with progressive ideas, earning widespread acclaim and landing on numerous year-end best-of lists. 

S.G. was raised in Hickman, Kentucky, in a family of row c...

We’re excited to share an episode from one of our favorite podcasts, Heavyweight, a new addition to the Pushkin slate of shows. Heavyweight, hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, creates space for difficult conversations and resolving long-standing regrets and unanswered questions. Balancing humor and empathy, host Jonathan Goldstein helps his subjects pinpoint the moment things went wrong and joins them on a quest to make them right...

Joe Boyd has spent more than six decades as a producer, label executive, and writer whose influence extends far beyond the studio. From producing Nick Drake's luminous folk albums to working with Fairport Convention, Pink Floyd, and R.E.M., Boyd has shaped some of the most enduring recordings in modern music history.

But Joe Boyd isn't just a behind-the-scenes architect of sound—he's also a chronicler of the music he loves. I...

Jensen McRae writes songs that cut straight to the bone—intimate, unflinching examinations of identity, relationships, and the complexities of coming of age in today's world. Since releasing her debut EP, Who Hurt You?, in 2021, she's garnered attention for her literary approach to songwriting and her ability to balance vulnerability with sharp observation.

Her music often grapples with difficult subjects: navigating mixed-ra...

David Gilmour is one of the most influential guitarists in rock history. Since joining Pink Floyd in 1967, his songwriting, vocals, and distinctive guitar tone have helped shape classic albums like The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.

In 1978, he began releasing solo material, and over the past four decades has recorded five solo albums. His most re...

We're sharing an episode from another podcast we think you'll enjoy, The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers. Adam counts down Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all time with musicians, comedians, and actors. The second (and last) studio album by rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, & Nash and their first as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, contains songs that span from soft folk to hard rock. Jeff Daniels makes his debut to discuss how...

John Oates—one half of Hall & Oates, one of the best-selling duos in pop history—is going back to his roots with his new self-titled solo album. Before forming Hall & Oates, John was steeped in folk and Delta blues, and this record pulls from those early influences while showcasing the guitar chops and songwriting skills he’s honed over years of playing with top Nashville musicians.

On today’s episod...

Chino Moreno is the lead singer of Deftones, the Sacramento band experiencing a resurgence as a new generation discovers their ’90s hits on social media. This year, Deftones have been selling out arenas while putting the finishing touches on their latest album, Private Music.

During the recording sessions, guitarist Stephen [Stef-in] Carpenter’s health took a turn when he was diagno...

Miguel, the Grammy-winning alt-R&B pioneer is back with a new album, Caos—his first full-length in eight years. It’s the latest step in a career that’s always pushed the boundaries of R&B, from his 2010 debut through albums that blended in psychedelia, dance music, and now touches of ’80s industrial and even ranchera rhythms.

On today’s episode, Miguel talk...

30 years ago, Sublime released the album that defined Southern California’s music scene for a generation. Now the band is preparing to put out their fourth full-length, and for the first time, Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob Nowell, is stepping up as lead singer.

Bradley, Sublime’s original frontman, died of a heroin overdose in 1996, just a couple of months before the band's breakthrough album came out. Jakob was sti...

Word first broke about the band The Favors back in February, when cryptic posts revealed that Billie Eilish’s producer and brother, Finneas, was making new music with singer Ashe. Soon after, both artists began performing these songs live, introducing The Favors to audiences even before an official release.

Now, the band is set to drop their debut album, The Dream. They call it “a r...

What was meant to be an hour-long interview with Gene Simmons turned into one of the stranger conversations we’ve had on Broken Record.

As co-founder, bassist, and co-frontman of KISS alongside Paul Stanley, Simmons created one of the most outrageous personas in rock history: The Demon. On stage, he breathed fire, spit blood, and wagged his famously long tongue. Off stage, he and KISS bec...

In 2022, at 75 years-old, Loudon Wainwright III released Lifetime Achievement—an aptly titled album from a songwriter whose debut came more than fifty years earlier.

Over the decades, Loudon has built a reputation for his confessional style, writing candidly about the struggles and absurdities of family life, failed relationships, and the scars of parental abandonment. While his subject m...

Great musical chemistry often starts at home. Think of family bands like Sly and the Family Stone, The Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, Haim, Oasis, AC/DC, and The Jacksons. Infinity Song, our guests today, carry on that tradition. Siblings Momo, Abraham, Angel, and Israel Boyd grew up between Detroit and New York City, sharpening their sound wherever they could: in church, in the park, on subway platforms, even around the kitchen table.

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