Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin - podcast cover

Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin

Rick Rubintetragrammaton.com
In-depth interviews that may blow your mind. With Rick Rubin
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Episodes

Nick Broomfield

Nick Broomfield is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he has made acclaimed films on subjects ranging from serial killer Aileen Wuornos and the deaths of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, to Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, Whitney Houston, and South African politics. He later expanded into what he calls “Direct Cinema,” using non-actors in scripted dramas such as Ghosts and Battle for Haditha to explore social and political fault lines with docume...

Dec 03, 20251 hr 39 minEp. 151

Jimmy Iovine

Legendary music producer Jimmy Iovine returns to Tetragrammaton to reflect on the pivotal moments that shaped his path from young engineer to industry visionary. He recounts early lessons learned while working with John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen, and the creative spark that led to the founding of Beats with Dr. Dre, which redefined headphone culture worldwide. This journey inspired the model behind the USC Iovine and Young Academy, an interdisciplinary program designed to merge art, technolog...

Nov 26, 20251 hr 24 minEp. 150

Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur is a globally acclaimed poet, performer, and artist. Rising to prominence with her debut collection Milk and Honey in 2014, which she self-published at 21 years old, Kaur became one of the best-selling poets of the 21st century, expanding her voice through later works, including The Sun and Her Flowers and Home Body. Kaur’s achievements extend beyond publishing, with sold-out international tours, multimedia collaborations, and millions of followers engaging with her work across platfor...

Nov 19, 20251 hr 28 minEp. 149

Gavin De Becker, Security Expert

Gavin de Becker is a security specialist and author whose work focuses on predicting and preventing violence. He founded Gavin de Becker & Associates in 1978, a firm that advises and protects some of the world’s most high-profile figures and organizations, and has developed widely used threat assessment tools such as MOSAIC for governmental agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service and Central Intelligence Agency. De Becker has served as an advisor to three U.S. presidents and earned acco...

Nov 12, 20251 hr 55 minEp. 148

Mike Gordon

Mike Gordon is the bassist and a founding member of Phish. Since the band’s formation at the University of Vermont in 1983, he has been responsible for writing and co-writing several of Phish’s key tracks, including “Mike’s Song,” “Simple,” and “Contact,” while also collaborating on a variety of instruments beyond bass, such as banjo, accordion, and guitar. Outside of Phish, Gordon has released multiple solo albums and directed the films Outside Out and Rising Low, expanding his career into film...

Nov 05, 20251 hr 53 minEp. 147

Woody Allen

Woody Allen is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, writer, and comedian. Beginning in stand-up and television before turning to film, Allen became a defining voice of 1970s cinema with Annie Hall, the romantic comedy that earned him four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. Over his six decade career, he has written and directed more than 50 films exploring themes of love, irony, and existential doubt, from Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters to Midnight in Paris. ------ Thank you t...

Oct 29, 20251 hr 29 minEp. 146

Mollie Engelhart

Mollie Engelhart is a chef, restaurateur, and regenerative farmer whose career spans the culinary and agricultural worlds. She co-founded Sage Regenerative Kitchen and previously ran several Los Angeles restaurants, including Sage Vegan Bistro and KindKreme. After years in the plant-based restaurant industry, she shifted her focus to regenerative agriculture, founding Sovereignty Ranch in Texas, where she integrates sustainable farming practices with her food ventures. She is the author of Debun...

Oct 22, 20252 hr 4 minEp. 145

Tyler Cowen: On Choral Music - Deep Cuts and Listening

Tyler Cowen returns to continue his conversation in Part Two. Tyler Cowen is a leading economist, author, and professor, currently holding the Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University, where he also serves as chairman and faculty director of the Mercatus Center. Widely recognized for his influential economic ideas, Cowen co-authors the long-running blog Marginal Revolution with Alex Tabarrok, and together they have also created Marginal Revolution University , which offers...

Oct 17, 20251 hr 36 minEp. 144

Tyler Cowen

Tyler Cowen is a leading economist, author, and professor, currently holding the Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University, where he also serves as chairman and faculty director of the Mercatus Center. Widely recognized for his influential economic ideas, Cowen co-authors the long-running blog Marginal Revolution with Alex Tabarrok, and together they have also created Marginal Revolution University , which offers accessible, world-class economics education online. Cowen has...

Oct 15, 20252 hr 6 minEp. 143

M.I.A.

M.I.A. is a music artist, producer, and creative force, known for blending electronic, hip-hop, and world music. Hailing from London with Sri Lankan roots, she gained international recognition with her debut album Arular and breakthrough hits like “Galang” and “Paper Planes.” Her later albums, including Kala and Matangi, continued to explore themes of identity, globalization, and politics through bold production and visual art. Beyond music, M.I.A. has directed films, exhibited artwork, and rema...

Oct 08, 20251 hr 59 minEp. 142

David Whyte (Part 2)

David Whyte returns to continue his conversation in Part Two. David Whyte is a celebrated Irish poet, philosopher, and speaker whose career spans nearly forty years. Known for ten volumes of poetry and multiple best-selling prose collections, Whyte’s latest collection, Consolations II, which contains 52 new essays, continues his trademark exploration of ordinary words and the profound choices that frame our lives. His writing continues to illuminate the connections between inner solitude and com...

Oct 03, 202556 minEp. 141

David Whyte (Part 1)

David Whyte is a celebrated Irish poet, philosopher, and speaker whose career spans nearly forty years. Known for ten volumes of poetry and multiple best-selling prose collections, Whyte’s latest collection, Consolations II, which contains 52 new essays, continues his trademark exploration of ordinary words and the profound choices that frame our lives. His writing continues to illuminate the connections between inner solitude and communal life, drawing critical acclaim for the depth of his insi...

Oct 01, 20251 hr 29 minEp. 140

Tony Hawk

Tony Hawk is a professional skateboarder widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the sport’s history. Rising to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, he became known for pioneering tricks like the 900 and for pushing skateboarding into the mainstream through competitions, video games, and media appearances. He became a household name through victorious X Games performances, and his career highlights include being the first to land the 900 in competition, earning over 70 contest vi...

Sep 24, 20251 hr 30 minEp. 139

Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. (Part 2)

Dr. Andrew Huberman returns to continue his conversation in Part Two. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and tenured professor of neurobiology, psychiatry, and behavior sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. His research centers on brain development, neural plasticity, and how vision and respiration shape human performance and cognitive function. Beyond his work in academia, Huberman is the creator and host of the Huberman Lab podcast, the world’s leading health podcast, where he shares s...

Sep 19, 20251 hr 40 minEp. 138

Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. (Part 1)

Dr. Andrew Huberman elucidates the often-misunderstood function of cortisol as an energy-deploying hormone, emphasizing the critical role of morning sunlight in optimizing circadian rhythms for alertness, focus, and sleep. He delves into the foundational nature of our senses, particularly olfaction, highlighting how artificial chemicals disrupt our biology and intuition. Huberman also reflects on his personal journey, including the profound influence of mentors, grappling with loss, and the evolution of his podcast from a pure science platform to a public-facing endeavor, underscoring the importance of delivering value.

Sep 17, 20251 hr 30 minEp. 137

Mark Ronson

Mark Ronson is a record producer, DJ, and songwriter. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as a DJ, he gained wide recognition in 2006 for his work with Amy Winehouse and Christina Aguilera, earning Producer of the Year for Winehouse’s Back to Black. Over his career, he has earned nine Grammy Awards, along with a Golden Globe and an Academy Award, for projects including “Uptown Funk” with Bruno Mars and “Shallow” from the A Star is Born soundtrack. Ronson has released five solo albums, formed t...

Sep 10, 20251 hr 30 minEp. 136

Rick Rubin interviewed by Ian Rogers (Bonus episode)

Rick Rubin discusses his book "The Way of Code," which originated from a viral meme about "vibe coding." He explains how the project evolved from a joke to a serious endeavor, influenced by the Tao Te Ching, aiming to introduce timeless wisdom and spirituality to the tech community. The conversation delves into the process of adapting ancient texts, the parallels between vibe coding and creative direction, and the profound implications of AI's lack of belief and emotion compared to human experience.

Sep 05, 202542 minEp. 135

Ian Rogers

Ian Rogers is a technology and business executive whose career spans music tech, luxury retail, and crypto. He began by building early music websites in the 90s, including one for hip-hop group The Beastie Boys, before leading digital music at Yahoo!. Rogers went on to serve as CEO of Topspin and then Beats Music, which was acquired by Apple. In 2015, he became Chief Digital Officer at LVMH, helping modernize digital strategy across its portfolio of luxury brands. Since 2020, he has been Chief E...

Sep 03, 20251 hr 32 minEp. 135

Randall Wallace

Randall Wallace is a screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known for writing the screenplay of "Braveheart", later making his directorial debut with "The Man in the Iron Mask", and going on to direct "We Were Soldiers", "Secretariat", and "Heaven Is for Real". Braveheart became a critically and commercially successful film, winning multiple Academy Awards and earning Wallace a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He is the author of Living the Braveheart Life , part-autobiography ...

Aug 27, 20251 hr 51 minEp. 133

Bernard MacMahon

Bernard MacMahon is a filmmaker, most recently directing Becoming Led Zeppelin , a music documentary that holds the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend across IMAX theaters worldwide and is currently the highest-grossing documentary of 2025. He gained international acclaim with the American Epic series, which chronicles the origins of American roots music and the revolutionary impact of early sound recording technology. MacMahon has been recognized for his groundbreaking approach to ...

Aug 20, 20252 hr 4 min

Ed Ruscha

Ed Ruscha is an artist whose six-decade career spans painting, photography, printmaking, film, and book art. His first artist’s book, Twentysix Gasoline Stations —featuring 26 photographs taken along Route 66—marked the beginning of his ongoing exploration of the interplay between image and text, while later works such as Tulsa Slut and The End expanded this approach across different media. He draws inspiration from magazines, comics, and newspapers, experimenting with inventive materials like b...

Aug 13, 20251 hr 29 min

Dr. Joe Dispenza

Dr. Joe Dispenza is an author, researcher, and lecturer whose work bridges neuroscience, epigenetics, and quantum physics to explore the science of personal transformation. Known for books like New York Times bestseller You Are the Placebo , Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself , and Evolve Your Brain , he teaches how meditation and self-regulation can lead to measurable changes in health and consciousness. He leads workshops and lectures internationally, and he is recognized for integrating sci...

Aug 06, 20252 hr 20 minEp. 129

Bob Pittman

Bob Pittman is the former CEO of MTV Networks and co-founder of MTV. Beginning his career in media at age 15 as an on-air radio announcer, he went on to play a central role in launching MTV in 1981, targeting a youth audience with music video programming. Throughout his career, Pittman has held executive positions at several prominent companies, including AOL Networks, Six Flags Theme Parks, Quantum Media, and Time Warner Enterprises. He currently serves as the CEO of iHeartMedia, overseeing 863...

Jul 30, 20251 hr 51 minEp. 129

Ian Astbury

Ian Astbury is the longtime frontman and founding member of The Cult. He began his music career in 1980, initially gaining recognition with the post-punk group Southern Death Cult. The band later evolved into The Cult, with guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Jamie Stewart, and drummer Raymond Taylor Smith. Known for their blend of post-punk, gothic rock, and hard rock, The Cult released several successful albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Love , Electric , and Sonic Temple , featuring...

Jul 23, 20251 hr 40 minEp. 128

Alex Spiro

Alex Spiro is a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and one of the most prominent trial lawyers in the United States. A Harvard Law School graduate, he serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Investigations, Government Enforcement & White Collar Defense Practice. Spiro has represented a wide range of high-profile clients—including Elon Musk and New York City Mayor Eric Adams—and has served as lead counsel in over 50 trials across federal and state courts. A former Assistant District At...

Jul 16, 20251 hr 6 minEp. 127

Chris Carter, X Files

Chris Carter is a television writer, producer, and director best known as the creator of science fiction series The X-Files. He began his screenwriting career at Walt Disney Studios in 1985 before moving to Twentieth Century Fox Television. There, he developed The X-Files, which ran for 11 seasons and earned him multiple Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Award nominations, and a Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. Carter has created additional series through his production company, Ten Thirtee...

Jul 09, 20251 hr 34 minEp. 126

Urs Fischer

Urs Fischer is a contemporary artist renowned for his experimental and highly unpredictable practice of sculpture, installation, painting, and photography. He often uses unconventional materials, such as wax, bread, and everyday objects, which he employs to explore themes of transformation, impermanence, and creative destruction, allowing his works to transform or decay over time. Fischer’s work, influenced by movements like Surrealism and Pop Art, is marked by a dynamic interplay between constr...

Jul 02, 20251 hr 43 minEp. 125

Tobias Lütke

Tobias Lütke is the founder and CEO of Shopify, an e-commerce platform that enables businesses to sell products online and in person. Channeling his background as a self-taught programmer, he built Shopify out of a need for e-commerce solutions while running an online snowboard shop. Under Lütke’s leadership, the company, founded in 2006, opened its platform to third-party developers in 2009, went public in 2015, and has grown to support millions of merchants worldwide. Beyond tech, Lütke is als...

Jun 25, 20251 hr 48 minEp. 124

Dan Reynolds

Dan Reynolds is the lead vocalist and founding member of Imagine Dragons. Alongside guitarist Wayne Sermon, he founded the pop rock band in 2008, releasing their debut album, Night Visions , in 2012. From the album, hit single “Radioactive” won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance and achieved RIAA Diamond Status. As the frontman of Imagine Dragons, Reynolds has led the band through a string of Platinum and multi-Platinum albums, including Smoke + Mirrors, Evolve, and Origins. In recognition of hi...

Jun 18, 20252 hr 6 minEp. 123

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow is an Academy Award-winning actress and wellness entrepreneur. Spanning a career over three decades, she is celebrated for her performances in critically acclaimed films such as Shakespeare in Love, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and also in her recurring role as Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Beyond acting, Paltrow is the founder and CEO of lifestyle brand Goop , and she has authored bestselling cookbooks including It’s All Good and It’s All Easy . ------ Thank you to ...

Jun 11, 20251 hr 23 min
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