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

Broken Record pairs one of the most legendary music producers alive — Rick Rubin — with one of the best-known nonfiction writers — Malcolm Gladwell — and lets them interview artists about how creativity actually works. The combination sounds unlikely on paper, but it produces conversations you will not hear anywhere else. Rubin asks from a producer's instinct, Gladwell pushes on the storytelling angle, and co-hosts Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond fill in the gaps. The show has been running since 2017 under the Pushkin Industries banner, and with over 405 episodes, the guest list reads like a music hall of fame. Recent conversations include Jacob Collier talking about his multi-instrumental process, David Gilmour reflecting on Pink Floyd's legacy, Peaches discussing performance art and electronic music, and Don Was sharing stories from his years running Blue Note Records. The range spans generations and genres comfortably. Episodes typically run 45 minutes to about an hour and twenty minutes. The longer format gives artists room to tell stories that go beyond the standard press cycle. You get the moments that shaped someone's career — the failed recordings, the arguments in the studio, the songs that almost did not happen. Rubin in particular has a gift for asking simple questions that unlock surprisingly honest answers, probably because artists trust him as a peer rather than a journalist. It holds a 4.5-star rating from over 4,000 reviews on Apple Podcasts. The show is at its best when it pairs a deeply knowledgeable host with a guest who is willing to be vulnerable about the creative process. For anyone interested in what goes on behind the studio door, Broken Record consistently delivers those moments.