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

The youngest Haim sister, Alana, started playing music with her older sisters, Danielle and Este, when she was just four years old. Back then, the three of them were part of their family band, Rockinhaim, playing charity gigs all over L.A. and the San Fernando Valley where they grew up. After high school, Danielle was jamming in Laurel Canyon when Jenny Lewis spotted her and invited her to join...

Malcolm Gladwell sits down with the linguist John McWhorter, to discuss his new book, "Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words." Among other things in their wide-ranging conversation, John makes an impassioned case for the return of “thou.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Broken Record, we’re joined by the one and only Bootsy Collins. Bootsy burst onto the scene in the early ’70s as James Brown’s young, electrifying bass player. But it was with Parliament-Funkadelic that he truly found his voice—or rather, his voices—balancing raw, uncut funk with a psychedelic, intergalactic persona that would go on to inspire artists from Prince to Thundercat. In this...

Today, Justin Richmond is joined by the Starchild himself—KISS co-founder and frontman, Paul Stanley. Born and raised in New York City, Paul fell in love with music at an early age, attending shows at iconic venues like the Fillmore East. Over the course of more than 50 years with KISS, he helped build one of the most devoted fan bases in rock history, turning theatrical spectacle into an art...

Shirley Manson rose to '90s fame as the magnetic front woman of Garbage, but she was already a seasoned singer when guitarist Steve Marker spotted her in a music video for her previous band, Angelfish. She joined the Garbage in 1994. The band was made up of Steve Marker and producers Duke Erikson and Butch Vig—renowned for his work with Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. Nearly 30 years and over 17...

Today, we're revisiting a gem from our archives. In late 2020, Wilco's frontman and acclaimed songwriter Jeff Tweedy released his compact yet powerful book, "How to Write One Song" – a remarkable guide for unlocking anyone's creative potential through songwriting. This exploration of creativity immediately resonated with Broken Record host Malcolm Gladwell, leading to a fascinating conversation...

For close to three decades, Ben Kweller’s been crafting deeply personal indie rock that's both intimate and expansive. From his early days fronting the band Radish as a teenager in the '90s to his acclaimed solo career that began in the early 2000s, he's consistently delivered songs that feel raw, honest and almost conversational. But his latest album, Cover the Mirrors, finds Ben in a different...

Over the past few years, Kali Uchis has released three standout albums: Red Moon in Venus, Orquídeas, and now her latest, Sincerely. Each has made a powerful contribution to the evolving legacy of R&B and Latin music—but Sincerely marks a striking leap forward in her artistic journey. So it’s no surprise that in her conversation with Justin Richmond, Kali reveals she took a different approach...

Rico Nasty is a genre-defying force in contemporary hip-hop, known for her raw, unapologetic style and fearless experimentation. Rico started releasing mixtapes while still in high school in Maryland, with early tracks like “iCarly” and “Hey Arnold” catching fire online. After dropping five mixtapes independently, she signed with Atlantic Records in 2018 and introduced the world to her signature...

Daryl Hall stands as one of the greatest pop songwriters in music history. As the iconic half of Hall & Oates, his classic tracks like "Sara Smile," "Rich Girl," and "Maneater" earned the duo coveted spots in both the Songwriters and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Yet beyond his chart-dominating success throughout the '70s and '80s, Daryl remains a profoundly gifted, soulful creator whose...