#745: Rick Rubin and Mary Karr

This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast
recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion
downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the
best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the
last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features
segments from episode #76 "Rick Rubin on Cultivating
World-Class Artists (Jay Z, Johnny Cash, etc.), Losing 100+
Pounds, and Breaking Down the Complex" and episode #479
"Mary Karr — The Master of Memoir on Creative Process and
Finding Gifts in the Suffering."


Please enjoy!


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Timestamps:


[00:00] Start


[05:11] Notes about this supercombo format.


[06:15] Enter Rick Rubin.


[07:58] How Rick lost over 135 pounds in his late 30s.


[16:03] How artists can hurdle the obstacles that hinder their
best work.


[19:31] Where to find world-class contemporary music.


[20:24] Approaching music production with a fan’s-eye view.


[22:53] Recommended reading.


[24:22] Helping artists break their creative blocks.


[26:54] Rick’s advice for his younger selves.


[29:06] Why practicing self-kindness isn’t just nice — it’s a
necessity.


[32:01] Enter Mary Karr.


[32:25] Growing up in “The Ringworm Belt.”


[34:44] The catalyst for Mary expressing herself and publishing
to the world.


[37:47] The role reading played for young Mary.


[40:31] The feeling that inspired Mary’s desire to become a poet
at a young age.


[44:27] “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the
comfortable.”


[45:17] How Mary, a high school dropout, got into college and
became an A student.


[49:13] Mary’s struggle with bringing darkness with her even
after leaving her traumatic past.


[53:23] The highly selective process for getting into Mary’s
graduate seminar at Syracuse University.


[54:33] The first day of Mary’s class and what it illustrates
about processing memoir-building memories.


[1:00:20] The value of a commonplace book and helping others find
alternative perspectives.


[1:04:19] The importance and utility of prayer in Mary’s life and
sobriety.


[1:17:09] The significance of Ignatian exercises in Mary’s
Catholic faith and gratitude practice.


[1:23:10] Obligatory Texas talk about weaponry and hunting.


[1:26:41] The origins of Mary’s unique wordsmithing.


[1:34:24] Mary’s process of rough drafts, revision, and using
past memories for storytelling.


[1:42:34] How Mary copes with the pain of dredging up memories
through writing.


[1:46:09] Why Mary feels the happiest at 65 and her advice to her
younger self about therapy.


[1:49:26] The most and least effective types of therapy for Mary.


[1:53:25] Mary’s solution to fear and getting through
uncomfortable times.


[1:58:14] Recognizing the gifts from suffering through difficult
times in retrospect.


[2:06:28] Mary’s billboard.


[2:07:35] Parting thoughts.


*


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Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh
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Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah
Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine
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Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael
Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria
Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de
Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly
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Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael
Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan
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Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard
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Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick
Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren
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