The Upward Spiral Towards Magnificence
Rick Rubin is widely regarded as the most influential music producer of his generation and it’s hard to disagree.
Rubin is the man who helped to popularise hip hop. He churned out a slew of era-defining records for the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Public Enemy and LL Cool J.
These bands paved the way for Jay Z, Eminem and Kanye West.
Never a man to stay in just one genre, Rubin then went on to produce a succession of hit records for a diverse array of acts including Metallica, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, the Strokes, Weezer, Aerosmith, Linkin Park, Jay Z, Adele, Ed Sheeran and Johnny Cash.
Yes, Johnny Cash.
As I missed the birth (and rise) of hip hop, it was actually through his Johnny Cash albums that I first heard about Rubin!
I only discovered more about Rick Rubin when I listened to him being interviewed in a podcast by Tim Ferriss.
At Rubin’s behest, the interview took place in a sauna at his home in Malibu, California.
What unfolded was one of the most fascinating interviews I’ve ever heard (see link below).
Intelligent, thoughtful, totally authentic and allergic to cliches, Rick Rubin is a hugely engaging character. He is a vat of wisdom.
His whole philosophy on creativity is particularly insightful.
As a rule he doesn’t attend award shows, not even when he is due to collect one.
Rubin thinks competition among artists is "just absurd”.
In his book, The Creative Act, he explains why he thinks award shows are a wholly ridiculous concept.
“Every artist’s playing field is specific to them. You are creating the work that best represents you. Another artist is making the work that best represents them. The two cannot be measured against one another.”
Warning artists against the danger of competition and trying to outperform each other, Rubin says such efforts “rarely result in true greatness. Nor is it a mindset that has a healthy impact on the rest of our lives.”
However, Rubin stresses that there is a distinction between competition and inspiration.
Pointing to the ground-breaking records made by the Beatles and The Beach Boys. Rubin observes that Brian Wilson wasn’t a victim of professional envy.
“When Brian Wilson first heard the Beatles’ Rubber Soul, his mind was blown. Wilson said: ‘I was so happy to hear it that I went and started writing ‘God Only Knows’.
Rubin concludes: “Being made happy by someone else’s best work, and then letting it inspire you to rise to the occasion, is not competition. It’s collaboration.”
Yes, very good Paddy, but what the hell has all this got to do with getting leaner, fitter and stronger?
We'll get to that now!
It has got EVERYTHING to do with getting leaner, fitter and stronger.
If every artist’s playing field is specific to them, so too, your body and well-being are specific to you.
You can only work on you. You can only produce the best version of yourself.
Getting involved in competition with anyone else is in the words of Rick Rublin, "just absurd”.
Similarly, competitive jealousy is unlikely to generate great results and is more likely to result in an unhappy state of mind.
Like art, we should also make the distinction between competition and inspiration.
You should seek to be inspired by the people around you. If you can take happiness from their achievements and let it drive your own efforts, then you’re on the right path.
The Beatles played Pet Sounds over and over again. Paul McCartney proclaimed ‘God Only Knows’ as the best song ever written. The Beatles had Pet Sounds on repeat play as they created their masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
“This creative back-and-forth wasn’t based on commercial competition, it was based on mutual love. And we are all the beneficiaries of this upward spiral toward magnificence,” writes Rubin.
Rick Rubin gets it.
I hope you do too.
Don’t get sucked into that other world.
It's a cesspit.
Don’t compare.
You are your own canvas.
Focus on your work.
And, if possible, seek happiness and inspiration from the achievements of those around you.
In doing so, you might just take the “upward spiral towards magnificence."
PH
Link for the interview between Tim Ferriss and Rick Rubin which takes place in the music producer's sauna.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jk7c7PFPExsJ0rKn9YIMa?si=aLJwzdCkQX-vXn25NyXOjw
TAKING YOUR HOLIDAYS IN JULY?
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