b'Reading Rick Rubin\\u2019s production discography is like taking a tour through the commanding heights of American music over the past few decades. Jay-Z. Run-DMC. Beastie Boys. Slayer. The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Johnny Cash. Kanye West. Neil Diamond. Brandi Carlile. Eminem. Adele. And it\\u2019s not just his production credits: Rubin co-founded Def Jam Recordings and was a co-chairman of Columbia Records. What\\u2019s allowed him to work with so many different kinds of artists, across such a stunning range of genres, so successfully?\\n\\nIn his new book, \\u201cThe Creative Act: A Way of Being,\\u201d Rubin turns his philosophy of creativity into a manual for living. It is not, to be honest, the book I was expecting. It is less about music than mind states: awareness, openness, discernment, attunement to nature, nonjudgmental listening, trust in your own taste. It is at once mystical and practical, alive to the tensions of creation but intent on holding them gently. I found it unexpectedly moving.\\n\\nWe discuss how Rubin listens to new music, the importance of staying open to the natural world, the difficulty of appreciating art that\\u2019s different from what you already like, the rituals that artists like Carlos Santana have when recording, why minimalist composers like Steve Reich are just as \\u201cextreme\\u201d as heavy metal bands, how Rubin helped Johnny Cash strip down his sound and revive his career, what it takes to level up your taste, the difficulty and gifts of awareness, the relationship between speed and art, how streaming culture is changing our taste, the kind of music that makes Rubin stop and pay attention and oh so much more. This one\\u2019s a delight.\\n\\nMentioned:\\n\\nThe Tao Te-Ching by Lao Tzu, translated by Stephen Mitchell\\n\\nAmerican Recordings by Johnny Cash\\n\\n"Pulses" by Steve Reich and Erik Hall\\n\\nMusic for Wobbling. Music Versus Gravity. by F.S. Blumm and Nils Frahm\\n\\nAlbum Recommendations:\\n\\nForever Changes by Love\\n\\nThe Beatles by The Beatles\\n\\nRamones by Ramones\\n\\nThoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.\\n\\nYou can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of \\u201cThe Ezra Klein Show\\u201d at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.\\n\\n\\u201cThe Ezra Klein Show\\u201d is produced by Emefa Agawu, Annie Galvin, Jeff Geld, Rog\\xe9 Karma and Kristin Lin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Mixing by Sonia Herrero. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Jon Caramanica, Dan Charnas, Jack Hamilton, Felix Grimm, Carole Sabouraud and Kristina Samulewski.'