#745: Rick Rubin and Mary Karr

Published: June 11, 2024, 1:28 p.m.

This episode is a two-for-one, and that\u2019s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I\u2019ve curated some of the best of the best\u2014some of my favorites\u2014from 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 \u2014 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\u2019s-eye view.

[22:53] Recommended reading.

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

[26:54] Rick\u2019s advice for his younger selves.

[29:06] Why practicing self-kindness isn\u2019t just nice \u2014 it\u2019s a necessity.

[32:01] Enter Mary Karr.

[32:25] Growing up in \u201cThe Ringworm Belt.\u201d

[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\u2019s desire to become a poet at a young age.

[44:27] \u201cArt should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.\u201d

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

[49:13] Mary\u2019s struggle with bringing darkness with her even after leaving her traumatic past.

[53:23] The highly selective process for getting into Mary\u2019s graduate seminar at Syracuse University.

[54:33] The first day of Mary\u2019s 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\u2019s life and sobriety.

[1:17:09] The significance of Ignatian exercises in Mary\u2019s Catholic faith and gratitude practice.

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

[1:26:41] The origins of Mary\u2019s unique wordsmithing.

[1:34:24] Mary\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s billboard.

[2:07:35] Parting thoughts.

*

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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry SeinfeldHugh JackmanDr. Jane GoodallLeBron JamesKevin HartDoris Kearns GoodwinJamie FoxxMatthew McConaugheyEsther PerelElizabeth GilbertTerry CrewsSiaYuval Noah HarariMalcolm GladwellMadeleine AlbrightCheryl StrayedJim CollinsMary Karr, Maria PopovaSam HarrisMichael PhelpsBob IgerEdward NortonArnold SchwarzeneggerNeil StraussKen BurnsMaria SharapovaMarc AndreessenNeil GaimanNeil de Grasse TysonJocko WillinkDaniel EkKelly SlaterDr. Peter AttiaSeth GodinHoward MarksDr. Bren\xe9 BrownEric SchmidtMichael LewisJoe GebbiaMichael PollanDr. Jordan PetersonVince VaughnBrian KoppelmanRamit SethiDax ShepardTony RobbinsJim DethmerDan HarrisRay DalioNaval RavikantVitalik ButerinElizabeth LesserAmanda PalmerKatie HaunSir Richard BransonChuck PalahniukArianna HuffingtonReid HoffmanBill BurrWhitney CummingsRick RubinDr. Vivek MurthyDarren AronofskyMargaret AtwoodMark ZuckerbergPeter ThielDr. Gabor Mat\xe9Anne LamottSarah SilvermanDr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

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