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He tells Anderson Cooper about the time Tom Petty sent him recordings of new songs, none of which Rubin liked. But there was a brief guitar riff in the recordings, between two songs, that resonated with Rubin's zen-like tastes.
That throw-away guitar riff would become the opening and recurring music to Tom Petty's famous song "Mary Jane's Last Dance."
At the heart of Rubin's success is a deep focus on feelings. Tapping into your feelings and leaning into yourself.
Ever notice how much better your work is when you stay true to what you're feeling?
The audience comes last
Early in Rubin's career, he was attracted to Hip-Hop music, but the recordings didn't sound like the raw, authentic Hip-Hop he heard in the clubs. They lacked the DJ record scratching and stripped-down energy.
So Rubin began recording Hip-Hop to reflect what he liked about the simpler, raw, club sounds.
Rubin once heard a jingle on a college radio show and tracked down the rapper who wrote it, Chuck D, and convinced him to sign with his music label, Def Jam Recordings. That's how the Grammy award-winning group Public Enemy was birthed.
Rubin went on to land a seven-figure distribution deal with Columbia Records, and eventually sold Def Jam Recordings in 1988. Now he works out of his spartan home studio in California.
Rubin told Anderson Cooper that "I like the idea of getting the point across with the least amount of information possible." He focuses on what is necessary, the essence of the music.
Rubin listens to how the music makes him feel, not the individual instruments and vocals.
Rubin isn't trying to create music for clicks or for what he thinks the market wants. He doesn't chase fads or worry about more gold records.
He told Anderson Cooper something deeply profound: "The audience comes last."
"How can that be?" Anderson Cooper asks.
"Well, the audience doesn't know what they want. The audience only knows what's come before," Rubin replies.
Rubin's success comes from his focus on reductionism, stripping away all the superfluous stuff to get at the underlying heart of the music. He relies on how the music makes him feel. He doesn't worry about what others might think.
He goes with his gut.
Dare to be ourselves
How about you?
Are you tired of copying everyone else? Are you ready to dive deep and listen to your creative heartstrings?
Doing creative work that truly resonates with your soul sometimes takes courage, and maybe some folks won't understand or initially appreciate what you're trying to say.
Do it anyway.
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