Fake it till you make it? Rick Rubin, among the most prolific producers of our time, has admitted that he actually "know[s] nothing about music."
Renowned for his work with the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, the Strokes, LL Cool J, Adele and innumerable others, the eight-time Grammy Award winner is also set on being the realest. A recent interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes sees Rubin open up about the artistic insights detailed in his new book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being.
In excerpts of the lengthy conversation that have surfaced online, the definitive super-producer reflected on his time with late-life Johnny Cash, early-career LL Cool J and turning his dorm room at NYU into Def Jam's studio and office.
When Anderson asked if Rubin played any instruments, he replied, "Barely," adding that he doesn't know how to work a soundboard. "I have no technical ability," Rubin said. "And I know nothing about music."
Cooper said, "You must know something," to which the producer responded, "Well, I know what I like and what I don't like. And I'm decisive about what I like and what I don't like."
"So what are you being paid for?" the host pressed. Rubin answered, "The confidence that I have in my taste and my ability to express what I feel has proven helpful for artists."
While his approach has been deemed "way more a hindrance than a help" by former RHCP member Josh Klinghoffer, it certainly seems like many other musicians trust his process. It's perhaps unsurprising that Rubin would be able to deliver such a mic-drop response, since he's a seasoned interviewer in his own right — he recently played host in the Paul MacCartney docuseries.
Watch clips of the 60 Minutes interview below.
Renowned for his work with the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, the Strokes, LL Cool J, Adele and innumerable others, the eight-time Grammy Award winner is also set on being the realest. A recent interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes sees Rubin open up about the artistic insights detailed in his new book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being.
In excerpts of the lengthy conversation that have surfaced online, the definitive super-producer reflected on his time with late-life Johnny Cash, early-career LL Cool J and turning his dorm room at NYU into Def Jam's studio and office.
When Anderson asked if Rubin played any instruments, he replied, "Barely," adding that he doesn't know how to work a soundboard. "I have no technical ability," Rubin said. "And I know nothing about music."
Cooper said, "You must know something," to which the producer responded, "Well, I know what I like and what I don't like. And I'm decisive about what I like and what I don't like."
"So what are you being paid for?" the host pressed. Rubin answered, "The confidence that I have in my taste and my ability to express what I feel has proven helpful for artists."
While his approach has been deemed "way more a hindrance than a help" by former RHCP member Josh Klinghoffer, it certainly seems like many other musicians trust his process. It's perhaps unsurprising that Rubin would be able to deliver such a mic-drop response, since he's a seasoned interviewer in his own right — he recently played host in the Paul MacCartney docuseries.
Watch clips of the 60 Minutes interview below.
Rubin is currently working on an Andy Kaufmann documentary with the Safdie Brothers.