And I decided that on that sabbatical I needed to learn how to play a particular piece of music. Martin: I took a sabbatical from work because the news was burning a hole into my soul. Whatever it is, I forgive you, but do ask the question. This is a totally selfish question that I don't know if I'm asking for forgiveness from you in some weird way. Martin: Is art unfulfilled still worthwhile? And I'll say more. It's not calculable how powerful it felt. And it was beautiful and I truly believe it enriched my life. So I got to experience his way of believing with him. And I got to share it with him, and he was a believer. Matin: What effect did that have on you, sharing that with him? I mean, it is a highly mystical Christian ritual whereby you imagine the wafer you're eating is actually the body of Jesus Christ and the grape juice or the wine is the blood. Because it's not like saying a prayer with someone. And I continued doing it for another six months. And then, when he passed, I could still hear him doing it. I listened to the words and I experienced it with him every day. I didn't have the wafer physically with me, but I visualized the whole thing. ![]() And then when we weren't together, I would call him every day and he would say the words, and I would close my eyes. And then I said, "Well, while you're sick, should we just continue doing it every day?" And he's like, "Great, let's do it." Let's do it together." And then we did it together in person the first time. I said, "I've never done communion." And he's like, "Oh, it's a beautiful practice. Rubin: From the time he got sick, we did it every day. That was something that was important to him and you were enthusiastic about it. Martin: I read that when you were producing Johnny Cash, near the end of his life, with his last albums, that you took communion with him. When we're making something beautiful, we have help. I feel like there's some creative energy behind it. However this system works, this world that we're in, this universe that we're in, however it works, I don't think it's accidental. I have a knowingness that there is a power greater than us that seems to animate everything. I mean, a seeker is a thing that's sort of, not to push back on you, but it's an easy answer. There's a book called 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School. Below that is I Am That by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Rubin: OK, so there's Wherever You Go, There You Are, which is a Jon Kabat-Zinn book on meditation. If you could see the books, you'd really laugh. ![]() I'm looking at a bunch of books in front of me now. So I read across the board, different practices. Do you have a spiritual architecture to your own life? Martin: Your book, The Creative Act, reads as sort of a spiritual text. I'm not sure, but how does that word sit with you?Įnlighten Me with Rachel Martin He chose to honor his mom's life with a psychedelic cartoon And I know it was used, maybe, a little tongue in cheek. I mean, that word "guru" carries a certain connotation. He referred to you that way, characterizing you as this kind of person. You know, they give a title to their stories, and yours had the word "guru" in it. Martin: In preparation for this conversation, I watched the 60 Minutes interview that you did with Anderson Cooper. And if people like it, it's great, and if they don't, we wouldn't change it, because we've made it with our hearts and souls, and it's true. We're making something with our hearts and souls, and then we're sharing it with the world. You could almost think of it as a devotional act. Oh, but how's the radio gonna react?" Forgetting all of the external baggage that weighs down the artistic process. Without worrying about, "Oh, but there's a release date. When you present a piece of work to me, I can reflect back what's going on in me. I'm in tune with myself and I'm in tune with my taste and I can express it clearly. Rick Rubin: I don't think of myself as a musician. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Instead, he spent eight years writing what is basically a spiritual text for anyone who wants to make something meaningful - not for praise or admiration or money, just because it brings you closer to who you really are. Rubin could have written a bestselling book about the music industry and insider stories about huge music stars.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |