One of the first – and biggest – stars of the MTV era, Billy Idol is nothing short of a rock icon. He sits down with Guy Raz to share how the Sex Pistols inspired him to start a band instead of working for his dad; the stories behind the songs “Dancing with Myself” and “Rebel Yell”; his famously edgy image and lifestyle; and the workout routine that allows him to tour internationally into his late 60s. Buy the 40th anniversary expanded edition of Billy’s album “Rebel Yell” here:...

Oskar Eustis is the Artistic Director at the Public Theater in New York City. He sits down with Guy to talk about “falling into the avant-garde rat hole” early in his career; convincing Lin-Manuel Miranda that Hamilton was more than a concept album; bringing theater to senior centers, women’s shelters, and prisons; and why he believes performing arts are essential to democracy. See what the Public theater has playing here: https://publictheater.org/ Links from the Show: Lin-Manuel Miranda...

Sam Harris is the frontman for X Ambassadors, a multi-platinum pop rock trio from Ithaca, New York. Sam sits down with Guy to talk about his bond with his brother and bandmate Casey, who was born blind; how X Ambassadors felt “so not cool” and faced lots of rejection while trying to make it in the Brooklyn indie rock scene of the late 2000s; and how getting tricked into writing the song “Renegades” for a Jeep commercial turned into a big break. Sam also shares the story behind getting...

Singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant shot to fame as the lead vocalist for the indie-folk band 10,000 Maniacs, then left the band at the height of their popularity to build a successful solo career. She sits down with Guy to talk about the political concerns that animate her work; what a dinner with Allen Ginsberg and Philip Glass taught her about creativity; how a degenerative spinal disease almost ended her artistic career; and her newest project honoring a late Italian poet who’s been nearly...

Actor Rainn Wilson is best known for playing Dwight on "The Office," but in recent years he has become a mental health and spirituality advocate through his books and production company, SoulPancake. He joins Guy to talk about auditioning for the role of Michael Scott, the deep anxiety he faced as a young actor, his ensuing search for inner peace, and why he believes performing can be a spiritual act. Rainn’s book is called “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution”. This episode...

Singer-songwriter Cody Jinks shares his journey from heavy metal frontman and part-time bouncer and forklift driver to country music’s top independent artist. He talks about enduring years of poverty in order to keep 100% ownership over his publishing (“it was worth it”); how he wrote the 2x-platinum track “Loud & Heavy”; finding sobriety; and evolving his sound into his 40s. Cody’s new album is called “Change the Game”. Links from the Show: “Loud & Heavy” ​“Sober Thing”Cody’s...

Every weeknight, Louis Cato performs live in front of a few million people as the band leader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He arranges the tunes, sets the tone, and plays multiple instruments himself; Colbert calls him a “musical genius”. Today, Louis talks about the multi-decade journey that led him here – from listening to “only Jesus music” in his youth and then having his mind blown by the Rolling Stones, to dropping out of the Berklee College of Music and touring the world, to...

Jacob Collier has been called the “Mozart of Gen Z” by the New York Times. As a teen, his one-man-band performances went viral and led to a cold email from (and friendship with) music legend Quincy Jones – something he discusses in this episode.  He also talks about his childhood, where he gets his ideas, why doesn’t make pop hits, and his most recent album, Djesse, Vol. 4. The album features an eclectic range of collaborators, from T-Pain to Chris Martin of Coldplay… plus, 100,000 other...

Ryan Tedder is the lead singer of OneRepublic and the producer and songwriter behind countless hits including Adele’s Rumor Has It and Beyonce’s Halo. Tedder even sold his own catalog for a reported $200 million. He joins Guy to talk about growing up in a religious family, tackling his stagefright (“I was shaking backstage”), using personal experiences to write hits, working with star musicians, and how to choose singles in the TikTok age. This episode was originally released in 2023. Links...

Hilary Swank is one of just 14 women to win not one but two Academy Awards for Best Actress (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby). And as you’ll learn today, her life story just as remarkable as her career: from growing up in a trailer park (“it was no big deal”) to moving to L.A. as a teenager and living with her mom in their car for a time while chasing her dreams, to her breakthrough role as Brandon Teena in the indie film “Boys Don’t Cry” – a performance that earned Hilary an Oscar, and...

Regina Spektor is one of the most critically-acclaimed and respected singer-songwriters of the past 25 years. She’s also one of the most thoughtful and open guests we’ve had on this show.  Today, you’ll learn how Regina went from medical receptionist writing lyrics on post-it notes to rising star in the NYC music scene; how she overcame her fear that record labels would meddle with her art; why “invisibility” has been her greatest creative asset; the songwriting process behind beloved songs...

David Chang is the founder of Momofuku, a culinary brand that grew from a single 600-square-foot location to include a Michelin-starred restaurant, a bakery and dessert chain, and a line of consumer packaged goods. David joins Guy to talk about opening his first restaurant after his epiphany about ramen on a trip to Japan; the panic and anxiety he felt in those early days; and how he’s learned to become a better leader and reject the toxic elements of “kitchen culture”. Links from the...

Dan Aykroyd was the youngest cast member on a brand new comedy show called Saturday Night Live when it premiered in 1975. In addition to iconic performances as Julia Child and a Conehead, Dan also created a real blues band called The Blues Brothers with fellow cast mate John Belushi. In this episode, Dan talks with Guy about playing drums behind Muddy Waters, his fascination with paranormal science that led him to create Ghostbusters, what he thinks of the female-led Ghostbusters reboot he...

Jake Johnson is an actor, comedian, writer, and director who is best-known for playing Nick Miller on the sitcom New Girl. He’s also one of the voices of Spiderman in the animated movies and he wrote, directed, and stars in the new comedic thriller Self Reliance. In this episode, Jake shares a life story filled with hilarious and poignant moments – from struggling with dyslexia and dropping out of high school, to finding his calling in the arts, to his complicated and ultimately close...

Jesse Tyler Ferguson sits down with Guy to talk about his life and career – including his breakout role as Mitchell Pritchett, an openly gay father, on Modern Family.

Singer-songwriter Jewel shares her incredible life story, from yodeling in bars as a kid to becoming homeless as a teenager and shortly thereafter becoming one of the most sought-after musicians in the world. She tells Guy about the mental exercises and Stoic philosophy she relied on as she climbed out of homelessness; why she declined a $1 million signing bonus; her "business plan" for her career and happiness; the conversation with Bob Dylan that may have saved her career; and why she's...

Bobby Hall -- better known by his stage name Logic -- first started making waves in the rap scene with his 2010 mixtape "Young, Broke, and Infamous". In 2018, he blew up and received two Grammy nominations for a song he titled 1-800-273-8255, which is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. But just a couple years later, he announced his retirement and moved to rural Oregon to focus on his family. In this episode, Guy and Bobby talk about the methods he’s been using to...

Andy J. Pizza is the best-selling author-illustrator of Invisible Things and the host of Creative Pep Talk, his long-running podcast about building a creative career. In this episode, Andy talks about growing up as a hyper-creative but unfocused kid; his rocky journey to developing a unique artistic style; a medical diagnosis that changed his life and work forever; the neuroscience behind artistic taste; what he does when he feels stuck; and the epiphany that led to his biggest creative...

DJ Shadow, aka Josh Davis, was and is a famous crate digger. He could spend hours in a record store collecting obscure albums, looking for interesting melodies and beats to sample and mix together on his turntables. And in 1996, Josh used this encyclopedic knowledge of music to create the first ever completely sampled album as DJ Shadow. The album, "Endtroducing", became one of the most important albums in experimental hip-hop, and you can still hear its influence today. In this episode, Guy...

Brian Grazer is the award-winning producer of many iconic and successful films and TV shows, like Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, Friday Night Lights, 24, and Arrested Development. More than 40 years ago he co-founded Imagine Entertainment with director Ron Howard. Together their films have made more than 15 billion dollars. In his conversation with Guy, Brain talks about his accidental start in Hollywood, what it was like working there in the early 70s, and the...

Sir Patrick Stewart is beloved for his portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Next Generation and its spinoff films. But Patrick was 47 years old when he took that life-changing role... and he almost turned it down! He sits down with Guy to talk about the extraordinary life that led to Picard: his working-class upbringing, how he learned to tame perfectionism on stage and embrace his own dark side when playing "horrible" men, and why he wants to focus on comedy in the final...

When James Blunt released "You're Beautiful" in 2004, it quickly became the most popular song in the world. The album it was on, Back to Bedlam, became the best selling album of the 2000s in the UK. But James was already in his 30s when that song broke, and before that he lived a completely different life. In this episode, you'll hear about James' time in the British army leading NATO troops in Kosovo, his stint as one of Queen Elizabeth's ceremonial bodyguards, and how he randomly became...

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo is an iconic indie musician and songwriter. He joins Guy to talk about Uncle Tupelo's unexpected breakup, how that inspired him to explore new musical territories, and the story behind the classic album that cost Wilco their record deal -- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Jeff has a new book out, it's called "World Within A Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music". Links from the show: Wilco playing "New Madrid" Live Trailer for "I am...

Gavin Rossdale and his band Bush were at the forefront of the grunge movement in the 90s. Their debut album Sixteen Stone was a huge success, selling over 6 million copies. Almost overnight, Bush went from playing pubs in London to headlining arenas across the US. But before that, during a time when Britpop was dominating the British airwaves, Rossdale struggled for years to find success. In this episode, Gavin talks with Guy about being bullied while growing up in England, and how learning...