Diplo is one of the most successful and influential DJ/producers working today. He shares his journey from working odd jobs while grinding away on music to selling out festivals and generating billions of streams. Interested in a Visual Map tracing Diplo's creative journey? We made one just for you. Check it out here. And you can find his most recent album, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 - Swamp Savant, here. Links from the show:Paper Planes video: M.I.A. produced by...

Ray LaMontagne is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for his raspy vocals and soulful, introspective lyrics. He also has an incredible life story that you rarely hear about, because he prefers to avoid the spotlight and let his music do the talking. But in this episode, Ray opens up about his challenging childhood, working as a carpenter to support his young family, and how he resisted pressure from his label to rewrite his debut album, “Trouble.”  He also reveals his unique...

Three-time Grammy winner Miranda Lambert is a proud Texan who got her start performing during set changes at local bars starting at age 17. It was a “Honky Tonk U” education that would serve her well – igniting a career that would see Miranda become country music’s most award-winning artist of all time… all before the age of 40. In this episode, Miranda talks with Guy Raz about how losing early singing competitions actually helped her “win” in the music industry; the valuable lessons she...

From a lightning bolt moment watching cellist Yo-Yo Ma on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a child to becoming a 5-time Grammy winner, Esperana Spalding’s journey has been driven by an innate love for music. But along the way, she’s often felt misunderstood and misrepresented in the press. Today, Esperanza sits with Guy to talk more about the forces that propelled her rise, her decision to livestream the 77-hour process of writing an album from start to finish in real time, and the lessons she...

Giovanni Ribisi, the versatile actor known for his roles in “Saving Private Ryan,” “Avatar,” and “Friends,” reflects on his life growing up in the heart of Hollywood and his enduring passion for filmmaking. He also discusses the emotional toll of “living” in intense roles; why he thinks “humiliation” is an important element of every creator’s journey; and going to extreme measures to push his career forward — like spending his last $700 on a plane ticket to an audition.  See Giovanni’s...

Eric Goode is a filmmaker, conservationist, and a former nightclub owner. His Netflix docuseries Tiger King, about zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic, became a massive cultural phenomenon at the start of the pandemic. In this episode, Eric joins Guy to discuss his eclectic career path - from pinning dead flies to canvas as an eccentric young artist to opening the infamous Area nightclub in 1980s New York, frequented by the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michael Basquiat, and Keith...

Mark Foster is the frontman for Foster the People, which rocketed to fame in 2011 on the strength of their very first single, ‘Pumped Up Kicks’.  Mark talks about growing up as a pastor’s son in Cleveland; nearly joining the military but choosing instead to move to L.A. to pursue his music dreams; falling into addiction and getting sober; feeling afraid to perform on SNL after becoming famous overnight; and his process for getting into a flow state in the studio. Mark also reflects on the...

Singer Ellie Goulding has had 35 different songs chart in the UK, the most of any female artist ever. In this conversation from 2023, Ellie shares how she first broke out of her shell performing original songs to her college classmates. She also talks about finding her own sound by using her unique voice in collaboration with some of the biggest producers in the world of EDM. And she explains why she calls her album ‘Higher than Heaven’ her “least personal” record yet. Links from the...

Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live, Good Burger, Kenan & Kel, All That) is perhaps the most consistently funny TV performer of his generation. He’s the longest-running SNL cast member, and is beloved for early roles in Good Burger, D2: The Mighty Ducks, and the TV shows All That and Kenan & Kel.  In this conversation from 2023, Kenan joins Guy to talk about his Nickelodeon days, why some of his big breaks have felt like kismet, his awkward SNL audition, impersonating celebrities,...

Bjork, a singular artist whose work extends beyond music to include acting and conceptual art, discusses her career and artistic vision in this wide-ranging interview from 2022.  She talks with Guy about forming her unique vocal style; recording her first album at 11 years old; her album, Fossora, which features a bass clarinet ensemble; and why she uses symbols from nature to define each of her albums.  Links from the show:An early recording of Bjork singing as a childBjork as a teenager...

Jim Parsons is an actor who’s best known for starring as Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. While many know him as the on-screen super-nerd, he is also a classically trained stage actor. And in this conversation from 2022, Jim reflects on his entire creative journey: from playing the same character for 12 years to embracing new challenges (Hollywood, Spoiler Alert, A Man of No Importance) that have allowed him to flex some different creative muscles.  Plus, the uncertainty Jim felt when he came...

Alfred Matthew Yankovic, when he was six years old, was told by his parents to choose between accordion and guitar lessons. “And my parents being the visionaries that they were said, ‘Oh, young Alfred would love to play the accordion.’”  Alfred, better known as the chart-topping musician, satirist, and beloved nerd Weird Al Yankovic, told Guy in 2022 how that decision had changed his life and decades of popular music to come.  They also discussed how Kurt Cobain had saved Weird Al from a...

Rashida Jones is an actor, writer, and filmmaker best known for her work on ‘The Office’ and ‘Parks and Recreation’. She sits down with Guy to talk about growing up with dreams of being the President, how acting saved her during a bout of depression in college, and almost quitting acting right before the biggest break of her career. Plus, how becoming a parent and losing her own mother has changed the way she sees her work. Rashida stars in ‘Sunny’ on Apple TV+, out July 10:...

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt spends a lot of time thinking about creativity, technology, and how the two collide. In this episode, Joseph shares his thoughts on a not-too-distant future in which AI-generated content will be able to “make people laugh, make people cry, and win all the likes and awards”. He also talks about theater programs in school, why he used to worry that Hollywood would “infect” him, which of his characters he personally identifies with, and why his toughest day as an actor...

Ben Gibbard is the voice of the bands Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. He talks about Death Cab’s scrappy start, recording their classic album Transatlanticism, how the band learned to defuse internal tensions, and how he approaches songwriting in middle age. This episode was recorded in 2023. Links from the Show: Ben's Tiny Desk ConcertBen breaks down his song "Black Sun"Death Cab for Cutie video for "I Will Follow You Into The Dark"Death Cab for Cutie video for "Soul Meets...

Phil Elverum has recorded more than 40 albums and documented decades of his life in song – first as “The Microphones” and then as “Mount Eerie”. In this episode, Phil talks with Guy about his musical beginnings playing the tuba, the 40-minute song that tells his life story, and the album he wrote about his wife's death – a project that resonated strongly with countless people experiencing grief. Check out Phil’s latest album, Microphones in 2020, here:...

Michael Lewis is one of the most successful authors in recent memory. And in this episode, he dives deep into exactly how he tells unforgettable stories… from “Moneyball”, “The Big Short”, and “The Blind Side” – all adopted into feature films – to his newest bestseller, “Going Infinite” (about Sam Bankman-Fried).  You’ll learn how to “surf the world” for ideas like Michael; how to bring stories to life; how Michael structures narratives using a notecard system; and how he blocks out...

Ben Platt is an actor, singer, and songwriter who’s quickly become one of the most decorated performers of his generation. He sits down with Guy to talk about his first professional acting role at age 9, breaking out in “Pitch Perfect” and the runaway success of “Dear Evan Hansen,” finding his voice as an “authentically” queer artist, and the secret ingredient behind his success: “sacrifice”.  Buy Ben’s new album, “Honeymind”, here:...

Seth Meyers was a key player in creating some of the best seasons of Saturday Night Live. Now he's hosting Late Night in the very same building. In this classic episode from 2023, you’ll hear how his two-person comedy show in Chicago randomly landed him in front of just the right person to get him an audition at SNL.  Seth also opens up about the anxiety he felt competing with his extremely funny co-stars. And he explains some of the ways he has managed to lead Late Night to new...

Michael McDonald brought his legendary singing voice and songwriting talent to not one but two legendary bands: Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers, the latter of which earned him a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Michael sits down with Guy to talk about writing classic songs on envelopes and forgetting about them for years; feeling self-conscious on stage as a frontman; his solo career; what he thinks of the term “yacht rock”; and how getting sober saved his life. Michael’s memoir...

T Bone Burnett is one of the most accomplished music producers of the past 50 years. He sits down with Guy to talk about buying a recording studio at age 17; being pushed out of his creative comfort zone by Bob Dylan on the Rolling Thunder Revue tour; building soundtracks for the Coen Brothers and True Detective; and why, at age 76, he’s the happiest and most creative he’s ever been. T Bone’s new album, The Other Side, is available here: https://shop.tboneburnett.com/ Links from the...

David Duchovny sits down with Guy to talk about his wide-ranging creative life. He describes the “gut instinct” that led him to drop out of a Yale literature program and pursue acting; his iconic roles as Agent Mulder in The X-Files and Hank Moody in Californication; why he writes novels and makes music; and embracing failure as a critical learning experience in life and work. David’s new podcast is called “Fail Better”, and his film Bucky F*cking Dent comes out in June 2024. Links from the...

Lainey Wilson burst onto the country music scene in 2022 with her album Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’. But for seven years before that, she struggled to make it in the high-pressure Nashville music scene. And before that, she was a kid from a tiny town in rural Louisiana with a dream of being a country star. In this encore episode from 2023, Lainey joins Guy to talk about how she handled the hard times, what she’s learned about the art of collaboration during the making of two acclaimed albums,...

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:...