The Tao of Rick Rubin

Reading Rick Rubins production discography is like taking a tour through the commanding heights of American music over the past few decades. JayZ. RunDMC. Beastie Boys. Slayer. The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Johnny Cash. Kanye West. Neil Diamond. Brandi Carlile. Eminem. Adele. And its not just his production credits: Rubin cofounded Def Jam Recordings and was a cochairman of Columbia Records. Whats allowed him to work with so many different kinds of artists, across such a stunning range of genres, so successfully In his new book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being Rubin turns his philosophy of creativity into a manual for living. It is not, to be honest, the book I was expecting. It is less about music than mind states: awareness, openness, discernment, attunement to nature, nonjudgmental listening, trust in your own taste. It is at once mystical and practical, alive to the tensions of creation but intent on holding