Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin

Mel Ziegler is the co-founder of Banana Republic and The Republic of Tea. In 1978, with $1,500 in savings and no prior business experience, he and his wife, Patricia Ziegler, launched Banana Republic, reimagining military surplus as stylish safari and expedition wear. After leaving the company, the duo went on to co-found tea company The Republic of Tea with Bill Rosenzweig. Ziegler is also the co...

Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist, author, and speaker, best known for digging into the quirks of human behavior and the hidden forces behind everyday life. He is the bestselling author of eight books, including The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and his latest release, Revenge of the Tipping Point, which explore everything from snap judgments to why some people succeed more than others. A longtim...

Dr. Paul Saladino is a double board-certified Physician Nutrition Specialist and a leading authority on the carnivore diet. After studying integrative medicine and nutritional biochemistry at the University of Arizona, he has dedicated his career to challenging conventional beliefs about health and nutrition, with a strong focus on animal-based diets. Driven by a desire to better understand, treat...

In this episode, Rick connects with Marlon Brando, known as one of the greatest actors in history. From Broadway to film, his performances are recognized for their raw intensity and emotional depth. 

Francis Ford Coppola is a critically acclaimed filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer, best known for directing The Godfather trilogy. A key figure in the New Hollywood movement of the later 20th century, he redefined American cinema with bold storytelling and technical innovation. The Godfather, Coppola’s breakthrough film, and The Godfather Part II won Best Picture Oscars, with the latter earning...

Rick Beato is a musician, producer, and audio engineer whose deep passion for music has made him one of the most respected educators in the industry. A multi-instrumentalist with a background in jazz and classical music, he has produced and engineered countless records across genres, working with artists like Shinedown, Needtobreathe, and Parmalee. As the owner of Black Dog Sound Studios and the c...

Richard Prince is one of the most influential, important, and controversial fine artists on the planet. Renowned for pioneering appropriation art, his “Untitled (Cowboy)” series of rephotographed Marlboro ads includes a piece that sold for $3.7 million, ranking among the most expensive photographs ever auctioned. In 2021, his “Runaway Nurse” painting sold at auction for an astonishing $12.1 millio...

Adrien Brody is an Academy Award-winning actor. Known for his nuanced performances across a wide range of films, such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Detachment, and multiple collaborations with film director Wes Anderson, he became the youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Pianist by age 29. In addition to his 2025 Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his...

Daron Malakian is a composer, guitarist, vocalist, and record producer, best known as a founding member of System of a Down.  Introduced to heavy metal at four years old when he first heard Kiss, Malakian began playing guitar at 11, developed his own style by 15, and is now cited by Loudwire as one of the “Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Guitarists of All Time.”  Malakian also founded Scars on Broadway....

Ky Dickens is an award-winning director, filmmaker, and host of the podcast, The Telepathy Tapes. Venturing into audio storytelling, she explores consciousness, human potential, and the profound abilities of telepathy among non-speakers with autism. Alongside neuroscientist Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell, Dickens travels the globe to learn more from non-speakers and their families, challenging preconcei...

Al Pacino is a screen and stage actor. Emerging from New York’s underground theater scene in the 1960s, he refined his craft under mentors including Lee Strasberg and Charlie Laughton. Best known for his iconic portrayals in The Godfather trilogy, Scarface, and more recently, House of Gucci, he is cited as one of the most respected actors of his generation. In his career spanning over five decades...

 In this episode, Rick connects with writer, director, and actor Orson Welles. His work spanning the worlds of radio, television, film, and theatre, Welles is widely regarded as “the ultimate auteur.”

RZA is a rapper, producer, composer, actor, director, and the creative mastermind behind the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Since the group’s classic 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), he has produced the most albums for the group and its respective members, pioneering a style rooted in stark booming beats, vintage soul samples, and gritty narratives. Beyond Wu-Tang, RZA launched the horror...

David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Stanford University and a bestselling author. His neuroscience research spans the areas of brain plasticity, sensory substitution, human perception, synesthesia, and beyond. As the co-director of the Center for Science & Law, he works at the intersection of neuroscience and the legal system, using new discoveries in neuroscience to inform lawmaking. Eagleman a...

Bruce Johnston is a musician, singer, and songwriter, widely recognized for his influential role in the Beach Boys. Johnston began his musical career in high school, collaborating early-on with musicians including Eddie Cochran and Phil Spector. Joining the Beach Boys in 1965, Johnston was involved as a vocalist and keyboardist, and he continued to make occasional appearances on the Beach Boys alb...

Mike Love is a singer, songwriter, and co-founder of the Beach Boys. In 1961, Love, alongside his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, defined the California sound of the 1960s as the Beach Boys, co-writing hits including “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls,” and “Fun, Fun, Fun,” while weaving the themes of youth, surfing, and romance into their songs. He was one o...

Víkingur Ólafsson is a world-renowned Icelandic pianist. Celebrated for his profound artistry and visionary programming, he has performed with premier orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, and London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2023, he performed his album of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations on a world tour, showcasing his musicianship across six contin...

Peter Thiel is an entrepreneur and investor. He is the co-founder and former CEO of PayPal, started in 1998, redefining the world of secure and fast e-commerce. Shortly thereafter, Thiel was the first outside investor in Facebook in 2004. Additionally, he co-founded Founders Fund, which has backed transformative companies like SpaceX and Airbnb, With a background in law and finance, Thiel has cons...

Ben Greenfield is a leading figure in health and wellness, renowned health consultant, New York Times bestselling author, and host of influential podcast, Boundless Life. Voted “America’s Top Personal Trainer” by the NSCA and named one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness” by Greatist, he combines cutting-edge research with practical strategies to connect mind, body, and s...

Pharrell Williams is a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, and performer. Getting his start in music alongside Chad Hugo as the production duo known as The Neptunes in 1992, Pharrell has produced chart-topping hits for artists including Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Snoop Dogg. He has co-composed the music for the Despicable Me film franchise, including hit “Happy,” which became the best...

In this episode, Rick connects with the physicist and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman. Known for his groundbreaking contributions to quantum mechanics, Feynman’s work inspires curiosity and innovation in science. ------ Sign up to receive Tetragrammaton Transmissions https://www.tetragrammaton.com/join-newsletter

Brianna Wiest is a bestselling author, speaker, and advocate for self-reflection and personal growth. Known for transformative works including 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think, The Mountain Is You, and her latest release, The Pivot Year, she has sold over 2 million copies of her books which frequently top global bestseller lists. Now based in Northern California, Wiest continues to in...

Bjarke Ingels returns to continue his conversation in Part Two.  Bjarke Ingels is one of the world’s leading architects as the founder and creative director of renowned architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Recognized for his innovative approach to sustainable and futuristic design, Ingels has led transformative projects worldwide, including the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art in China an...

Bjarke Ingels is one of the world’s leading architects as the founder and creative director of renowned architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Recognized for his innovative approach to sustainable and futuristic design, Ingels has led transformative projects worldwide, including the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art in China and groundbreaking urban plans like The Dryline in New York. A part...

Matthew McConaughey is an Academy Award-winning actor, producer, author, and professor of film, known for his captivating leading roles and versatility. He has appeared in more than 40 feature films, beginning with his breakout role in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, that have grossed over $1 billion. While he is most popular for his roles in films including Dallas Buyers Club, Interstella...