Rick Rubin, the celebrated music producer and co-founder of Def Jam Recordings and American Recordings, has significantly impacted the music industry. Known for his work with iconic artists such as the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Johnny Cash, Rubin's influence extends beyond music. Recently, he has garnered attention for his remarkable personal health journey, marked by a battle with depression, a struggle with obesity, and an extraordinary physical and mental transformation.
Rubin's Transformation: An Overview
Rubin's transformation is viewed as one of the great transformations of a lifetime. About two years prior, he wasn't feeling great physically or emotionally and was thinking of ways to approach change. He embarked on a journey, giving up control of his life and doing what he was told, which became the key to his success.
Overcoming Misconceptions
In the past, Rubin thought he knew what was best for him, especially regarding eating habits, as he was vegan for a long time and believed he ate healthily. He also felt he knew his toleration for exercise, which was not great.
The Rigorous Diet-and-Workout Regimen
Over the last year and a half, Rubin has undertaken a rigorous diet-and-workout regimen, which has helped him shed more than 100 pounds.
The Diet
Rubin's diet is heavy on fish and protein shakes. In an episode with Dr. Drive, Rubin and rapper Dr. sat on his back porch, watching a relaxing sunset after a hard morning of Laird Hamilton's pool workout, and have an intense discussion about veganism vs. Paleo, Rick's weight loss journey, and much more.
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The Workout
Rubin's workout regimen includes gym training with weights on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This training is unique because it avoids standing still or sitting on a bench while lifting weights. Instead, it involves being in awkward positions or having to balance while performing exercises. For instance, while doing an arm exercise, one might also be doing a balancing leg exercise.
This type of training requires a high level of engagement, making it as much mental work as physical work. It's not like being on a treadmill and watching TV; it requires active, engaged activity. Rubin finds it challenging but fun, as he feels his body changing and his ability to do things improving. It feels great to try something for the first time and not be able to do it at all, and then to be able to do it a little bit, and then eventually to be able to just do it. It feels like every time one of these new activities comes in, new pathways in the brain are activated, where your brain is able to coordinate the parts of your body. It feels like there’s a lot going on in the body to do this. It’s a complicated set of instructions going on in the body that’s interesting to feel as you gain balance and things like that.
Surfing and Inspiration from Laird Hamilton
Rubin regularly stands up and paddles. He's been very lucky in that Laird Hamilton invited him to start training with him. Hamilton is very committed to his training, both as a way of life and to keep himself alive because he regularly puts himself at risk in his job. He wants the most edge against these odds as possible. So it’s really serious training, and Rubin does it at whatever levels he can. It’s just inspiring being around people who are excited about what they’re doing. It’s like he doesn’t exercise with the idea, Oh, I have to get this done. He exercises with the idea of how interesting this is, and how much fun it is and how lucky we are to get to be able to do this with our lives.
The Mental and Creative Impact of Physical Change
Rubin notes that the biggest change he has experienced is having more energy. He also feels that he might think about things from different angles. However, he believes his commitment to creativity has been the one constant thread in his life.
Creativity as a Guiding Force
Rubin describes his interest as watching things unfold creatively. He doesn't know how this has changed through his physical transformation process.
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Exploring New Musical Horizons
Rubin's musical tastes have evolved throughout his life. At five years old, he listened to The Beatles and The Monkees, along with other British Invasion music like Herman’s Hermits and The Dave Clark Five. He also enjoyed comedy from George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Cheech and Chong, and Monty Python. By 15, he was into hard rock and heavy metal, such as Kiss, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, and AC/DC. At 20, he transitioned to punk rock, listening to The Ramones, The Clash, Ian MacKaye’s group (Minor Threat), and Black Flag. By 25, he was deeply immersed in hip-hop, while still listening to Black Sabbath and James Brown. By 30, he had come full circle back to The Beatles and also went through a heavy Doors phase. He also liked N.W.A, which reignited his excitement for hip-hop. Currently, he listens to a combination of old psychedelic music, classical music, and jazz, as well as some current dance music.
The Importance of Personal Connection in Work
Rubin decides to work with an artist based on how he feels about them personally, prioritizing whether they seem like people he would like to spend time with. He enjoys the challenge of working with different kinds of music and sees his role as a coach. Working with diverse artists helps him push the boundaries of what he’s done, making him more versatile in his craft. He feels like they help him at his craft by helping him push the boundaries of what he’s done. If all he ever did was make hip-hop records, it would get old. He thinks that both his ability to do it and the inspiration that he brings to it would wear out. But continuing to edge into different genres and experiment in different kinds of music is really a kind of training. It forces him to think about things and approach things in new ways, and then he can apply the things that he learned in one genre to another. It all just makes him more versatile in the craft.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Rubin's approach to recovery and creativity aligns with the idea of living as an artist, which is a way of being in the world, a way of perceiving, and a practice of paying attention. He lets artists discover themselves in the process of creating, even if it means scrapping entire albums or going silent for days. He creates the space and then gets out of the way.
Joyful Eating: A Revolutionary Concept
Rubin's transformation highlights the importance of creativity and joy in the recovery process. Moving away from "What should I eat?" to "What do I want this to taste like?" or "What sounds good?" can be a game-changer.
Incorporating Flavor and Senses
Samin Nosrat’s approach in "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" isn’t about nutrition labels or portion control-it’s about flavor and curiosity. This involves adding a pinch more salt to see how it wakes things up, noticing how butter, olive oil, or avocado can create richness, using a splash of vinegar or lemon to make flavors pop, and experimenting with different cooking methods like grilling, roasting, and toasting.
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Small Steps to Joyful Eating
To invite more joy and play into food, one can start with small steps like trying a new spice or sauce to a familiar meal, noticing different textures, smelling the food before taking a bite, listening to it sizzle in the pan, and revisiting childhood favorites.