The Great Creators with Guy Raz

Ryan Tedder is the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist of the band OneRepublic. He’s also a producer and songwriter behind hits such as Adele’s Rumor Has It and Beyonce’s Halo. He joins Guy to talk about growing up in a religious family, tackling his stagefright, using personal experiences to write music, working with star musicians, and how to choose singles during the TikTok age.

Links from the show:

Ryan performing “Apologize” solo for BBC Music:

OneRepublic’s music video for “I Ain’t Worried” featured in Top Gun: Maverick 

Music video for Adele’s “Rumor Has It” co-written by Ryan

Music video for Beyonce’s “Halo” co-written by Ryan

Music video for Paul McCartney’s “Fuh You” co-written by Ryan

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Carrie Brownstein has made iconic contributions to the worlds of music, with the indie-rock band Sleater-Kinney; and comedy, in the sketch comedy show Portlandia, which she co-created with Fred Armisen. She tells Guy about how the band found its sound, about the unlikely events that led to the birth of Portlandia, and why she had to take a break from Sleater-Kinney to finally face some childhood traumas.

Links from the show:

• Sleater-Kinney playing “One More Hour” at 924 GIlman in 1997
• Sleater-Kinney intervewed in 1999
• Thunderant: A collection of Carrie and Fred Armisen
• Carrie’s interview of Armisen as Saddam Hussein
• Guy interviewing Brownstein about the band Wild Flag in 2011
• Portlandia "Did you read?" sketch
• Carrie rates freeganism, crowd surfing, and more for Pitchfork
• Ann Wilson talks about the upcoming Heart biopic that Carrie is writing

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The rapper Macklemore and his collaborator Ryan Lewis had their first two singles go straight to number one (Thrift Shop and Can't Hold Us). Even more amazing, they did it without being signed to a major label. Macklemore joins Guy to discuss why they stayed independent, his battle with addiction, why he feels indebted to the originators of hip-hop, and how to make music that means something.

Macklemore's new album BEN comes out March 3rd and can be pre-ordered here.

Links from the show:

Video for "Otherside"

Video for "Thrift Shop"

Video for "Can't Hold Us"

Video for "Glorious"

Short Doc from tour with Imagine Dragons

Video for "Maniac"

Video for "Faithful"

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Tom Hanks has had more iconic roles than most actors have had roles. From Big, to Forrest Gump, to Saving Private Ryan, to 2022’s Elvis, Tom has played countless characters spanning across different genres and different decades. In this wide-ranging interview, Tom discusses the trajectory of his career, the importance of bringing his own ideas to the films he’s acted in, and how he has managed to stave off self-consciousness while remaining as authentic as possible.

Links from the show:

• Tom and Peter Scolari in Bosom Buddies
• Tom and Daryl Hannah in Splash
• The cross-country running scene from Forrest Gump
• The execution scene from The Green Mile
• Tom as Sully Sullenberger in Sullly: plane crash in the Hudson scene
• Tom as Colonel Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis
• The real Colonel Tom Parker in an interview on ABC
• Trailer for A Man Called Otto

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Billy Porter is an Emmy, Tony and Grammy-award winning artist known for lighting up the red carpet with his incredible ensembles. But success did not come easy for Billy. He tells Guy about his years in obscurity, why he never stopped working on his craft, and what led to his big break.

Links from the show:

• Billy's best red carpet outfits (Elle)
• Music video for "Show Me"
• Music video for "Children"
• Solo show at Lincoln Center: "Kinky Boots" medley
• Billy as Pray Tell in "Pose"
• Billy sings "I Will Survive"

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Singer/songwriter and violinist Andrew Bird’s singular live performances -- a blend of Americana, indie folk, and jazz -- have been captivating audiences for 20 years. He tells Guy how his signature style started emerging during several seasons spent by himself in an Illinois barn, demonstrates his violin-looping technique in real time, and discusses how a moment of crisis in his family led him to rethink how he writes songs.

Links from the show:

• Andrew’s TED Talk on his approach to looping
• Andrew's live KEXP performance
• Andrew’s song “Puma”
• Video for Andrew’s song “Lone Didion”
• Tiny Desk concert with Andrew and Iron and Wine
• Andrew on his recent collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers

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Danny Elfman is a musician best known for fronting the new wave band Oingo Boingo and for his scores on countless Tim Burton films (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman). He joins Guy to talk about his adventures in a traveling circus, his relentless battle with stage fright, his decision to leave the biggest job of his career, and how he recently did a solo set at Coachella that went viral.

Links from the show:

• Danny in The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo on The Gong Show (1976)
• Weird Science by Oingo Boingo
• Pee Wee's Big Adventure theme
• The Simpsons theme
• Danny's Batman theme
• Danny and Helena Bonham Carter performing A Nightmare Before Christmas at Royal Albert Hall
• Performance of Only a Lad at Coachella 2022
• Music video for Happy
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook

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Bjork is a singular artist whose work extends beyond her music to include acting and conceptual art. Her latest album, "Fossora," features a bass clarinet ensemble and the accompanying videos evoke mushrooms and tree roots. She talks with Guy about forming her unique vocal style, recording her first album at 11 years old, and why she uses symbols from nature to define each album.

Links from the show:

• An early recording of Bjork singing as a child
• Bjork as a teenager in the band tappi tíkarrass
• Bjork in the video for the Sugarcubes' "Cold Sweat"
• Slant Magazine's 15 Best Bjork videos
• The video for Bjork's "Hyperballad"
• The video for Bjork's "Ancestress" dedicated to the memory of her mother
• The video for Bjork's "Atopos"

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Andy Garcia is an actor (Ocean's 11, The Untouchables, The Godfather Part III) who is best known for playing the suave leading man alongside other Hollywood greats like Sean Connery, Diane Keaton, and Al Pacino. He talks to Guy about fleeing the Cuban Revolution, waiting tables for celebrities in Beverly Hills, and the best advice he got from Mario Puzo on how to prepare for The Godfather Part III.

Links from the show:

• The "stroller scene" from The Untouchables
• Father of the Bride (2022) trailer
• Andy as Terry Benedict in Ocean's 11
• The Lost City trailer
• Andy's Instagram

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Jim Parsons is an actor who became famous starring as Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. But what you might not know about the on-screen super-nerd is that he's a classically trained stage actor. After twelve years playing the same character, now he's trying on new roles (Hollywood, Spoiler Alert, A Man of No Importance) that allow him to flex some different creative muscles. He talks to Guy about his lifelong ambition to be a star, the uncertainty of coming out, his love of New York City, and the first, scary steps taking on new roles.

Links from the show:

• The Best of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory
• The Big Bang Theory cast talks with Stephen Colbert after the series finale
• Jim talks about playing Henry Wilson in Hollywood
• Spoiler Alert (2022) Trailer
• Jim's Instagram
• Kaley Cuoco's Instagram
• Mayim Bialik's Instagram
• Johnny Galecki's Instagram

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