The Great Creators with Guy Raz

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...

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 ...

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 annivers...

Oskar Eustis is the Artistic Director at the Public Theater in New York City. He sits down with Guy to talk about “falling into the avant-garde rat hole” early in his career; convincing Lin-Manuel Miranda that Hamilton was more than a concept album; bringing theater to senior centers, women’s shelters, and prisons; and why he believes performing arts are essential to democracy.

See what the Public theater has playing here: ...

Sam Harris is the frontman for X Ambassadors, a multi-platinum pop rock trio from Ithaca, New York. Sam sits down with Guy to talk about his bond with his brother and bandmate Casey, who was born blind; how X Ambassadors felt “so not cool” and faced lots of rejection while trying to make it in the Brooklyn indie rock scene of the late 2000s; and how getting tricked into writing the song “Renegades” for a Jeep commercial tu...

Singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant shot to fame as the lead vocalist for the indie-folk band 10,000 Maniacs, then left the band at the height of their popularity to build a successful solo career. She sits down with Guy to talk about the political concerns that animate her work; what a dinner with Allen Ginsberg and Philip Glass taught her about creativity; how a degenerative spinal disease almost ended her artistic career...

Actor Rainn Wilson is best known for playing Dwight on "The Office," but in recent years he has become a mental health and spirituality advocate through his books and production company, SoulPancake. He joins Guy to talk about auditioning for the role of Michael Scott, the deep anxiety he faced as a young actor, his ensuing search for inner peace, and why he believes performing can be a spiritual act.

Rainn’s book is called...

Singer-songwriter Cody Jinks shares his journey from heavy metal frontman and part-time bouncer and forklift driver to country music’s top independent artist. He talks about enduring years of poverty in order to keep 100% ownership over his publishing (“it was worth it”); how he wrote the 2x-platinum track “Loud & Heavy”; finding sobriety; and evolving his sound into his 40s.

Cody’s new album is called “Change the Game”...

Every weeknight, Louis Cato performs live in front of a few million people as the band leader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He arranges the tunes, sets the tone, and plays multiple instruments himself; Colbert calls him a “musical genius”. Today, Louis talks about the multi-decade journey that led him here – from listening to “only Jesus music” in his youth and then having his mind blown by the Rolling Stones, to...

Jacob Collier has been called the “Mozart of Gen Z” by the New York Times. As a teen, his one-man-band performances went viral and led to a cold email from (and friendship with) music legend Quincy Jones – something he discusses in this episode. 

He also talks about his childhood, where he gets his ideas, why doesn’t make pop hits, and his most recent album, Djesse, Vol. 4. The album features an eclectic range of colla...

Ryan Tedder is the lead singer of OneRepublic and the producer and songwriter behind countless hits including Adele’s Rumor Has It and Beyonce’s Halo. Tedder even sold his own catalog for a reported $200 million. He joins Guy to talk about growing up in a religious family, tackling his stagefright (“I was shaking backstage”), using personal experiences to write hits, working with star musicians, and how to choose singles i...

Hilary Swank is one of just 14 women to win not one but two Academy Awards for Best Actress (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby). And as you’ll learn today, her life story just as remarkable as her career: from growing up in a trailer park (“it was no big deal”) to moving to L.A. as a teenager and living with her mom in their car for a time while chasing her dreams, to her breakthrough role as Brandon Teena in the indie f...

Regina Spektor is one of the most critically-acclaimed and respected singer-songwriters of the past 25 years. She’s also one of the most thoughtful and open guests we’ve had on this show. 

Today, you’ll learn how Regina went from medical receptionist writing lyrics on post-it notes to rising star in the NYC music scene; how she overcame her fear that record labels would meddle with her art; why “invisibility” has been ...

David Chang is the founder of Momofuku, a culinary brand that grew from a single 600-square-foot location to include a Michelin-starred restaurant, a bakery and dessert chain, and a line of consumer packaged goods. David joins Guy to talk about opening his first restaurant after his epiphany about ramen on a trip to Japan; the panic and anxiety he felt in those early days; and how he’s learned to become a better leader and...

Dan Aykroyd was the youngest cast member on a brand new comedy show called Saturday Night Live when it premiered in 1975. In addition to iconic performances as Julia Child and a Conehead, Dan also created a real blues band called The Blues Brothers with fellow cast mate John Belushi. In this episode, Dan talks with Guy about playing drums behind Muddy Waters, his fascination with paranormal science that led him to create G...

Jake Johnson is an actor, comedian, writer, and director who is best-known for playing Nick Miller on the sitcom New Girl. He’s also one of the voices of Spiderman in the animated movies and he wrote, directed, and stars in the new comedic thriller Self Reliance.

In this episode, Jake shares a life story filled with hilarious and poignant moments – from struggling with dyslexia and dropping out of high school, to finding hi...

Jesse Tyler Ferguson played one of the most important TV characters of the past 25 years. The role of Mitchell Pritchett – the openly gay lawyer and father on Modern Family – brought Jesse fame; praise; a deep sense of meaning; and as you'll hear in this episode, some criticism, too.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jesse talks about trusting his intuition and going all-in on acting despite financial struggles; the powerf...

Singer-songwriter Jewel shares her incredible life story, from yodeling in bars as a kid to becoming homeless as a teenager and shortly thereafter becoming one of the most sought-after musicians in the world. She tells Guy about the mental exercises and Stoic philosophy she relied on as she climbed out of homelessness; why she declined a $1 million signing bonus; her "business plan" for her career and happiness; the conver...

Bobby Hall -- better known by his stage name Logic -- first started making waves in the rap scene with his 2010 mixtape "Young, Broke, and Infamous". In 2018, he blew up and received two Grammy nominations for a song he titled 1-800-273-8255, which is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. But just a couple years later, he announced his retirement and moved to rural Oregon to focus on his famil...