I was recently in the shower thinking about what I’d ask Rick Rubin if I ever met him.
It seems weird. But I was listening to Mac Miller’s “Grand Finale” and he dropped a line about how Rubin taught him transcendental meditation.
Anyway, it got me thinking about Rubin and his connection to Miller, who is my favorite musician ever and a human being I am somewhat obsessed with. Not because I’m some weird fanboy, but because his mind was so interesting and his art so surreal.
I have never felt more connected to an artist than I am to Mac Miller. And I’d like to know what Rubin has to say about him.
It’d be an interesting place to go with Rubin. Here is a guy that has helped turn so many musicians into superstars and has impacted the music scene perhaps more than anyone. But, because of my weird little obsession with Mac Miller, I wouldn’t care much about that stuff at all.
That weird little shower thought got me thinking about how, in some way or another, we are all just vessels for other people.
Mac Miller was a vessel for thought, art, and understanding for me. Rubin would be a vessel for more information on who Miller was. And perhaps the writings and podcasts I have done on Miller over the years will be a vessel of some kind for somebody out there.
It seems selfish, but the best way to honor ourselves and our place on this earth is to ruthlessly pursue our interests and passions and use everybody we can to do so.
In most cases, “using” other people isn’t as bad as it sounds. People love sharing information on topics they’re interested in and helping people dive deeper into a similar love. It can even create a bond that lasts forever.
We like what we like for a reason. We may not know the reason, but we should take that seriously and pursue those things.
It’s for ourselves and it’s for others. Be a vessel.