Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond

Conor Oberst

·1 hr 14 min·5 clips

At 14, Conor Oberst got a call from a record label that thought he was a 20-year-old woman.

Justin Richmond introduces the episode by highlighting Conor Oberst's extensive catalog and dynamic musical style. The interview begins with Oberst discussing his current living situation split between LA and Omaha, where he has a studio shared with Bright Eyes collaborator Michael Mogis since 2006. He recalls recording parts of the Bright Eyes album 'Cassadaga' there. Oberst reflects on starting his music career as a teenager, touring from age 13-14, and making it his full-time job after quitting college around the 'Fevers and Mirrors' era. He shares an anecdote about his early band Commander Venus, where at age 14 they sent heart-shaped boxes to record labels, leading to a call from Grass Records who mistakenly thought he was a 20-year-old woman due to his unchanged voice. Oberst talks about the label being bought and turned into Wind-up Records, which later released Creed's debut; he humorously recalls telling executives Creed sounded like a bad Pearl Jam. He discusses the Omaha music scene with Saddle Creek Records, involving bands like Bright Eyes, Cursive, and The Faint, and their militant independence that led them to decline major label offers. Oberst mentions Rick Rubin's interest in signing The Faint and how Rubin helped select songs for 'Cassadaga'. He describes the commercial success of 'I'm Wide Awake It's Morning', including being on the cover of Rolling Stone and the surreal experience of fame. Oberst details writing the political song 'When the President Talks to God' on a ferry in Europe after Bush's re-election and performing it on Jay Leno in a rhinestone cowboy suit. He talks about collaborating with Bruce Springsteen on the Vote for Change tour and singing 'Thunder Road' with him in Omaha. Oberst explains his songwriting approach, preferring to write lyrics from a reflective state rather than during emotional extremes. He discusses his new album 'Five Dices, All Threes', co-written with Alex Orange Drink, and the challenges of writer's block. Oberst reveals the song 'Hate' almost didn't make the album due to label concerns about its anti-religious themes. He shares stories about recording techniques, like using test pressings to create crackles on 'Lifted' and adding subtle DJ scratches to new tracks. Oberst touches on his side project Desaparecidos, formed around 2000, and its politically charged music coinciding with 9/11. He concludes by discussing upcoming tours, vocal health issues, and extreme remedies like cortisone shots for performances.

As heard by us

Conor Oberst reflects on inspiration's strange timing, from quiet perspective to sudden political anger.

Broken Record's conversation with Conor Oberst settles on the uneasy space between raw feeling and finished songwriting. Oberst talks about music as a mystery, with the songs he values most arriving less by command than by timing.

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Why you'd press play

You want Conor Oberst on the strange timing of inspiration, from emotional distance to a Jay Leno booking.

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