Person
Rick Rubin's book recommendations
As evidenced through his appearance on podcast discussions regarding software, creativity, and modern technology, Rick Rubin emerges as a thoughtful artist and producer deeply interested in the intersections of ancient philosophy, artistic evolution, and contemporary culture. During his podcast engagements, Rubin referenced and discussed foundational texts such as the Da Jing, also known as the Tao Te Ching, by Laozi. He pointed to this ancient spiritual and philosophical work as the direct inspiration and underlying framework for his own creative projects, including his book The Way of Code. Rubin explained that the three-thousand-year-old text provides a guide on how to live, how to be, and how to navigate creative endeavors by vibing with oneself. Furthermore, Rubin explored the mechanics of artistic influence and remix culture by referencing the history of popular music. He discussed how the Beatles listened to Roy Orbison and subsequently wrote their own music based on Orbison's compositions, comparing this historical example of artistic sampling to modern creative processes in the hip-hop world and software development. Through these varied references, Rubin consistently highlights how classical wisdom and historical artistic choices inform modern creative expression.
Books Rick Rubin recommends
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Beatles - Please Please Me
Discussed“It's we know it very specifically in the hip-hop world, but that's really when the Beatles listened to Roy Orbison and then wrote Please Me based on his Please, Roy Orbison's Please song.”
Where to get it
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Tao Te Ching
Discussed“And it's a book about vibe coding by way of a 3,000-year-old spiritual text called The Da Jane, written by LaSu.”
Where to get it
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Tao Te Ching
Discussed“Well I I think this the reason I chose the lu uh the da jing to base it on because the the da jing is how to live how to be it's the way transl way.”
Where to get it
Books Rick Rubin wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Rubin: Vibe Coding is the Punk Rock of Software | The Ben & Marc Show | 2025-05-31 | 3 |
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“The Way of Code is a book about vibe coding.”
“Well I I think this the reason I chose the lu uh the da jing to base it on because the the da jing is how to live how to be it's the way transl way.”