It's time to penetrate deep into the creative process. These are my extensive excavation notes on Rick Rubin's book, which is more meditative than instructive; more philosophic than analytic; more silent than deadly. It's the kind of book you pull off the shelf when you've hit a creative block so that Rick Rubin can whisper the names of his favorite fruit into your ear.

The Creative Act

Steven Pressfield on Tetragrammaton

Tarot and the Law of Cycles by Mitch Horowitz

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Kevin Kelly on How I Write

The Victorian Internet episode

Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen

Homicide: Life on the Street

The Outsider by Colin Wilson

The Dip episode

Getting Things Done by David Allen

Benjamin Franklin episode

“When Dove Cry” by Prince

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

Stripped documentary

Checkout the full list of books so far.

Don’t forget to go subscribe to my deconstructionist fiction project: The Thing That Devours Everything

Go down the nerdy rabbit hole with Digital Disaster

@curlygruene on X

Punk rock was never as punk rock as jazz. It was a middle finger and a damn good time. But jazz is intimidating (and sometimes pretentious in modern times) we need bridge or maybe just a cracked window so we can here those sweet sweet horns. Jazz is cool, ya dig?

How To Listen To Jazz

The Honest Broker (Ted’s Substack)

Don’t forget to go subscribe to my deconstructionist fiction project: The Thing That Devours Everything

Go down the nerdy rabbit hole with Digital Disaster

@curlygruene on X

And if you’re just a little bit curious to see if my newsletter sucks ass or not…

It’s finally time for fiction, for murder, for mystery, for butler’s and brandy…and lots of dead bodies. I put my glasses on for this. Maybe afterwards you can tell me why the candlestick is in the conservatory. Why the hell there’s a noose in the dining room. I’m starting to think this isn’s a dinner party.

And Then There Were None

The Mysterious Case of Agatha Christie

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Dive into the archive by checking out the complete list of books I’ve discussed on the show.

Don’t forget to go subscribe to my deconstructionist fiction project: The Thing That Devours Everything

And if you’re just a little bit curious to see if my newsletter sucks ass or not…

The ladies loved Benjamin Franklin. Bet you didn't know that. I guess he didn't always look like the Quaker Oats mascot. He was a man who did more that one life should be able to hold. And he refused to be defined, and was often shit on for not being reactionary & quickly choosing sides. We could sure use more Ben Franklins today...can we at least...

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Dive into the archive by checking out the complete list of books I’ve discussed on the show.

Don’t forget to go subscribe to my deconstructionist fiction project: The Thing That Devours Everything

And if you’re just a little bit curious to see if my newsletter sucks ass or not…

Okay, we need to talk about Kevin...I mean Seth Godin's short book The Dip, let's talk about the concept of "the dip," and let's talk about how I am a dip who continually let's his fragile ego crap on getting decent work done. Screw Kevin.

The Dip - Seth Godin

Ethan Hawke TEDTalk

Dive into the archive by checking out the complete list of books I’ve discussed on the show.

Don’t forget to go subscribe to my deconstructionist fiction project: The Thing That Devours Everything

Is the Medium Really the Message? Notes and reflections on McLuhan For Beginners.

📚 Buy this book: Marshall McLuhan for Beginners

If you use my links to buy your books, I’ll get a kick back from Amazon, Jeff Bezos will make a little less money, and it won’t cost you a cent. 🤫

------------------------------

This episode is available as podcast and video (on Substack & YouTube.)