Physically, I don't think I ever felt scared.

But scared every day that I'm not gonna pull it off.

That's a lot of weight that people's lives on your shoulders.

I still get scared when I'm doing something.

But I think that fear is good at driving and make sure it's better.

Hello and welcome. I'm Shane Parish and this is the Knowledge Project.

A podcast explaining the ideas, methods, and mental models that help you learn from the best of what other people have already figured out.

You can learn more about the podcast and stay up to date at fs.blogslashpodcast.

We also have a newsletter that comes out every Sunday. It's called Brain Food.

It's free and packed with all the best content we've come across all week.

It's worth reading and thinking about. It contains quotes, book recommendations, articles, and so much more.

You can learn more at fs.blogslashnewsletter.

Today I'm talking with Shep Gordon.

The Rolling Stones name Shep one of the most 100 influential people in the world.

And while Shep prefers to remain behind the scenes, you've likely heard of some of the people he's worked with

or helped create Alice Cooper, Mike Myers, Jimmy Hendrix, Sylvester Salon, Michael Douglas, Emerald, Wolfgang Puck, Roger Vergette, and so many others.

I would go on, but it would just sound like I'm name dropping for the next hour.

At first, the audio is a bit windy because we're sitting outside on his lawn in Hawaii.

Eventually, we move inside so it gets a little better.

Shep is one of the most interesting people I've ever met.

And it's very difficult to summarize this conversation.

We're going to talk drugs, how fame doesn't equal happiness, how to manufacture popularity, and explore life.

...