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

Lenny Kravitz

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

Pushkin Industries

Music, Society & Culture

4.54.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2020

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the opening lines of his New York Times bestselling memoir, Let Love Rule, Lenny Kravitz writes that he is deeply two-sided. His young life was all about opposites and extremes—black and white. He grew up between his West Indian grandparent’s home in Brooklyn, and his parent’s home on the Upper East Side where he was surrounded by his family’s famous friends like Miles Davis and Duke Ellington. When Lenny was 11, his mother, Roxie Roker, landed a starring role on the iconic sitcom, The Jeffersons. The family picked up and moved to L.A where Lenny fell in love with classic rock, funk, and skate culture. It’s also where Lenny and Rick Rubin eventually became friends in the late ‘80s. In this conversation, Lenny tells candid stories about his relationship with Lisa Bonet and talks about how writing his memoir helped him finally find peace with his overbearing father. They also talk about the time Lenny, Rick and Johnny Cash were all roommates and the day Lenny received the most devastating news of his life. And, at the end, Lenny performs a beautiful acoustic version of his song, “Johnny Cash," from his album Raise Vibration.


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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Pushkin.

0:09.0

In the opening lines of his New York Times best-selling memoir, Let Love Rule, Lenny

0:16.8

Crabbit's writes that he is deeply too sited.

0:20.7

His young life was all about opposites and extremes, black and white.

0:25.7

He grew up between his West Indian grandparents' home in Brooklyn and his parents' home on

0:29.4

the Upper East Side, where he was surrounded by his family's famous friends, legends

0:34.1

like Miles Davis and Duke Ellington.

0:37.1

When Lenny was 11, his mother Roxy Roker landed a starring role on the iconic sitcom The

0:42.3

Jefferson's, moving the family out west to Los Angeles, where Lenny fell in love with

0:46.9

classic rock, funk, and skate culture.

0:50.0

It's also where Lenny and Rick Rubin eventually became fast friends in the late 80s.

0:56.2

In this conversation, Lenny tells Rick candid stories about his relationship with Lisa

1:00.9

Bonay and talks about how writing his memoir helped him finally find peace with his overbearing

1:06.2

father.

1:07.2

They also talk about the time Lenny, Rick, and Johnny Cash were all roommates, and the

1:12.3

day Lenny received the most devastating news of his life.

1:20.2

This is Broken Record, liner notes for the digital age.

1:22.9

I'm Justin Richmond.

1:29.0

Here's Rick Rubin and Lenny Kravitz.

1:31.6

For some reason, I didn't realize that you grew up in New York City.

1:34.4

I had no idea.

1:35.6

For some reason, I thought you were a California kid.

...

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