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The Tim Ferriss Show

#775: Jon Batiste — The Quest for Originality, How to Get Unstuck, His Favorite Mantras, and Strategies for Living a Creative Life

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig

Lifestyle Design, Business, The 4-hour Workweek, Productivity, Timothy Ferriss Show, Startups, Tim Ferris, Entrepreneurship, Longform Interviews, Tools Of Titans, Timothy Ferriss, The Tim Ferriss Show, Tim Ferriss

4.617.4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2024

⏱️ 105 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jon Batiste (@jonbatiste) is a five-time Grammy Award-winning and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and composer. His eighth studio album, Beethoven Blues, is set for a November 15th release.

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Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction 

[06:46] Is the secret to long life embracing the mundane?

[09:28] The gift of mistakes.

[10:21] Why did Jon wait until he was 10 to speak?

[12:51] How music and performance entered the picture.

[13:36] An early exercise in winning over the room.

[15:08] Choosing the personal facets that art expresses.

[16:57] From a disappointing grade school performance to the Grammys.

[21:44] Cultivating suspense and shifting modes of creative expression.

[27:24] When perspective drives motivation more than stakes.

[32:14] Spiritual practice and grounding mantras.

[40:29] Surrender, acceptance, and growth through health challenges.

[43:37] The fuzzy line between blessing and curse.

[46:40] Growing up bullied as the "least talented" in a musical family.

[52:50] Jon's visionary mother guided him toward piano.

[55:23] Parental support for Jon's relocation to New York City.

[56:15] Serious setbacks that almost made Jon quit Juilliard and music altogether.

[01:00:37] Jon's advice to a younger musician enduring a similar path of hardships.

[01:03:11] How Jon owns what comes his way rather than allowing it to overwhelm him.

[01:07:30] Cultivating generosity without being drained.

[01:09:32] Jon's billboard is invisible — but with deep posts.

[01:11:47] My rough draft of five deep handfuls.

[01:18:21] Jon's answer in musical improv.

[01:25:42] Jon's upcoming album: Beethoven Blues (with bonus blues tutorial).

[01:39:09] Taking the hypotenuse to catharsis and other Parting thoughts.

*

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello boys and girls ladies and germs this is Tim Ferris and welcome to another episode of the Tim Ferris show this isn't just any episode this one turned out really really special and I really encourage everybody to listen to this once as audio only if you are

0:18.1

listening to this without any video but also go to YouTube.com slash Tim Ferris, two hours to as us to see the video.

0:27.5

We recorded this episode in the recording studio designed by Jimmy Hendrix where he slept, the acoustics, the surroundings,

0:38.4

everything is gorgeous and my guest was in the flow. We happened to mesh really well together

0:45.6

and it's one of those episodes that I will remember for many years.

0:49.3

My guest, Jean Batiste, is a five-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and composer.

0:56.8

I met him ages and ages ago back when he was a mere incredible, incredible musician, composer, etc. But I've been able to watch him become

1:06.3

the Markey Lights, John Batiste, and it has been a thrill to watch. We talk about it all.

1:12.1

His eighth studio album, Beethoven Blues, is set for a November 15th release.

1:17.0

When we are sitting in Jimmy Hendrix's studio, there are pianos, guitars, you name it, and we don't just talk, we walk around and he uses music to answer

1:27.0

some of my questions.

1:28.3

It's phenomenal.

1:30.6

Beethoven Blues marks the first installment in his solo piano series showcasing Batis's interpretation of Beethoven's iconic works reimagined and that is an understatement.

1:41.0

You're going to hear a lot of it in this episode towards the last 25 percent, so

1:46.4

buckle up and stick around.

1:47.9

Beethoven Blues follows Batis's studio album World Music Radio, which received five Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year.

1:55.7

As a composer, he scored Jason Reitman's Saturday Night, now in theaters.

2:00.0

The film depicts the chaotic 90 minutes before Saturday Night Lives

2:03.5

Very First Broadcast in 1975, underscored by Batis' blending of jazz,

2:09.0

classical, and contemporary elements.

2:11.4

He composed and produced the music live on set capturing the

2:14.8

intensity of the show's debut. He also appears in the film as Billy Preston, the

...

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