Music to My Ears

In her terrific new book, This is What it Sounds Like, sound engineer, neuroscientist, and music expert Susan Rodgers breaks down precisely why we like the music we like. In the process, we learn about her incredible career – including producing Prince’s iconic album Purple Rain. In Ted Neitzke’s interview with Ms. Rodgers on his Smart Thinking podcast just out this week, she captures the employer/employee dynamic with an incredible story about her first meeting with Prince. Ms. Rogers concludes:

“You’re my boss. You can fire me at any time. I’m your employee. I can quit at any time. This is a temporary contract that we will share for however long we share it – could be a day, and it could be years. But in addition to this temporary contract, there’s a more permanent contract. We’re both human beings. And, first off, I want you to see me as a human being who is your equal on a human level. And then we’ll play pretend this role of well, what you actually are, you’re the superstar and I’m your employee.”

(at 42 mins.) Enjoy!