‘John Grant’s Beautiful Creatures’ features interviews with Paul Rudd and more
John Grant is a musician, songwriter, and curious human interviewing “Earth’s premier citizens” on his podcast, “John Grant’s Beautiful Creatures.” In comedically-geared episodes, John is joined by guests and friends to speak about life’s intricacies, challenges, distractions, and work.
This series premiered in November 2021, with new, weekly episodes. So far, the episodes are around 45 minutes long and can be streamed in any order since the conversations center around each featured guest.
Legendary actor and People’s Sexiest Man Alive Paul Rudd joined John on the podcast’s first episode. They met backstage in 2015 when Paul went to John’s concert, they exchanged numbers, and kept in touch. They said they haven’t really hung out in person, but often talk about pop culture like movies they watched that week. Paul and John spoke about traveling, learning languages, and favorite spots like London, New York, and Paul’s hometown in Kansas. They appreciate the lack of traffic in Iceland in contrast to California.
The conversation covered midwestern food like casseroles and British food like shepherd’s pie and Yorkshire pudding. John and Paul talked about George Orwell’s “In Defense of English Cooking” essay and how a Monty Python panel once comedically answered a question about English cooking. Paul explained what home means to him especially during the holiday season. They also explored the importance of kindness.
Paul and John shared what gave them nightmares growing up, and then they dove into frightening 1970s horror films. They unpacked scenes that most disturbed them in films like The Shining. They also discussed being Mel Brooks fans, and how bits like “2,000 Year Old Man” are still hilarious even after listening for the hundredth time. Paul and John explained how Steve Martin, David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, and George Carlin influenced their work. Paul shared how he got into acting and his theater background.
As a cult artist, John has released several solo albums that transcend genres and audience demographics. He previously played in bands like The Czars and Midlake in the 1990s and 2000s. John considers himself “an expert musical chronicler of the American Dream, angled mostly from its flipside, where your dreams go to die and everything turns to ash.” On the podcast, John is candid about his personal struggles through adulthood.
Musicians Kristin Hersh and Linda Thompson will appear on the next episodes. “John Grant’s Beautiful Creatures” is produced by Rachel Hooper and is brought to you by Storyglass. Check out new, weekly episodes wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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