#303 - Susan Rodgers on THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE

Multi-platinum record producer-turned-neuroscientist Susan Rodgers chats with Trey Elling about THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE: WHAT THE MUSIC YOU LOVE SAYS ABOUT YOU. Susan is best known for her work with Prince during his peak creative years (1983-87).  Susan’s unique path from award-winning sounder engineer and record producer to neuroscientist (1:43) How Miles Davis changed her perspective on listening to music (3:40) The beauty of record pulls (7:36) The messy “brilliance” of The Shaggs (11:37) What we visualize when we listen to music (15:52) Why a preference for ‘real’ versus ‘abstract’ isn’t consistent across artistic mediums (19:34) The connection between novelty and an appetite for risk (22:21) A McGill study on the link between musical novelty and mental rewards (28:41) Why the melody is a record’s heart (29:55) Songs whose lyrics and instrumentation tell different stories (33:36) Ambiguity as a valuable lyrical tool (34:52) How the Barenaked Ladies fooled Susan’s brother with fictitious lyrics (37:06) Rhythm as Susan’s favorite musical dimension (38:29) Evidence that some animals can experience musical rhythm (41:25) Explaining timbre (45:48) How Susan received a lesson on the power of timbre from Prince with “When Doves Cry” (48:43) The importance of synthetic listening to music producers (53:18) What happens in the brain when we feel ‘love at first listen’ with a song (58:26)