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Oct 19, 2026 49 min

John Carpenter

from The Questlove Show Hosted by iHeartPodcasts

Questlove sat down with director and composer John Carpenter in Hollywood to discuss Cathedral, a graphic novel and heavy metal album inspired by a single dream. Carpenter tells how a bongo lesson from his father led to the iconic Halloween theme. He also talks about casting Kurt Russell after their Elvis TV movie, why The Thing was his hardest shoot, and says The Exorcist remains the scariest movie ever made. Along the way, Carpenter turns the tables and interviews Questlove, sparking a lively debate about The Beatles and whether music has reached “creative diminished returns.” It’s a funny, engaging conversation between two directors who work in different worlds but share a love of making music.

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John Carpenter

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How long is this episode of The Questlove Show?

This episode is 49 minutes long.

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This episode was published on October 19, 2026.

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