Stereo Embers The Podcast 0132: Illan Rubin (Nine Inch Nails, The New Regime, Paramore)

“A Musical Shark Keeps Swimming” The San Diego-born musician Illan Rubin is one of those guys that’s been moving non-stop since he was nine and he’s not slowed down the pace one bit. The youngest performer to ever grace the stage at Woodstock (Rubin was 11!), Illan Rubin is very much like a musical shark—he never stands still. Over the course of his career the powerful and inventive drummer has played with Nine Inch Nails, Paramore and Angels & Airwaves, and his own band The New Regime just put a new record out a few weeks ago. Even the global pandemic hasn’t slowed him down—Rubin’s been spending his time reading, writing new music and learning the clarinet. Although his band’s tour with Silversun Pickups got cancelled, Rubin’s not one to get down about these things—he just keeps making music. In this conversation, Rubin talks to Alex about quarantine reading, his fascination with World War II, Trent Reznor’s perfect pitch and why it’s important for musicians to learn a new instrument.