Episode
#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
1:28:11
Published: Thu Sep 12 2019
Description
“There’s always the certainty that the opposite of what I might believe in might also be true.” — Ken BurnsKen Burns (@KenBurns) has been making documentary films for more than 40 years.Since the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War; Baseball; Jazz; The Statue of Liberty; Huey Long; Lewis & Clark; Frank Lloyd Wright; Mark Twain; Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson; The War; The National Parks: America’s Best Idea; The Roosevelts; Jackie Robinson; Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War; The Vietnam War, and The Mayo Clinic: Faith — Hope — Science.Ken’s films have been honored with dozens of major awards, including sixteen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Oscar nominations; and in September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, Ken was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award.His newest work is Country Music. It explores the history of a uniquely American art form: country music. From its deep and tangled roots in ballads, blues, and hymns performed in small settings, to its worldwide popularity, learn how country music evolved over the course of the twentieth century, as it eventually emerged to become America’s music. Country Music features never-before-seen footage and photographs, plus interviews with more than 80 country music artists. The eight-part, 16-hour series is directed and produced by Ken Burns, written and produced by Dayton Duncan, and produced by Julie Dunfey.It debuts on PBS on Sunday, September 15th, 2019, at 8 EST/7 CST.The first four episodes will stream on station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and PBS apps, timed to coincide with the Sunday, September 15th premiere. The second four episodes will be timed alongside the broadcast of Episode 5 on Sunday, September 22nd; each episode will stream for a period of three weeks. PBS Passport members will be able to stream the entire series for a period of six months beginning Sunday, September 15th.This podcast is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is, inevitably, Athletic Greens. It is my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body and did not get paid to do so.As a listener of The Tim Ferriss Show, you’ll get a free 20-count travel pack (valued at $79) with your first order at athleticgreens.com/tim.This podcast is also brought to you by Peloton, which has become a staple of my daily routine. I picked up this bike after seeing the success of my friend Kevin Rose, and I’ve been enjoying it more than I ever imagined. Peloton is an indoor cycling bike that brings live studio classes right to your home. No worrying about fitting classes into your busy schedule or making it to a studio with a crazy commute.New classes are added every day, and this includes options led by elite NYC instructors in your own living room. You can even live stream studio classes taught by the world’s best instructors, or find your favorite class on demand.Peloton is offering listeners to this show a special offer: Enter the code you heard during the Peloton ad of this episode at checkout to receive $100 off accessories with your Peloton bike purchase. This is a great way to get in your workouts, or an incredible gift. That’s onepeloton.com and enter the code you heard during the Peloton ad of this episode to receive $100 off accessories with your Peloton bike purchase.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapters
A comparison between the highly successful PBS documentary "At the End of the Day" and Peloton, a modern indoor cycling bike with live studio classes available from home.
00:00 - 06:02 (06:02)
Summary
A comparison between the highly successful PBS documentary "At the End of the Day" and Peloton, a modern indoor cycling bike with live studio classes available from home.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Learn about The Greenwood School, a tiny school for boys with learning differences, and watch a documentary about the history of country music.
06:02 - 11:25 (05:22)
Summary
Learn about The Greenwood School, a tiny school for boys with learning differences, and watch a documentary about the history of country music.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reflects on the contradictions and hypocrisies of American history, particularly with regards to slavery and the Civil War, and acknowledges the extraordinary death toll of the war.
11:25 - 20:03 (08:38)
Summary
The speaker reflects on the contradictions and hypocrisies of American history, particularly with regards to slavery and the Civil War, and acknowledges the extraordinary death toll of the war. He also mentions a compliment he received about a series on the Civil War being compared to an American bahagavita.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker proposed his next project, which is related to country music, and he got a positive response from his partner.
20:03 - 25:37 (05:34)
Summary
The speaker proposed his next project, which is related to country music, and he got a positive response from his partner. This project is his next big idea that he will work on after spending 8.5 years on researching Vietnam.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker describes how his work of the past 10 and a half years has been a foreshadowing of the current political climate in the United States, including mass demonstrations, a White House in disarray, and accusations of election meddling by foreign powers.
25:37 - 31:20 (05:42)
Summary
The speaker describes how his work of the past 10 and a half years has been a foreshadowing of the current political climate in the United States, including mass demonstrations, a White House in disarray, and accusations of election meddling by foreign powers.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
A discussion around the importance of nuance and dealing with uncertain or conflicting information when presenting it to an audience.
31:20 - 36:10 (04:50)
Summary
A discussion around the importance of nuance and dealing with uncertain or conflicting information when presenting it to an audience. The guest shares an experience where their team had to decide whether to include conflicting information in a film, and the importance of making room for complexity.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Ken Burns talks about how real meaning accrues in duration and the importance of sustained attention in relationships and art, using Steven Bocco's Cop Rock as an example of how people prioritize short and flashy content over slow and deep content.
36:10 - 42:35 (06:24)
Summary
Ken Burns talks about how real meaning accrues in duration and the importance of sustained attention in relationships and art, using Steven Bocco's Cop Rock as an example of how people prioritize short and flashy content over slow and deep content.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tom and John discuss the fundamental elements of Country Music, including the influence of African American musicians and lyrics that resonate with the basic emotions of the human heart, as exemplified by the works of Hank Williams.
42:35 - 51:33 (08:58)
Summary
Tom and John discuss the fundamental elements of Country Music, including the influence of African American musicians and lyrics that resonate with the basic emotions of the human heart, as exemplified by the works of Hank Williams.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The idea that every child is born into a different family is explored as people change and grow over time.
51:33 - 57:46 (06:12)
Summary
The idea that every child is born into a different family is explored as people change and grow over time. AP courses and independent study are discussed as an alternative to traditional education.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The most impactful mentors often blur the boundaries between work and personal life.
57:47 - 1:04:04 (06:17)
Summary
The most impactful mentors often blur the boundaries between work and personal life. Meanwhile, perplexing sentences may have no useful meaning or context at first glance.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares a personal story about the loss of his mother and how he coped with it.
1:04:04 - 1:14:14 (10:10)
Summary
The speaker shares a personal story about the loss of his mother and how he coped with it. He also talks about the impact of losing a parent and how it can resonate with many people.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The desire for one and one to equal three, to find meaning in the emotional archaeology of the past, is a fundamental human impulse which compels us to share stories that ensure a kind of immortality.
1:14:14 - 1:19:33 (05:19)
Summary
The desire for one and one to equal three, to find meaning in the emotional archaeology of the past, is a fundamental human impulse which compels us to share stories that ensure a kind of immortality.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Ken Burns talks about his newest work, the documentary series "Country Music" which explores the history of country music with guest appearances of famous artists like Merle Haggard and Emmy Lou Harris.
1:19:33 - 1:27:02 (07:28)
Summary
Ken Burns talks about his newest work, the documentary series "Country Music" which explores the history of country music with guest appearances of famous artists like Merle Haggard and Emmy Lou Harris. He also invites people to subscribe to his weekly newsletter "Five Bullet Friday" where he shares cool things he has found or pondered over the week.
Episode#386: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Athletic Greens is a complete nutritional supplement favored by Tim Ferriss, offering health benefits such as improved performance, immune system support, and easy consumption while traveling.
1:27:02 - 1:28:01 (00:59)
Summary
Athletic Greens is a complete nutritional supplement favored by Tim Ferriss, offering health benefits such as improved performance, immune system support, and easy consumption while traveling. You can get a free 20 count travel pack by visiting the Athletic Greens website.