‘Joni Mitchell watched me sing one of her songs. I was horrified’: Rick Beato, the world’s best-loved music nerd
As energised by Taylor Swift as Schoenberg, Beato has earned millions of fans with his YouTube videos and become the man musicians seek out to discuss their craft
Once a proud dad posting videos of his son’s perfect pitch, now a muso-in-chief interviewing Sting and Keith Jarrett, American YouTube star Rick Beato has established himself as the internet’s pre-eminent musical sage, with improbable view counts, a sellout stage show, and a multigenerational fanbase that includes the stars themselves.
61-year-old Beato (pronounced bee-Ah-toh) has 3.6 million subscribers on his aptly titled Everything Music channel, which he produces from his home studio in Atlanta, Georgia. He seems as energised by Taylor Swift’s label woes as he is by Schoenberg’s serialism, and he’s a multi-instrumentalist himself with serious guitar chops – in an interview with Brian May, the Queen guitarist jokes: “I don’t wanna talk to you, you’re better than me!” One minute he’s demonstrating how to noodle in the Phrygian mode, the next he’s jamming to the Spotify Top 10. With his boundless enthusiasm and avuncular talkshow host mannerisms, Beato’s hot takes and deep dives have racked up half a billion views and earned him the respect of artists from across the spectrum. They now approach him.
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