Podcast Summary

Smart Girl Dumb Questions

Host: Nayeema Raza
Episode: Why Is Every Dude a DJ? Ft. Diplo
Date: October 7, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

In this energetic, playful, and wide-ranging episode, Nayeema Raza sits down with superstar DJ/producer Diplo (Wes Pentz) to answer the “dumb question”: “Why is every dude a DJ?” Their conversation spins through Diplo’s origins, tales from the frontlines of global pop, the evolution of DJ culture, musical creativity, health hacks for the perennially jet-lagged, and the blurred lines between creators and culture. Equal doses of curiosity and irreverence mark their exchange, with stops at anthropology, foot fetishes, marathon running — and even a bet on whether Bill Nye knows Diplo’s name.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life, The Universe, and Bill Nye

• Opens with quick banter about space, the possibility of alien life, and a running joke about Bill Nye’s physique, setting the episode’s irreverent, curious tone.
• [00:40] "I was looking up topless pictures of Bill Nye yesterday because I want to know if he had, like, abs." — Diplo

2. Why Every Guy Is a DJ

• Nayeema observes the ubiquity of DJs, especially on dating apps, prompting the episode's core question: Why are so many dudes DJs?
• For Diplo, DJing is “accessible”—you can grab some gear, learn the basics, and immediately be “the guy at the party.”
• [40:24] “It’s just easy to do it also means you’re… It means you’re cool. It means you’re like, functionally, I know what’s going on.” — Diplo
• He notes that not all self-described DJs are serious or skilled.

3. Diplo’s Origin Story & Creative Approach

• The name “Diplo” comes from Diplodocus—his fascination with dinosaurs and an ex’s teasing nickname.
• Early grind: After initial struggles, Diplo sold homemade mixtapes, bootlegs, and edits in Philly, making enough to scrape by.
• [03:03] “I was making like $100,000 a year selling, like mixtapes, bootleg of my music I made, or like little edits I made and selling them.” — Diplo
• His breakthrough came with M.I.A. (“Paper Planes”): making lo-fi music in cramped apartments, learning production on the fly, and leveraging guerrilla mixtape distribution.
• On making it: “I make songs that are interesting. And they’re not hits, but they just somehow find their audience.” — Diplo [04:35]

4. What Makes a Great Producer/DJ?

• A producer can be part-therapist, part-musician, part-brand manager; Diplo finds the job fluid and rarely formulaic.
• [19:51] “Producing can mean so many different things. There’s people like Prince who…just made the whole song…others like Rick Rubin…‘Maybe turn up the bass.’” — Diplo
• He compares producing and collaborating with different personalities, sometimes merging romantic and professional relationships — “I think I did date a lot of people I produced. I would never do it again. Maybe I would…” [21:18]
• Reading the crowd: Diplo explains how a good DJ senses a room’s age, vibe, expectations, and tailors music accordingly, wielding a vast, flexible arsenal.
• [24:33] “I could play a funeral. I could play a fucking rave for 10-year-old. I could play a…college tech house…I can kind of do anything.” — Diplo

5. Musical Eclecticism and Cultural Curiosity

• Diplo’s musical career is shaped by a love for anthropology and world travel.
• [29:55] “I went to Temple University for anthropology. I was like, my dream job was to be a National Geographic photographer…or just, something cultural.” — Diplo
• Global experiences: majoring in film and anthropology, traveling across India and Pakistan, collaborating with South Asian artists (Diljit Dosanjh, Shah Rukh Khan), and incorporating global rhythms into Major Lazer and other projects.
• Fascination with cultural exchange, DJing in “sketchy” spots (like Islamabad with bomb threats), and the diversity and cross-pollination he sees in modern music scenes.

6. Health, Sleep, and Party Life

• Diplo’s modern regimen: running clubs, marathons, barely any alcohol (“you can’t really drink and DJ”), selective LSD use “like a caffeinated boost,” and survival on minimal sleep.
• [14:23] “I’m probably on 340 flights a year…sometimes I get 9 hours in a day, but every other night it’s like four.” — Diplo
• The paradox of the party life: “So many DJs my age are just totally sober.” [14:57]

7. On Making Hits, Earworms, and the Creative Process

• Discusses the accidental vs. deliberate nature of musical progress—some hits come from happy accidents.
• [26:29] “Everything’s probably accidental because I’m always fumbling my way into a great song…just messing with the audio file.” — Diplo
• Distinguishing hooks, loops, and earworms; the latter is a “can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head” moment.

8. Fetishes, Footwear, and the Cultivated Eccentricity of Modern Men

• Tangents into cultural eccentricities and sexual fetishes—prompted by a lighthearted foot fetish story.
• [34:14] “I think it’s pretty random to have a foot fetish… You just kind of end somewhere.” — Diplo

9. On the Future: AI, Next-Gen DJs & Enduring the Algorithm

• Diplo suggests the next “Diplo” might be an AI DJ/creator avatar.
• [55:50] “It’s definitely an AI creation blob like person. Maybe like a really hot girl that is AI and does everything.” — Diplo
• He emphasizes that while DJing is more algorithmic and accessible, the best DJs “give you music you never heard…confuses you, but you learn something.” [56:36]

10. Collaborations, Major Lazer, and Bromance Fallout

• Confirms a second Jack Ü album with Skrillex exists, but their partnership is “broken” (“Skrillex hates me…I can’t understand why”). [58:00]
• Shares stories about Major Lazer’s return at Coachella, global block parties, and massive concerts from Cuba to Twitch marathons.

11. Random Notables and Memorable Moments

• Ongoing joke/bet: “Does Bill Nye know who Diplo is?” — $100 wager with Nayeema. [29:31]
• Personal discipline rooted in his father’s military background and the family’s climb out of poverty via the GI bill. [44:13]
• Dives into family, how he tries (and fails) to teach his sons music, and the generational perseverance needed for success.
• Wild anecdotes: getting “kidnapped” by Indonesian police during a tour, playing clubs for dictators, surreal moments with pop icons.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The name ‘Diplo’ is based after the animal, the dinosaur called Diplodocus… I shortened it to Diplo because it sounded interesting. I was into branding.” — Diplo [02:44]
• “I don’t do a lot of drugs…but my doctor said to me…your brain health, like you sleeping is more important than whatever this can possibly do to you.” — Diplo [13:41]
• “Our knowledge is a bit tainted, right? …There’s just something so pure [about being 11], when you start buying your own music.” — Nayeema Raza [46:13]
• “I accidentally became a DJ… I do consider myself a cultural agitator. My career was trying to do something meaningful in the fabric of humanity.” — Diplo [55:48 – 56:14]
• “A great DJ… gives you music you never heard and, like, you kind of confuses you, but you… learn something.” — Diplo [56:36]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:56] Why “every dude is a DJ” – episode’s main question
• [03:03] Diplo’s beginnings: selling mixtapes, bootlegging, grind in early Philly days
• [06:02] Partnering with M.I.A., early creative hustle, industry skepticism
• [14:23] Diplo’s insane travel & sleep cycles, health habits as an aging DJ
• [19:51] Explaining “producer” — from Prince to Rick Rubin
• [24:33] On reading the room & DJing any crowd
• [29:55] Anthropology and Diplo’s global music curiosity
• [34:14] Sexual fetishes & eccentricities — the culture of “quirky” men in NYC
• [40:24] Why DJing is so appealing (especially for men)
• [55:48] Who is the next-gen Diplo? It could be AI
• [58:00] Why Jack Ü (Diplo + Skrillex) isn’t coming back soon

Tone and Style

Equal parts playful, self-deprecating, and insightful, this episode is an irreverent tour through the mind and life of a modern musical polymath. Both Diplo and Nayeema bounce between pop culture, personal history, and philosophy with humor and warmth, filled with side-bets and asides.

For Listeners Looking for Takeaways:

• Diplo didn’t plot a straight path to global stardom — he hustled, made mistakes, and adapted constantly, powered by curiosity and “just showing up every day.”
• DJing’s current mass appeal is partly due to its accessibility, but becoming a great DJ/producer still demands intuition, taste, and showmanship.
• Global musical influences, cultural exploration, and a willingness to fumble through creative chaos are at the heart of meaningful modern pop.
• Health, sleep, and sobriety eventually matter — even for the world’s most tireless party-starter.
• Artificial intelligence is poised to transform even the role and cultural cachet of the superstar DJ.

Memorable Closing Exchange

• [58:00] “Why has Jack Ü not gotten back together?”
  “Oh, that’s an easy one to answer. Skrillex hates me and I can’t even…and if you even follow me on Instagram and you talk to him…he’ll unfollow you. It’s a real kind of crazy hate that…I just can’t understand.” — Diplo

Catch the next episode to find out if Bill Nye knows who Diplo is — and keep sending in your ‘dumb questions.’

Recommended Tracks:

• “Paper Planes” (w/M.I.A.)
• “Lean On” (Major Lazer)
• “Purr” (feat. Shah Rukh Khan)
• “Sailor Song” (GG Perez)
• “Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley” (country album)