Podcast Introduction & Sponsorships

• H3 Podcast live episode sponsored by Honey and Squarespace
• Ethan Klein hosting with guest Joel Zimmerman (deadmau5)
• Discussion of deadmau5 pronunciation and origin story
• Name came from IRC character limit (7 characters max), changed from "deadmouse" to "deadmau5"

Vaping Segment

• Ethan offers deadmau5 vape pen as smoking alternative
• Demonstration of vaping device
• Discussion of competitive vaping culture and tricks

New Orchestral Album Discussion

• Album releasing tomorrow (30th)
• Collection of piano concertos written over years
• Collaborated with composer Gregory Reveret for orchestral arrangements
• 80-player string sections added to original piano compositions
• Recorded at East-West Studios with full orchestra
• Musicians performed flawlessly on first take without practice
• Album is side project, main EDM album coming spring
• Two shows planned at The Wiltern theater in LA
• Scaled back to 60 players due to venue space constraints

EDM Industry Commentary

• Deadmau5 declared EDM "dead" in 2014, stands by statement
• Started making electronic music as joke, implemented melancholic/industrial elements
• Track "Faxing Berlin" exemplified darker approach to dance music
• Criticism of current trap music trends
• Discussion of artistic authenticity vs. commercial pandering
• Preference for solo work over collaborations

Music Production & Streaming

• Early adopter of live streaming music production
• Used Justin.tv/Ustream before Twitch
• Goal to "lift the veil" on electronic music production process
• Demonstrates authentic creation vs. ghost producers
• Credits always list "written, recorded, produced by Joel Zimmerman"

Skrillex Discovery Story

• Met Sonny Moore (Skrillex) through Tommy Lee's "Public Record" project
• Sonny contributed stems and became regular at studio
• Gave deadmau5 USB with first album at Nokia Theater
• Deadmau5 released Skrillex's debut album
• Skrillex became bigger than deadmau5, now works with Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber Encounters

• First encounter at Cabana club in Toronto
• Bieber demanded deadmau5 come to his table, deadmau5 refused
• Said "Welcome to Canada" instead of fawning
• Earlier incident: Bieber left threatening note "I will kill you" via photographer
• Overheard Bieber at Grammys through thin walls
• No direct dialogue between them since

DJ Carnage Conflict

• Razer sponsorship deal included multiple artists
• Carnage made video saying "I don't know what this knob does but it makes it louder"
• Carnage publicly promoted software piracy
• Deadmau5 got Carnage removed from Razer campaign
• Physical confrontation at festival - Carnage waited after his set to confront deadmau5
• Security intervened, Carnage was removed from venue

Technology & Gaming

• Enthusiast of 3D imaging, modeling software, GPU technology
• Frustrated by Bitcoin mining affecting GPU availability
• Skeptical of cryptocurrency due to lack of underlying commodity
• Drone hobbyist, had confrontation with fan flying drone over property
• Owns 50-acre farm with horses, goats, chickens
• Streams gaming regularly, particularly PUBG

Personal Life & Philosophy

• Lives in rural Ontario, 20 minutes from airport
• Prefers solitude, describes himself as antisocial
• Can only handle 30 minutes of social interaction with friends
• Developed "shell" to deal with online criticism
• Discusses wealth not equaling happiness
• Comparison to Jeff Bezos and universal nature of problems

Legal Issues

• Disney lawsuit settled amicably (cannot discuss terms)
• Mailing domain lawsuit also concluded amicably
• Sent cease & desist to Suicide Boys for using his music
• Forced removal of image from publication using copyright
• Doesn't actively pursue lawsuits unless necessary

Near-Death Experience

• Missed Spanair flight in Madrid by minutes due to running late
• Flight crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all passengers
• Witnessed explosion from airport
• Describes eerie silence in terminal afterward
• Attributes survival to pure chance/randomness of universe

Gambling Stories

• Used to gamble in Vegas, would win exactly $10,000 to avoid Canadian declaration requirements
• Story with Dillon Francis at roulette table
• Francis moved deadmau5's chips to different number
• Ball landed on the number Francis chose, would have paid $400,000
• Deadmau5 jokes about hating Francis's music but loving him personally

Ghost Stories Segment

• Cat with dead mouse story during deadmau5 name discussion with agent
• Occurred during conversation about the deadmau5 brand
• Both witnesses confirm the coincidental timing