In an apt illustration of the show’s flexibility, this sample starts with Krystyna Hutchinson and Corinne Fisher, the hosts of the Guys We Fucked podcast and ends with presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard. The conversations with Andrew Yang and Elon Musk provided an exponential bump to the former’s donor pool and sank Tesla stock by nine percent overnight. This period also saw his already massive audience expand.
It's not inconceivable that professors of the future will study The Joe Rogan Experience and will struggle to explain to their undergrads how a man who had built a public profile by forcing people to drink horse semen on Fear Factor was influencing presidential primaries and major company’s stock prices. The podcast offers a rare insight into the everyday demeanor of the world’s most important people and an unhurried platform for them to dive into the topics that concern them.
You (probably) don’t have time for 1,000 hours of podcast listening, so here’s a selection of the seven best episodes of the past two years in time for Rogan's appearance at Comerica Theatre on Friday, December 6, and Saturday, December 7.
Ben Greenfield
This “journalist” is a fascinating caricature of modern health fads. Each of his descriptions of the experimental supplements and treatments he tries is packed with so much jargon, they seem feasible. In a moment of self-awareness, he tells Rogan, “I do a lot of a guinea pig stuff, and I’m not dead yet.”Highlight: At 17:53, when prompted by a description of what he happened to do that day, Greenfield describes the elliptical machine of the future having an outrageous array of benefits.
Alex Jones
Whether you think of Alex Jones as a virtuosic performance artist or a belligerent conspiracy theorist, this is him at his Alex Jones-iest. Delivered over four hours of inhuman intensity, he spins an intricate web of alternative world history, touching on (among many other things) the sixth dimension, Planned Parenthood’s baby part harvesting operation, and the connection between Nazis and aliens.Highlight: At 33:54, enjoy what happens after Jones says, “The world’s not imitating Blade Runner. Blade Runner is a preparation for what’s coming.”
Elon Musk
A lot of people smoke joints and talk about robots, the AI-induced apocalypse, and flamethrowers — but most of them don’t do it with Elon Musk.Highlight: At 2:10:27, Musk succumbs to Rogan’s peer pressuring and smokes weed in front of the world.
Edward Snowden
For whistleblower Edward Snowden, Rogan made an exception to his policy of having his guests physically in the studio. Rogan is mostly silent for this nearly three-hour conversation.Highlight: A mesmerizing, 40-minute answer to the question: “When did you realize the government went too far?”
Theo Von
A healthy portion of episodes are unsophisticated comic relief. Comedian Theo Von fits the bill perfectly.Highlight: At 50:30, Von discusses his relationship with pornography with a hilarious diversion through an enlightening period in his life where he “lived with rich people.” Eventually, Von flatters and aptly summarizes Rogan’s message by saying, “I feel like you lead a lot of men in their aspirations to control their beings and be on top of themselves.”
Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Rogan and Neil deGrasse Tyson are a match made in the stars. The podcast host isn't afraid to ask smart people “dumb” questions. The astrophysicist is an unpretentiously explains otherworldly concepts.Highlight: At the top of the show, deGrasse Tyson beautifully articulates his love for Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night.
Tim Pool, Jack Dorsey, Vijaya Gadde
Rogan is an outspoken critic of Twitter’s habit of blocking people, so when he was a little easy on the website's CEO Jack Dorsey a while back, fans freaked out. In response, he arranged for Round Two with an interesting panel of Dorsey, journalist Tim Pool, and lawyer Vijaya Gadde.Highlight: In this clip, Cook and Gadde address if Twitter has a bias against conservatives in who and what they ban.
Joe Rogan is scheduled to perform at Comerica Theatre on Friday, December 6, and Saturday, December 7. Tickets are $35 to $95 via Ticketmaster.
