The Joe Rogan Experience

Welcome to ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ the podcast famous for eccentric guests and fascinating conversation. In December 2009 Joe Rogan started the podcast with his friend Brian Redban. Initially the video was about two friends sitting with their laptop and having weird conversations. Joe always wanted to be a part of talk show where he could talk freely, without any censorship.

Inspired by Adam Carolla, Joe started the podcast and down the line he discovered the art of having a conversation. What I love about Joe’s style is that he is extremely patient and a sharp listener. He allows his guests to put their thoughts across and doesn’t interrupt frequently. Clearly Jimmy Fallon should take few notes from Joe Rogan and implement on his show.

Over the period of 12 years Joe Rogan has hosted multiple guests on his show. Hollywood actors, scientists, authors, physicist etc. With 3.49 billion views and approximately 2500 episodes, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ is one of the most popular podcast in the world. It’s a podcast where the weird and wonderful collide in a glorious cacophony of ideas and occasional rants about chimpanzees. Whether you’re a philosopher pondering the meaning of life or someone who loves goofy talks there’s something here for everyone.

TOP 10 JOE ROGAN EPISODES

• 10 – Bob Lazar & Jeremy Corbell (Episode #1315) – The concept of alien existence is a topic of wild discussion across the world. In fact the theme is so popular that filmmakers and authors generate millions of dollars every year with their stories. The first Unidentified flying object (UFO) sighting occurred in 1947 when Kenneth Arnold, an aviator, claimed to see nine high speed flying objects near Mount Rainier in Washington. Since then there are multiple occasion where people have witnessed a similar phenomena.
  
  
  
  Bob Lazar, a physicist from Florida, came to media’s attention when he claimed the unbelievable. In 1989, Lazar made a statement that the US government had hired him to reverse engineer an alien spacecraft. He further went on and described his encounter while working on this out of the world machine. What’s more interesting is that he gave a detailed explanation of the aircraft, as in how it looked, what material it was made of, and how it functioned. Now that’s something that you can’t just make up out of thin air.
  
  On the podcast the 65 year old physicist discuss the existence of UFO’s and his life after the whistle blowing incident. Simultaneously filmmaker Jeremy Corbell talks about his documentary on Bob Lazar’s story. Overall this podcast is highly intriguing and a fun ride for conspiracy theorists.
  
• 9 – Leah Remini (Episode #908) – Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Leah Remini is an actor who has stared in famous T.V shows like ‘The King Of Queens’, ‘Kevin Can Wait’ and ‘Saved by the bell’. When Leah was 8 years old her mother joined the scientology group and this became a large part of her life till 2013. A religious group which is defined as a dangerous cult for profit making business is surely something that one would stay away from. However, Leah suffered in this cult for three decades and finally decided to break free in 2013.
  
  
  
  It took few years for her to accept the normal lifestyle and in 2015 she came up with a book named ‘Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology. She accused the church for it’s brainwashing and harassments in her memoir. In addition she opened about the celebrity scientologist Tom Cruise and his close association with the cult leader David Miscavige.
  
  What I love about this episode is that Joe makes it super easy and fun for Leah Remini right from the start of the show. He creates a friendly vibe so that Leah can talks about her experience and struggle with ease. And boy she does. She openly talks about; What Scientology is, what are their principles and how they exploit people.
  
• 8- Matthew Walker (Episode #1109) – In a world where top CEO’s are promoting 100 working hours a week, employees physical health is often ignored in hindsight. Furthermore, the high consumption of social media is another factor as to why humans are unable to lead healthy lifestyle. Matthew Walker, a professor of Neuroscience and Psychology talks about the impact of sleep on human health in this episode.
  
  
  
  After completing his PhD in neurophysiology, Walker published a book ‘Why we sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams’. I must say that this book helped me to improve my lifestyle and I don’t mind promoting it every now and then.
  
  In the podcast Matthew talks about the importance of sleep and why it’s the major cause of health problems in humans. He highlights how insufficient sleep can lead to Cancer, Alzheimer’s and even Heart attack. I know it may sound ludicrous to some but it’s true. Crazy working hours, excessive screen time, unhealthy diet are few factors that impact sleep cycle. Therefore, It’s highly important to form a routine.
  
  For this Matthew lays out three steps.
  a) One hour before sleeping eliminate screen time and reduce lighting.
  b) Take a bath before going to sleep as your brain needs to drop it’s temperature by about 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit to initiate sleep,
  c) Regularly follow the sleep routine.
  
• 7- Edward Snowden (Episode #1368) – In the age of social media and internet, nothing is private. Privacy is just a gimmick and everything can be tracked by government. After working with Dell and CIA, Snowden started working with National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. During his tenure he got to know about government programs that he thought were unethical. He often raised his concern to his superiors but they didn’t pay any attention.
  
  
  
  Cut to few weeks later, Snowden flew to Hong Kong and he revealed classified NSA documents to the journalists. The information spread like wild fire and everyone stared questioning the US government about right to privacy and mass surveillance. The US state department pressed charges on Snowden for espionage and theft of government property.
  Since this episode he is living in Russia for past decade and is now a naturalized Russian citizen.
  
  In this episode Snowden virtually connects with Joe for an interview and talks about his experience of working with NSA, CIA and the US government. Moreover, he discusses about American rights, changes in government laws post 9/11, information sharing in government agencies and how technology is rapidly exploiting our privacy.
  
• 6- Paul Stamets (Episode #1035) – In this episode American mycologist Paul Stamets talks about the mystery of mushrooms and it’s healing qualities. I think Joe upfront invited Stamets for this interview as he is an avid fan of therapeutic drugs. With dozens of trademarks and patents under his name Stamets shocks the viewers with his knowledge.
  
  
  
  At one point during the conversation when he talks about his intense mushroom ‘trip’ Joe’s reaction is worth noting. I wonder if after the podcast Joe tried some mushrooms and if he did I need proof. Wink, Wink! But hey that’s just the recreational side of this highly potent therapeutic drug.
  
  Today Psilocybin aka ‘Magic Mushroom’ is medically considered illegal in America but on the contrary there have been clinical trials done on humans. Patients dealing with depression, PTSD, alcohol, and drug abuse have shown positive changes after the use of Psilocybin. The John Hopkins University is leading the way with psychedelic therapy and hopefully in few years we’ll get to see people benefiting from this drug at large.
  
• 5. David Goggins (Episode #1212) – Goggins is an retired Navy Seal and former USAF Tactical Air Control Party member who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is an ultra marathon runner, ultra distance cyclist, triathlete, author and a motivational speaker. Off course this success didn’t come easily to him. Poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse were a part of Goggins childhood. All this trauma led him into depression and an overweight young man.
  
  
  
  But hey, with dedication and self discipline nothing is impossible. From an unknown guy with no future to a celebrated Armed Force icon his journey is truly encouraging.
  
  In this podcast the overall theme is how to overcome suffering and lead a purposeful life. Embracing struggles, finding humor in suffering, learning to let go, strength training etc. are discussed in this interview. I must say this is a great self-help video out on YouTube which is absolutely free. One of Joe Rogan’s best episode that like to re-watch.
  
• 4. Mike Tyson (Episode #1227) -The former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Iron Mike meets Joe Rogan for an interview. If you’re someone who don’t know about this boxing legend. Just take a look at his achievements. In his boxing career he has won 50 fights out of 58 and 44 wins are through knockouts. Now that’s simply outstanding. Tyson got trained under Cus d’amato and soon he got known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style.
  
  
  
  Right from childhood Tyson lived a harsh life. Born to a poor family and living in a neighborhood with high crime rates, things were not easy. Constantly getting involved in petty crimes and fights was a normal affair. By the age of 13 Tyson got arrested 40 times and as a kid got bullied for his speaking style. When he met Cus d’mato he channeled all this rage into boxing and turned his weakness into strength.
  
  Tyson’s professional and personal life is been a roller coaster ride and undoubtedly his life stories are worth listening. Joe does a fabulous job of asking the right questions and he brings the best side of Tyson in this podcast. A true story of redemption and overcoming life’s battle, Tyson’s journey from “The Baddest Man on the Planet” to the most humble guy is phenomenal.
  
• 3. Jordon Peterson (Episode #1070) – A renowned psychologist, author and a public speaker, Mr. Peterson is a gentleman who wears his heart on his sleeve. After graduating from high school, Peterson completed his bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology. Later he obtained a PhD in clinical psychology from McGill university. Over the years he has given lectures at Harvard University, University Of Toronto and written multiple self help books.
  
  
  
  Apart from this he is famous for voicing his opinions on cultural and political issues. In 2016, Peterson heavily criticized the the Bill C-16 passed by parliament of Canada in his YouTube videos. He opposed the government for introducing “gender identity” and “expression” as prohibited grounds for discrimination. Furthermore he has been vocal about his views on political correctness, climate change, religion, and feminism.
  
  In the podcast he talks about his book ’12 Rules of life’, his learning experience in psychology, going through pain and achieving goals in life. Again this is one of Joe Rogan’s best interview which is full of thought and inspiration.
  
• 2. Robert Downey Jr. (Episode #1411) – Robert Downey Jr has proved that no matter how hard life may get, one can always make a comeback. Robert was going through a tough phase from 1990 to 2000 due to his drug addiction problem. Big studios and directors didn’t want to work with him and his personal life suffered as well. The few films and television series that he worked on got high praise for his acting job but his addiction still continued. In 1996 he got arrested for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded firearm. This lead to him spending an year in jail. An incident which he describes as “the worst thing that happened to me”
  
  
  
  In 2003 RDJ met producer Susan Levin on the sets of movie ‘Gothika’ and his life completely changed from thereon. She made the actor quit his drug addiction and since then he has maintained his sobriety. Few years later the couple got married and RDJ made an epic comeback in 2008 with ‘Ironman’ movie. Since then he has never looked back and today he is a proud husband, a dad, and an Oscar winning actor. Now that’s a story that needs to be told on big screen.
  
  In the interview he talks bout his personal life, his movies, and his last stint as Ironman and much more.
  
• 1. Elon Musk (Episode #1169) – If RDJ is on screen ‘Ironman’ then Musk is the real life ‘Ironman’ of this generation. Love him or hate him but he has managed to build successful business companies that makes billions of dollars. Born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk exhibited an early penchant for innovation and entrepreneurship. At the age of 12, he taught himself computer programming and created his first video game. His curiosity led him to pursue higher education in Canada and the United States, where he studied physics and economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
  
  
  
  After completing his studies, Musk confounded Zip2, an online city guide software company and later went on to establish X.com, which eventually became PayPal, revolutionizing online payments systems. These early ventures laid the foundation of his extraordinary career as a visionary entrepreneur and technologist, shaping the future of industries from electric vehicles to space exploration.
  
  Clearly Joe is super excited to host this fascinating individual and it is visible in the entire conversation. As a super host he asks all kind of right questions manages to weave an intriguing conversation through the show. Musk openly talks bout his weird ideas, artificial intelligence, tesla cars, chimpanzee, art, and the future on technology.
  

CONCLUSION:
Indeed Joe Rogan has mastered the art of conversation and through his podcasts he has entertained millions of viewers. Since his podcast journey there are many other influencers who have followed this trend but no one has gained popularity like him. Let us know in the comments about your favorite Joe Rogan episode and who would you like to see on his show next.