Thursday, October 25, 2018

Casual but Powerful


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The Joe Rogan Experience is a conversational podcast started by American comedian, sports commentator, actor, television host, and public figure Joe Rogan. Rogan and fellow comedian Brian Redban launched the podcast in December 2009. The podcast has since become one of the most popular podcasts with over 16 million downloads per month, and thrives from Rogan’s long conversational interviews with a wide range of guests including comedians, mix-martial arts fighters, actors, musicians, authors, political and social activists and many more.

I started listening to the Joe Rogan Experience about three years ago and was immediately drawn in. The podcast has about three or four guests per week ranging from all kinds of people. While there is no specific topic of discussion, Rogan has deemed himself an intellectual, passionate, and brilliant conversationalist who spends a lengthy two to three hours per podcast talking with his guests. During the course of these podcast episodes, Rogan allows listeners to gain a more personal and in-depth perspective of the guests he interviews. While many of his podcast episodes dive into issues such as current events and political and social issues, and intellectual thinking, he also has a brighter side where to talks about the comedy industry and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) where he has become the most influential and recognizable commentator in the sports history.  

The podcast has had massive social and cultural influence over recent years. Rogan is a massive advocate of marijuana and has had a major influence on exposing opioids and promoting the benefits of the previously condemned and still widely illegal substance. Rogan’s podcast is held in LA where marijuana is legal, and often smokes with his guests on the show. Rogan firmly believes in marijuana’s medicinal benefits and often questions why many politicians seem to adopt the opposing approach to the substance. In the podcast, Rogan has had multiple disagreements over this subject with figures like musician Ted Nugent and conservative political commentator Steven Crowder. 

With the growing popularity of The Joe Rogan Experience, there has been a steady rise in influential political and social figures that have appeared as guests on the show. On September 6 of 2018, Joe Rogan and Tesla CEO Elon Musk sat down for nearly three hours discussing current topics such as the benefits and concerns of A.I., environmental concerns and future technologies.

With such a wide variety of guests on the podcast, there is no shortage of controversy. Alex Jones, Lance Armstrong, and Milo Yiannopoulos are all extremely controversial figures that have been invited on the podcast to share and discuss their viewpoints. In the episode featuring Elon Musk, both Rogan and Musk smoke marijuana as they talk about intellectual issues.

While The Joe Rogan Experience is definitely not for everyone, and has been considered controversial by many, it is unquestionably one of the most popular and influential podcasts today. Being completely unscripted and lasting over two hours per episode, the podcast gives a very different perspective to many of the guests on the show while doing so in a very casual manner.


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