A man of many talents (and opinions), Joe Rogan has done more in his 50 years of living than most will do in a lifetime. Rogan, who is a jack-of-all-trades, refuses to settle for being ordinary. He has tried — and succeeded — in the fields of stand-up comedy, martial arts, acting and podcasting. His podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” offers listeners engaging takes on modern day controversy and almost always promises some lively back-and-forth commentary from an interesting guest.
The UFC commentator can’t be described in just a few short sentences, and that’s what makes him great. His lifetime has been jam-packed with experiences that he then uses to inspire his listeners. Among his many wise and motivational quotes, this one really hits the nail on the head: “I love a success story, but even more than a success story; I like a dude who f—- his life up and get his life together again story.”
Here are four reasons why Joe Rogan is America’s modern shaman.
1. Health and Fitness
Rogan is 100 percent committed to taking care of his body and mind. Following a strict workout and diet plan, it’s no wonder the jiu-jitsu black belt is absolutely shredded. Don’t boil him down to just a “meathead,” as Rogan also incorporates yoga, kickboxing, meditation and alternative medicines into his weekly regimen.
The health nut is an avid hunter and stays away from factory-processed meats and foods, maintaining his clean-eating, clean-body mantra. In a recent podcast with rock-musician Ted Nugent, Rogan discussed factory-farming versus “eating what you hunt,” with Rogan against factory farming. “People don’t understand where their food comes from. They don’t understand large-scale agriculture, and its led to a disconnect with people and their food,” Rogan argued.
Constantly putting pictures on his Instagram of the elk and axis deer he has hunted with the hashtag “#healthyasf—” to display his ketogenic diet, Rogan doesn’t mess around when it comes to his health.
The podcast host is also an advocate for leading-edge, experimental medicine and rehab techniques. Rogan has recently started engaging in the healing powers of “cryotherapy,” the act of getting into a cryo-chamber as low as -200 degrees below zero for a maximum of three minutes, which is proven to alleviate inflammation and injury. In addition, Rogan believe in the beneficial aspects of mind-expansion techniques like sensory deprivation tanks, going so far as to joking that he is the reason they have started to become more popular as of late.
2. Hunting and Conservation
As previously mentioned, Rogan is an avid hunter who prides himself on eating his own kills. The meat-lover is both pro-hunting and animal conservation, which to some may seem counter-productive. However, to hear him talk about these subjects you can begin to understand how the two go hand-in-hand.
In a podcast with Australian photographer and hunter Adam Greentree, Rogan discusses how hunting and killing wild game such as moose, deer and elk in an ethical manner is the best death those animals will receive in the wild. Without hunters, said animals may either starve to death in the harsh winters or meet their demise by other wildlife. In another podcast with trophy-hunter Cameron Hanes, Rogan discusses the pros of trophy-hunting and criticizes President Trump for his anti-hunting tweets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO2j3dX6QMs&t=217s
3. Recreational Drugs and Creativity
If you should know anything about Joe Rogan, it’s that he is a firm believer in the power of weed. Among his physical achievements, stand-up shows and countless podcast episodes, Rogan administers the use of pot to explore his creativity and spark conversation between himself and his podcast guests.
Rogan blatantly speaks out about the health and creative benefits weed enables, even labeling the drug an “idea steroid.” The comedian often smokes the ganja while hosting his podcast and writing stand-up material. You can find countless episodes of Rogan’s stance on the drug on YouTube and I promise they are worth listening to.
Rogan has also experimented with psychedelics such as DMT and openly talks about his trips and what he interprets from them. It’s pretty heavy stuff, but worth the while if you’re looking for something out of this world to listen to. Rogan by no means promotes drug use but rather works to break the negative stigma surrounding certain practices and hopes to enlighten his audience by describing his own experiences.
4. Political Commentary
Rogan is frequently criticized by members of the left for being “alt-right.” His podcast takes the form of long conversations with featured guests (guests such as Jordan Peterson, Dave Rubin and Ben Shapiro) to be able to delve into deep and complex issues. The issues discussed are often complex ones that require more time to discuss than a brief six-minute segment on a news show can provide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8vaRDu6w1s
Rogan, a strong advocate of free-speech, has stated in the past that he doesn’t choose his guests based on politics. Rogan prefers guests that he finds interesting or controversial, but leans towards those who are more the former than the latter. The podcast host himself has talked about how he is more of a libertarian leaning left on the political spectrum.
However, with all of these impartial beliefs, he is still criticized for having guests such as Jordan Peterson (a controversial Canadian professor of psychology who speaks out about personal responsibility, free speech and trans issues) to more controversial guests such as Ted Nugent.
Despite the backlash he receives for his choice in guests, Rogan continues to use his podcast as a platform for sharing knowledge and opening up tough conversations in which he is always willing to listen to the other side. Neither die-hard conservative nor a radical leftist, Rogan strives to learn everything he can about controversial topics and in turn deliver the most balanced, open-minded opinions.
