The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #1129 - Tom Papa
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Tom Papa on Writing, Bread, Bourdain, Outrage Culture, and Civilization
- Joe Rogan and Tom Papa dive into Papa’s new family-humor book, his disciplined writing routine, and the anxiety of putting permanent work into the world versus the instant feedback of stand-up. They discuss how Rogan’s podcast bread bits unexpectedly led to Papa landing a Food Network baking show, highlighting how genuine passions can become careers.
- The conversation shifts into a long, serious stretch on Anthony Bourdain’s suicide, depression, psychiatric meds, exercise, and how modern life and overmedication may intersect with the rising suicide rate. They also explore outrage culture, language taboos, and how social media mobs distort nuance in cases like Roseanne Barr, Kendrick Lamar’s onstage incident, and cultural appropriation debates.
- Later they wander into history, from World War II and Nazi scientists to ancient Egypt, climate cataclysms, and how fragile and recent modern civilization is. Throughout, they return to themes of enjoying life, valuing simple pleasures like bread and family, and being kinder and less reactive in how we treat each other.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasTreat writing like a job with a fixed daily schedule.
Papa finished his book by committing to morning writing sessions from 7 a.m. to noon, seven days a week for many months, separating creative generation from later editing instead of judging pages as he wrote them.
Permanent work requires different standards than live performance.
Books and specials live for decades without real-time feedback, so Papa obsessively revised every essay, stripping unnecessary words and repetition, unlike stand-up where bits evolve nightly via immediate audience reaction.
Lean into your genuine hobbies; they can become your career edge.
Papa’s home sourdough obsession, amplified by Rogan’s podcast, built a fan micro-community around bread that directly led Food Network to give him a travel-and-baking show—proof that authentic enthusiasm can open unexpected professional doors.
Exercise is a powerful, often underused antidepressant.
Rogan and Papa emphasize that regular running, lifting, or jiu-jitsu can dramatically reduce anxiety and improve mood, and research suggests exercise can rival or beat many antidepressants, especially in a sedentary, screen-sitting culture.
Be cautious and nuanced about psychiatric meds, not dismissive.
They discuss anti-anxiety drugs, SSRIs, opioids, and post-surgery hormone crashes as possible contributors to suicide risk, arguing that while meds help some, the trial-and-error approach and side effects (including suicidality) deserve more open scrutiny.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesWhenever I work on something else, standup kind of… I work on it at night. The book was every morning at 7 a.m.—seven days a week—wherever I was.
— Tom Papa
You have to just get it down and know that it’s bad. Just get it down, then go to work on it—like a bit.
— Tom Papa
Food is a fascinating thing to me… he [Bourdain] made me think of food as an art form.
— Joe Rogan
We have the highest suicide rate among middle‑aged people in America than ever… and there’s also this pharmaceutical opioid crisis at the same time.
— Tom Papa
The culture has enough hate. I think the campaign has to be for more kindness.
— Tom Papa
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