The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #1129 - Tom Papa
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 2:35
Tom Papa becomes an author: pitching, publishing, and book structure
Joe congratulates Tom Papa on his first book and they dig into how it came together—from an earlier rejected pitch to a later publisher outreach. Tom explains the format (family-themed essays) and how the chapter organization mirrors the way comedians think in bits.
- •Writing timeline: ~2 years, but the real grind came in the last 8–12 months
- •Earlier pitch was rejected; a later publisher inquiry created deadlines and accountability
- •Editor involvement was mostly light-touch (repetition, grammar, typos)
- •Book concept: humorous essays organized by family roles (moms, dads, cousins, etc.)
- 2:35 – 5:25
Cover photo goofiness and the anxiety of “permanent” writing
They riff on the book cover (Tom appears to be eating his shirt) and how a great photographer pitched the odd idea. Tom contrasts standup’s instant feedback with the high-stakes permanence of a book, and shares the relief of strong early reviews.
- •The cover concept came from photographer Sam Jones; intentional weirdness to draw attention
- •Standup vs. book: immediate audience feedback vs. delayed judgment
- •Fear of being “hack” frozen in print for decades
- •Post-release relief: readers laughing, reviewers praising his writing
- 5:25 – 10:44
Daily writing discipline, self-editing, and tools like Scrivener
Tom explains how he carved out consistent morning writing time and learned to draft without judging every line. Joe introduces Scrivener and its index-card/corkboard organization, comparing it to arranging standup bits.
- •Routine: coffee + writing from morning until noon; writing anywhere while touring
- •Key mindset: write it badly first, then edit like refining a bit
- •Tom wrote in Microsoft Word; Joe advocates Scrivener for modular organization
- •Essay format made rearranging and editing easier than maintaining a novel’s continuity
- 10:44 – 12:13
“Just Eat the Bread”: clean comedy, metaphors, and what’s next
They joke about profanity in the book, then Tom highlights the final chapter, “Just Eat the Bread,” as a life metaphor about enjoying things without overthinking. Tom confirms the publisher already wants another book and celebrates chart success in family humor.
- •Book is relatively clean; comedic riff about taboo words
- •Final chapter: “Just Eat the Bread” as a philosophy of enjoyment and acceptance
- •Publisher already wants a follow-up; Tom has ideas but hasn’t started
- •Early success: #1 new release in “family humor” category
- 12:13 – 16:08
Big announcement: Food Network’s “Baked with Tom Papa” born from JRE bread fandom
Tom credits the podcast community for turning his bread hobby into a public persona (“sultan of sourdough”). He announces a Food Network travel show about bakeries and baked goods, filmed across eight cities, focused on the people and family stories behind the food.
- •JRE listeners fueled Tom’s bread identity through constant fan interaction
- •Food Network show: “Baked with Tom Papa,” premiere on Labor Day (8 episodes)
- •Travel format: bakery-focused, meeting families and sharing their stories
- •Cities include New Orleans, New York, Detroit, LA, Cleveland, Philly, New Jersey
- 16:08 – 29:03
Anthony Bourdain’s death and the mental health puzzle: substances, meds, and exercise
Joe and Tom process Bourdain’s suicide and the shock of losing someone who seemed happy recently. The discussion expands into addiction, medication side effects, post-surgery depression, and how exercise can stabilize mood—without pretending there’s a single explanation.
- •Joe recalls personal memories: hunting/cooking trip, drinking, weed, and Bourdain’s intensity
- •Complexity of mental health: mania, addiction history, meds, and life context
- •Medication side effects and mixing with alcohol; antidepressant trial-and-error
- •Exercise as powerful mood medicine; sedentary life as a modern mismatch
- 29:03 – 35:11
Food as art, baker culture, and immigrant bread traditions (Newark/New Jersey memories)
They pivot from grief into how Bourdain elevated food storytelling and made cuisine feel like an art form. Tom shares what he learned from bakers’ work ethic and passion, while Joe recalls his Italian-American family’s daily bread rituals in Newark.
- •Bourdain reframed cooking as artistry and cultural storytelling
- •Bakers’ lives: brutal hours (2 a.m. starts) sustained by deep love of craft
- •Community impact of quality food: people will travel daily for something special
- •Joe’s childhood: Italian bakery walks, homemade pasta, immigrant dialect and family dynamics
- 35:11 – 42:05
Hard times, tough generations: Depression mindset, WWII framing, and a 9/11 eyewitness story
They reflect on how earlier generations were shaped by scarcity, war, and survival psychology—saving money, reusing everything, and pushing forward. Tom tells a vivid story of witnessing the second plane hit on 9/11 from Newark and his grandmother’s stoic response.
- •Depression-era habits: cash hidden in the house, fear of scarcity
- •“Hard times make tough men” cycle and the limits of judging ‘kids today’
- •Tom saw the second plane hit the towers from Newark airport vantage point
- •Grandmother’s WWII-era toughness: calm pragmatism amid catastrophe
- 42:05 – 48:00
WWII aftermath and moral complexity: Operation Paperclip and Nazi engineering legacy
The conversation turns historical: the clarity of WWII’s ‘evil empire’ narrative, and the uncomfortable reality that the U.S. recruited Nazi scientists after the war. Joe recounts details about Wernher von Braun and forced labor at rocket factories, then they segue into how history echoes in everyday objects like Volkswagens.
- •WWII felt more black-and-white compared to modern conflicts (in their framing)
- •Operation Paperclip: U.S. recruitment of Nazi scientists for aerospace programs
- •Wernher von Braun controversy and accounts of slave labor conditions
- •Volkswagen as a ‘people’s car’ with unsettling historical origins
- 48:00 – 54:36
Car design nostalgia and the CB radio era: from Mach 1 to ‘baby-shit orange’ Corolla
They geek out on automotive aesthetics—60s muscle cars vs. 70s design decline after the gas crisis. Tom shares a comic memory of his old Corolla with a racing stripe, musical horn, and CB radio, leading into why CBs boomed and how protest tactics can backfire.
- •Muscle car ‘golden era’ (60s–early 70s) vs. the ‘dogshit’ 70s aesthetic
- •Tom’s first car: 1976 Corolla, custom stripe, multi-song horn, CB radio adventures
- •Jamie explains CB boom tied to oil crisis and 55 mph limits; network effects
- •Side discussion: protests that block roads/bridges and unintended deadly consequences
- 54:36 – 56:07
Christie, beach closures, and the petty politics of public inconvenience
They vent about the Chris Christie bridge/beach controversies and the optics of power—especially Christie using closed public spaces while others couldn’t. The rant expands into judgment of laziness and public behavior, setting up a broader culture critique.
- •Bridge closure and consequences for emergency access (in their discussion)
- •Christie beach photo as symbol of arrogance and hypocrisy
- •How small abuses of authority erode trust
- •Tone shift into broader cultural annoyance and judgment
- 56:07 – 1:01:09
Footwear wars and sneaker culture: slides, flip-flops, and Yeezys (with Bert)
A comedic detour: Tom’s intense dislike of slides (especially with socks) turns into a larger riff on airport behavior and personal standards. Bert Kreischer chimes in and the topic morphs into Yeezys, hype culture, and generational differences in taste.
- •Tom’s pet peeve: slides at airports; Joe probes why it triggers him
- •Flip-flops as ‘gross’ (Bert as the example), hygiene jokes
- •Yeezy hype: Joe keeps a gifted pair in the box; jokes about ‘flossing’
- •Generational taste differences and how trends create social signaling
- 1:01:09 – 1:06:43
Elon Musk tangent: podcast invite, Not-a-Flamethrower, tunnels, and claustrophobia
Joe reveals Elon Musk wants to do the podcast once Tesla Model 3 production stabilizes. They marvel at Musk’s wide-ranging projects—flamethrowers, tunnel networks, hyperloop talk—and joke about the safety/absurdity of underground transit and Tom’s new claustrophobia.
- •Elon messaging Joe about appearing on the podcast; timing tied to Model 3
- •Boring Company ‘Not-a-Flamethrower’ and the spectacle of consumer weapons
- •Tunnel systems vs. earthquakes/flooding; switching concept to pod ‘skates’
- •Hyperloop/SpaceX as examples of Musk’s outsized ambition
- 1:06:43 – 1:11:48
3D printing and the future of manufacturing (plus a crude grooming standards riff)
Tom brings up a Vice segment on 3D printing—machines improving part designs and printing human tissue—leading Joe to predict a future of downloadable products and local fabrication. The segment briefly veers into a vulgar (and dated) bit about grooming norms and cultural expectations around body hair.
- •3D printing applications: optimized parts, custom manufacturing, medical bioprinting
- •Future model: download schematics + feedstock materials instead of buying finished goods
- •Craftsmanship as premium: handmade objects gain value amid mass fabrication
- •Comedic detour into grooming standards and cultural pressure (NSFW language)
- 1:11:48 – 1:29:24
Cancel culture and ‘magic words’: Kendrick Lamar incident, appropriation, and mob logic
They dissect a viral Kendrick Lamar concert moment where a white fan singing lyrics on stage was publicly corrected, sparking debate about context and intent. Tom shares a similar backlash story from Live From Here, and they broaden into cultural appropriation controversies and social media’s incentive to punish.
- •Kendrick Lamar crowd vs. on-stage fan: intent vs. enforcement of taboo words
- •Tom’s colleague criticized for singing Kendrick as ‘cultural appropriation’
- •Bruno Mars and The Black Keys as examples in the appropriation debate
- •Social media dynamics: small number of loud voices, institutions overreact to avoid risk
- 1:29:24 – 1:46:05
Target selection, Roseanne fallout, and why nuance collapses online
Joe argues that online outrage often ignores mental health, intent, or complexity, using Roseanne Barr’s Ambien/drinking explanation as a case study. Tom emphasizes ‘consider the source’—some public figures live on provocation and eventually get burned—leading into broader talk about unresolved racial history and societal tension.
- •Roseanne case: ambiguity, intent, meds/substances, and the speed of condemnation
- •‘Consider the source’: patterns of provocation affect how people interpret missteps
- •America’s unresolved racial trauma: slavery/civil rights not that distant historically
- •The online ‘gotcha’ economy: outrage as attention/monetization
- 1:46:05 – 1:48:33
Choosing kindness: Father’s Day values and the “bread-and-family” alternative to outrage
They pivot from culture wars to a gentler philosophy: less hate, more daily appreciation and relationships. Father’s Day becomes a prompt for what they actually want—time, hugs, presence—before Joe shares a recent outing to a King Tut exhibit that re-ignites his passion for accuracy and history.
- •Anti-outrage stance: kindness and community over clickbait conflict
- •Father’s Day: neither wants gifts; they want time and affection from family
- •Joe’s comedic aside about ‘birthday month’ attention-seeking
- •Transition to curiosity-driven topics: museums, history, and learning
- 1:48:33 – 1:55:14
King Tut exhibit, museum pedantry, and ancient Egypt’s inbreeding and artifacts
Joe recounts visiting the King Tut exhibit and being irritated by a mislabeled ‘compound bow,’ using it to discuss expertise and accuracy. They talk about the artifacts’ age, King Tut’s physical deformities linked to royal inbreeding, and the extraordinary discovery story of the untouched tomb.
- •Artifacts from ~3,300 years ago; scale and impact of the IMAX companion film
- •Joe’s rant: ‘compound bow’ mislabeling and why precision matters
- •Tut’s deformities, club foot, and royal inbreeding practices
- •Discovery story: a worker finding a step; tomb largely untouched by grave robbers
- 1:55:14 – 3:03:46
Deep time and lost civilizations: Sphinx age, solar cataclysms, Göbekli Tepe, and flood myths
The episode closes in big-picture mode: Joe summarizes ideas from geologist Robert Schoch about the Sphinx being far older than mainstream timelines due to water erosion evidence. They explore speculative cataclysm scenarios (solar events), Ice Age transitions, early monumental sites like Göbekli Tepe, and how global flood stories might echo real ancient disasters.
- •Sphinx water erosion argument and challenges to the 2500 BC timeline
- •Catastrophe theory: solar events, climate shifts, and possible human bottlenecks
- •Göbekli Tepe as proof of sophisticated construction ~12,000 years ago
- •Shared flood narratives (Noah/Gilgamesh) as cultural memory of upheaval
