The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #1193 - Shane Dorian
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 3:20
Bowhunting Simulator Warm‑Up & Momentum Generation Premise
Rogan and Dorian open by joking about cutting the podcast short to get back to a techno‑hunt bow simulator, which they describe as near‑perfect practice for managing nerves in real bowhunting. Dorian then explains he’s in LA for the HBO premiere of *Momentum Generation*, a documentary about the tight‑knit group of surfers he grew up traveling and competing with.
- •Techno Hunt: Kevlar screen and HD animal projections for bow practice; helps ingrain calm shot execution.
- •Dorian in LA for HBO’s *Momentum Generation* premiere, produced with Robert Redford.
- •Film covers how a crew of young surfers from broken homes became a surrogate family on tour.
- •Success, money, sponsors, and women eventually fractured the group like a band under pressure.
- 3:20 – 13:00
Growing Up Surfing: Broken Homes, Found Family, and Competition
Dorian recounts starting stand‑up surfing at age five and traveling internationally by 12, constantly leaving with a board bag and passport. He explains how many of his peers came from turbulent family situations, so the Momentum generation became their real family, until high‑stakes competition and money created tension and breakups within the group.
- •First surf at 5, first international contest trip to England at 12 with Hawaii team.
- •Many top surfers came from alcoholic or broken families, bonding them tightly on the road.
- •As world titles, points, and big sponsors arrived, friendship dynamics strained and splintered.
- •Dorian still feels awkward telling “normal” people he surfs for a living, especially as a freesurfer with sponsors rather than a competitor.
- 13:00 – 25:00
From Hyper‑Competitive Shit‑Talker to Laid‑Back Waterman
Dorian describes his former self as an ultra‑competitive, trash‑talking contest surfer who would mentally attack rivals and even crack emotionally in heats. He contrasts that with his current non‑competitive, chilled‑out persona who has zero interest in points but still loves high‑level performance and big waves.
- •In his teens and early 20s, Dorian was “super competitive,” visualizing bad things happening to opponents.
- •Tells a story of trash‑talking world champ Damien Hardman, then mentally unraveling as Hardman used priority to shut him down.
- •Draws strong parallels between surfing mind games and fight sports psychology.
- •Says that entire killer‑instinct part of his personality is “100% gone” now.
- 25:00 – 35:00
Performance Mindset, Flow State, and Emotional Control
Rogan and Dorian dig into how emotions and nerves sabotage performance in both surfing and MMA. They use recent UFC examples to show how staying loose and calm—like Israel Adesanya dancing to the cage—beats tense, angry approaches, and they connect this to bowhunting’s intense, one‑shot pressure.
- •In fighting, anger tightens you up and kills fluidity; best fighters stay playful and relaxed.
- •Rogan cites Israel “Stylebender” Adesanya as a model of flow under pre‑fight trash talk pressure.
- •Bowhunting a big elk is framed as a literal life‑or‑death moment that creates target panic in many hunters.
- •Mindset is described as “everything” across disciplines: surfing, golf, pool, hunting, fighting.
- 35:00 – 55:20
Surfing as Lifestyle vs. Sport and Why It’s So Hard
Dorian argues surfing is poorly suited as a judged, competitive sport because of nature’s randomness and subjective scoring. They break down why surfing is technically and mentally difficult to learn, why many lifelong surfers still “suck,” and how even low‑skill surfers can love it just as much as pros.
- •Surf contests are inherently unfair: wave quality is random and can let weak surfers beat legends.
- •Surfing offers incomparable lifestyle benefits: sanity, friendship, early‑morning rituals, travel.
- •Many people surf for decades and never get barreled; body awareness and anticipation are key.
- •Explains “kook” as someone with no awareness or etiquette in the lineup, not just low ability.
- •Parallels jiu‑jitsu and surfing: both require sensing and reacting to a constantly changing “opponent.”
- 55:20 – 1:09:10
Chasing Giant Waves and Peak Life Moments
Rogan plays footage of Dorian riding a monstrous ~60‑foot wave, and Dorian describes it as a once‑in‑a‑lifetime alignment of preparation, health, equipment, and conditions. They compare such rides and perfect bow shots to “first kiss” moments—rare, life‑defining experiences that modern life largely deprives people of.
- •Dorian’s described wave: one of the best days in that spot’s history, with everything lining up.
- •He likens that single wave to a frozen, formative life moment, like a first kiss.
- •Rogan argues humans are built to crave such heightened, fully absorbing moments.
- •Most people stuck commuting rarely experience this intensity, which they see as a core life problem.
- 1:09:10 – 1:20:00
Ethical Meat, Traeger Grills, and The Lanai Axis Deer Paradise
The conversation shifts into hunting and cooking: slow‑smoking wild game on Traeger pellet grills, resting meat properly, and learning from master bowhunter‑chef John Dudley. They reminisce about Lanai axis deer hunts—both their abundance and their necessity for ecosystem balance—plus Hawaii‑based programs that turn culls into food for local families.
- •They detail low‑and‑slow Traeger techniques for elk and deer, including resting meat in a cooler.
- •Dorian notes many people ruin wild game by high‑heat grilling; pellet smokers are more forgiving.
- •Lanai axis deer are wildly overpopulated with no predators, making bowhunting both fun and necessary.
- •Jake Muise’s Maui projects: paid eradication on ranches and the Kahikinui Project, which donates axis meat to families in need.
- •Axis venison is praised as some of the world’s best‑tasting meat, ideal for converting non‑game‑eaters.
- 1:20:00 – 1:33:20
Hawaii Life: Volcano Vog, Big Island Energy, and Hunting Culture
Dorian describes the Big Island’s recent Kilauea eruptions, months of toxic vog blowing to his side of the island, and how air quality is now the best in years since the volcano “blew its load.” They touch on vog allergies, dangerous lava tour boats, the island’s alive, spiritual feel, and Hawaii’s exceptional hunting access contrasted with crowded places like LA or New York.
- •Trade winds carried heavy vog from the East‑side eruptions to Kona for about three months.
- •His daughter is highly allergic to vog; air resembled LA smog times ten.
- •A tourist boat was hit by airborne lava, injuring dozens—an example of risky “disaster tourism.”
- •Big Island described as “alive” and energetically unique; attracts off‑grid and psychedelic types (e.g., Terence McKenna).
- •Hawaii offers world‑class hunting for pigs, goats, sheep, and axis deer due to lack of predators.
- 1:33:20 – 1:44:00
Trucks, Gear, LinEx, and City vs. Island Lifestyles
They geek out on vehicles and gear—Toyota Tundras as Hawaii’s de facto state truck, bulletproof LinEx coatings, and laugh about lifted rigs in LA gridlock. Dorian contrasts the slow, respect‑based driving and anti‑Californication ethos of Hawaii with the 80‑mph chaos of Los Angeles freeways.
- •Dorian is sponsored by Big Island Toyota; Tundras praised for reliability and resale.
- •LinEx spray coatings make trucks nearly scratch‑proof; even protect dropped watermelons from shattering.
- •Adam Greentree’s purpose‑built hunting truck vs. LA’s purely cosmetic lifts.
- •Hawaii’s driving culture: don’t pass aggressively, show respect, don’t try to “turn it into California.”
- •Beach access fights in Malibu mirror Mark Zuckerberg’s blowback on Kauai for trying to privatize shoreline.
- 1:44:00 – 1:58:00
Tech Titans, Media Portrayals, and Daniel Day‑Lewis Obsessions
Rogan reflects on his Elon Musk podcast, Musk’s tunnel projects, and the scale of his ambitions versus “regular” lives like surfing or comedy. They pivot to how films caricature real people—like Mark Zuckerberg in *The Social Network*—and marvel at Daniel Day‑Lewis’ extreme method acting and his pivot to hand‑making shoes.
- •Musk’s Boring Company tunnel under LA and vision for solar roofs and Powerwalls impress Dorian.
- •Rogan questions the ethics of fictionalizing still‑living people in biopics (e.g., Zuckerberg).
- •They revisit Daniel Day‑Lewis roles (*Gangs of New York*, *The Boxer*, *Lincoln*, *Last of the Mohicans*).
- •Day‑Lewis trained as a boxer for a year; Rogan calls his boxing the most realistic in film.
- •After acting, Day‑Lewis apprenticed as a cobbler, leading to a tangent about his current life making shoes.
- 1:58:00 – 2:04:00
Tree Stand Dangers, Cold‑Weather Hunting, and Sitka Gear
Talk returns to hunting logistics: Dorian’s upcoming first whitetail hunt in Ohio, the mental challenge of sitting in freezing tree stands, and Adam Greentree nearly being shot out of a stand in Kentucky. They discuss cold‑weather layering, Sitka founder Jonathan Hart, and survival tactics like rewarming after falling into a river.
- •Tree stand hunting demands stillness; even mild temperatures feel freezing when you can’t move.
- •Dorian prefers spot‑and‑stalk but is curious if he can handle multi‑day sitting.
- •Greentree’s videos of bullets hitting leaves near his head underscore public‑land gun‑season chaos.
- •Sitka’s technical clothing and John Barklow’s rewarming drills for falling into icy water are highlighted.
- •They plan future hunts in Oklahoma (hogs) and Iowa (whitetails) with John Dudley.
- 2:04:00 – 2:16:00
Invasive Goats, Wolves, and the Ecology Behind Hunting
Rogan and Dorian tackle the viral outrage over a woman who shot a wild goat in Scotland, arguing critics ignored the ecological context: goats are invasive, have no predators, and devastate vegetation. They expand into broader predator‑prey management, wolf reintroduction controversies, and how public sentiment clashes with wildlife biology.
- •Scottish “goat hunt” photo caused global backlash despite goats being invasive and eaten as meat.
- •Many island goats and deer descend from animals left by sailors as living food caches.
- •Hawaii’s goats erode cliffs, strip vegetation to the root, and cause severe runoff issues.
- •They discuss “Judas goats” with GPS collars used in systematic eradication programs.
- •Rogan critiques celebrities who slam hunters without understanding conservation science.
- •Wolves and grizzlies: reintroduction vs. overpopulation, difficulty managing wolf numbers, and impacts on elk/moose herds.
- 2:16:00 – 2:26:00
Meat, Hypocrisy, and Why Everyone Should See an Animal Die
The pair confront moral inconsistency: most people eat meat yet recoil at photos of dead animals or hunters smiling with their kills. Dorian describes how his kids help process pigs and deer, forming a direct connection between life and food, while Rogan rails against the illusion that paying for meat absolves people of responsibility.
- •Rogan calls slaughterhouse workers “supermarket hitmen” that insulate consumers from death.
- •Dorian’s kids see hunted animals from quad rack to hose‑down, quartering, deboning, and grinding.
- •They argue hunting reduces waste because hunters value every pound of meat they worked for.
- •Vegetable agriculture also destroys habitat; some rainforests are cleared for crops and ethanol, not just beef.
- •They float a thought experiment: making 16‑year‑olds kill an animal themselves to earn lifelong meat‑eating rights.
- 2:26:00 – 2:38:00
Race, DNA Percentages, and the Absurdity of Identity Claims
Near the end, Rogan riffs on Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test versus his own 23andMe results, mocking minuscule ancestry percentages being used for political or institutional gain. They touch on Rachel Dolezal, NAACP controversies, and how people weaponize victimhood and labels, while Dorian marvels at how wild the culture wars have become.
- •Rogan is ~1.6% African on 23andMe; jokes it’s “all dick.”
- •He notes Warren’s Native‑American percentage is vastly smaller than his African ancestry, yet was used to claim identity and benefits.
- •Rachel Dolezal documentary: white woman posing as Black, leading a local NAACP chapter.
- •They question where ancestry thresholds should matter and ridicule selective outrage over terminology (e.g., “colored people” vs. “people of color”).
- •Conclude that DNA tests show everyone is “a bunch of things,” and over‑indexing on slivers of ancestry is absurd.
- 2:38:00
Wrap‑Up: Momentum Generation Air Date and Back to Techno Hunt
Rogan closes by plugging the HBO air date for *Momentum Generation* and clarifying Dorian’s real social handle. They joke about a fake Shane Dorian Twitter account, re‑affirm plans for future hunts, and sign off eager to get back to the bowhunting simulator.
- •*Momentum Generation* airs on HBO December 11 at 10 p.m.
- •Dorian notes he’s only really on Instagram as @shanedorian.
- •They discover a fake Shane Dorian Twitter account Rogan accidentally tagged.
- •Podcast ends with them literally cutting it short to return to Techno Hunt.
