Joe Rogan Experience #1229 - Richard Rawlings

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   Three, two, one, boom.…

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:04

      Three, two, one, boom. And we're live. What's happening? How are you?

   2. RRRichard Rawlings0:08

      What's... Hi, man. I am just stoked to be here.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:10

      I'm stoked to have you here, man. It's a pleasure to meet you. I love your show.

   4. RRRichard Rawlings0:13

      Thank you.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:14

      It's fun. It's a fun fucking car show.

   6. RRRichard Rawlings0:16

      It really is, man. I tell-

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:17

      It is.

   8. RRRichard Rawlings0:17

      I tell people I might be the smartest guy in the world. I figured out how to drink beer and play with cars and get paid for it. (laughs)

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:22

      (laughs) Yeah, but it's like, it's a fun show. It's like, you, you're not taking yourself too seriously, you're having a good time, you know, you're buying and selling awesome cars.

   10. RRRichard Rawlings0:31

       Oh, yeah, for sure. It's, uh, it, it was a dream of mine to get it done. It took eight years to, uh, get it sold, but here we are now.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:39

       Did it really?

   12. RRRichard Rawlings0:39

       Yeah, I started this, I started pitching the show in 2004, and we didn't start til, uh, 2008, or 2012.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:46

       What were you doing before that?

   14. RRRichard Rawlings0:48

       Uh, before television, or-

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:50

       Yeah.

   16. RRRichard Rawlings0:50

       ... before Gas Monkey?

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:50

       Yeah.

   18. RRRichard Rawlings0:51

       Uh, I kinda had two stages in life. I was a firefighter, police officer, and medic before I was old enough to drink. I mean, I'm talking 19 years old, carrying a gun. Probably wasn't the smartest thing for them to let me do. And then, um-

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:02

       They gonna let you have a beer when you were 19?

   20. RRRichard Rawlings1:04

       I had a badge. I was a cop. (laughs)

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:07

       (laughs)

   22. RRRichard Rawlings1:07

       I mean, literally, I was a police officer and, uh, so by the time I was 20 I was also a firefighter and, uh... So I did that for a while, and then, uh, moved into printing and advertising, and, uh, then sold that and got into this.

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:21

       So was it just like something you were just always into cars and that's what led you to the show?

   24. RRRichard Rawlings1:26

       You know, how would I tell the story diplomatically? Um, realistically, I was watching the shows that were on TV at the time. I've always been a car nut and a motorcycle guy, and what have you, and I realized one night that my kids are never in the room watching it, and my wife's not in the room watching it, you know? And, uh, the shows that we're on were a little bit too much bravado. And, and I'm a tough guy, and, you know, so I dug it and all my buddies dug it, but their wives and stuff and I was like, "Golly, they're missing a big chunk of the market here. If you could tone down that part of it a little bit, and still have a cool brand, and still be a cool guy, you know, and get the moms and the kids in the room, hopefully it's a lot more successful." And so that's-

   25. JRJoe Rogan2:06

       Mm.

   26. RRRichard Rawlings2:06

       That was kinda where the idea came from and I just went out and started it.

   27. JRJoe Rogan2:10

       That's interesting. So the marketing side of you kicked in?

   28. RRRichard Rawlings2:13

       Uh-huh.

   29. JRJoe Rogan2:14

       So the marketing side of you went, "Oh, I think there's another way to do this."

   30. RRRichard Rawlings2:17

       Yeah, I mean, I'm still a tattooed guy with some jewelry, but you know, I got a pit bull on a... (laughs) I got a poodle on a leash, not a pit bull on a chain, you know? (laughs)
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   Yeah, yeah. …

   1. RRRichard Rawlings15:00

      just like a brand new, you know, SUV you take the kids to soccer in (laughs) .

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:03

      Yeah, yeah.

   3. RRRichard Rawlings15:04

      Except really fast and fun to drive. (laughs)

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:06

      A 1966, you know, '65, '66, like, he's got a GT350 that's, uh, it's not really a '66 GT350. Every part of it, all the fenders, everything, it's all newly fabricated steel.

   5. RRRichard Rawlings15:19

      Yeah. We're gonna do that this season too, where, uh, I'm gonna build a car back to original, like a 60... I haven't decided if we're going to do a Mustang or if we're gonna do a Camaro, but, uh-

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:27

      Hey, there's this guy's cars. I mean, come the fuck on. That is-

   7. RRRichard Rawlings15:30

      Yeah.

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:30

      ... beautiful.

   9. RRRichard Rawlings15:32

      Well, we're gonna build one that never existed.

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:34

       Look how pretty that goddamn thing is.

   11. RRRichard Rawlings15:36

       He's killing it.

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:36

       I wanna see what one of those things is like in real life. He, he's even got push button start, you know, um, it, it senses when you're near the, uh, the car so it'll unlock for you. But it's the just, it seems like it's super high quality build too. I mean, look, look how fucking pretty that is.

   13. RRRichard Rawlings15:55

       Well, the trick is, is how much work goes into it, because-

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:59

       Mm-hmm.

   15. RRRichard Rawlings15:59

       ... yes, they do make these parts aftermarket and what have you, but a lot of times that's not the best stuff in the world. So you end up fabricating that and massaging it in and making all the gaps right and what have you.

   16. JRJoe Rogan16:09

       Right.

   17. RRRichard Rawlings16:09

       So you can't just expect that you're gonna buy a, set of new, you know, a new front end and fenders and hood and everything-

   18. JRJoe Rogan16:16

       Right.

   19. RRRichard Rawlings16:16

       ... that's gonna work out perfect. You're gonna always have to massage it and get it right.

   20. JRJoe Rogan16:19

       Well, I've been paying attention to this guy for a while, and essentially what he's been doing is honing the process over the last few years, and he's got, uh, a company now that makes, I think it's called Dynacorp that makes, uh, all the parts.

   21. RRRichard Rawlings16:31

       Mm-hmm.

   22. JRJoe Rogan16:32

       They make everything in, in terms of, like, the bodies.

   23. RRRichard Rawlings16:34

       Body, body stands, yeah.

   24. JRJoe Rogan16:36

       Yeah. And, you know, he's got his whole process down, but, you know, like, when you watch him drive the cars, it seems like he's... I mean, it, it sounds perfect, like everything inside of it seems like completely locked down, no squeaks or rattles. It's really like a modern car.

   25. RRRichard Rawlings16:52

       For sure. A- and, uh, there's a lot of shops that do an amazing job at doing that stuff.

   26. JRJoe Rogan16:57

       That's what I like. When a... What I don't like... I mean, I like the way they look. If I look at, like, an old, like, a '67 GT500, I like the way they look, but if you try to hit the brakes on one of those things or if you try to make a turn with those old tires, like, everything's fucking that skinny and, you know, the balance is all wonky.

   27. RRRichard Rawlings17:17

       Yup.

   28. JRJoe Rogan17:17

       It's like 1967 car balance.

   29. RRRichard Rawlings17:20

       We get a lot of that. Uh, I've built a few cars for, like, compe- uh, for, uh, contests.

   30. JRJoe Rogan17:25

       Mm-hmm.
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   Is it the shape…

   1. RRRichard Rawlings30:00

      I love the Mustangs. I've got three of them myself, including a- a- a real '68 Shelby, but, uh, um-

   2. JRJoe Rogan30:05

      Is it the shape or the- the color scheme?

   3. RRRichard Rawlings30:08

      I think it's the shape. I mean, to me, it's- it's such a popular car in the movie that, you know ...

   4. JRJoe Rogan30:14

      Too many people did it?

   5. RRRichard Rawlings30:15

      And now everybody's doing it and, you know, it's what have you.

   6. JRJoe Rogan30:20

      ... yeah, but I mean, how many of them are out there in comparison to, like, say a modern ZR1?

   7. RRRichard Rawlings30:24

      For those cars-

   8. JRJoe Rogan30:24

      There's probably not nearly as many of those out there-

   9. RRRichard Rawlings30:27

      I bet you there's thousands of those out there.

   10. JRJoe Rogan30:27

       Oh, you think so?

   11. RRRichard Rawlings30:28

       Oh, yeah.

   12. JRJoe Rogan30:29

       Really?

   13. RRRichard Rawlings30:30

       Yeah. The- there's different companies making tons of them.

   14. JRJoe Rogan30:32

       All car people say that. They say two cars they- they think are played out, '69 Camaros and these things. Like, everybody does a '69 Camaro and everybody does an Eleanor.

   15. RRRichard Rawlings30:41

       Yeah. And the, um, the Dukes of Hazzard car.

   16. JRJoe Rogan30:44

       Oh, yeah.

   17. RRRichard Rawlings30:44

       Same thing.

   18. JRJoe Rogan30:45

       Yeah.

   19. RRRichard Rawlings30:45

       You know. Now, a badass '69 Charger, don't get me wrong, but painted orange with a- (laughs) with a flag on the top-

   20. JRJoe Rogan30:50

       (laughs)

   21. RRRichard Rawlings30:51

       ... is played out.

   22. JRJoe Rogan30:51

       You can't do that anymore. That flag is fucking persona non grata.

   23. RRRichard Rawlings30:56

       Yeah, that's- that is, for sure.

   24. JRJoe Rogan30:57

       (laughs) You believe they pulled that show off the air?

   25. RRRichard Rawlings30:59

       Did they?

   26. JRJoe Rogan30:59

       Because... Yes. 'Cause of the flag. That show's off the air.

   27. RRRichard Rawlings31:02

       I thought it showed on, like, some weird, obscure cable channel.

   28. JRJoe Rogan31:04

       They pulled it off of TV Land. That's where it was on.

   29. RRRichard Rawlings31:07

       Really?

   30. JRJoe Rogan31:07

       Yep, TV Land. I wrote a whole thing about it on Instagram, how ridiculous it was.
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   What, what is that?…

   1. RRRichard Rawlings45:00

      Thomas Crown Affair Mustang, my Shelby, uh, convertible.

   2. JRJoe Rogan45:03

      What, what is that?

   3. RRRichard Rawlings45:04

      Uh...

   4. JRJoe Rogan45:04

      What year?

   5. RRRichard Rawlings45:05

      '68. Uh, you can probably find a picture of that on the net. But it's a, it's a remake of the one they used in Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce Brosnan when he's on the island, and it's got all the-

   6. JRJoe Rogan45:13

      I never saw that movie.

   7. RRRichard Rawlings45:14

      It's all lifted, on BF Goodriches.

   8. JRJoe Rogan45:16

      I don't think I've never seen a Pierce Brosnan movie.

   9. RRRichard Rawlings45:18

      Ah, dude. Thomas Crown Affair is a remake of another Thomas Crown Affair movie and, uh, uh, the Mustang's just wicked cool. So I had a client, a friend of mine had me build it for him. Good friend. And I wanted the car. Of course, I couldn't afford it then, we didn't even have the TV show yet. And, um, so I built him this perfect rendition, '68 Shelby convertible Mustang, put BF Goodriches on it, raised it all up high. I mean, it's a perfect California cruiser. And, um, then when I got the show, I call him up and I go, "Hey, can I borrow the car, buddy?" 'Cause I want stuff sitting around the shop that, that I built. I don't want other people's stuff here. He goes, "Oh, yeah, man, just send the truck down to pick it up." This is three years later. I send the truck down, it gets back. The car's got 42 miles on it, it's been sitting there doing nothing in his garage. He's down in New Orleans so it's got some of that haze and shit from the salt air, uh, a ba- the gas is... There it is.

   10. JRJoe Rogan46:11

       Ooh.

   11. RRRichard Rawlings46:11

       The gas is bad.

   12. JRJoe Rogan46:12

       Wow, that is really hot. It looks like you're going four-wheeling in that fucking thing. What is going on with the tire on the trunk?

   13. RRRichard Rawlings46:18

       That's the spare. Um-

   14. JRJoe Rogan46:20

       I know, but it's, that's an odd placement.

   15. RRRichard Rawlings46:23

       Uh, that's just how it was in the movie.

   16. JRJoe Rogan46:25

       Really?

   17. RRRichard Rawlings46:25

       Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan46:26

       Wow.

   19. RRRichard Rawlings46:27

       And, uh... Golly, am I fat there or what?

   20. JRJoe Rogan46:29

       Is that you?

   21. RRRichard Rawlings46:30

       I don't... No, I don't... No, that's not the one I built.

   22. JRJoe Rogan46:32

       That can't be you. That's not you, bro.

   23. RRRichard Rawlings46:33

       Somebody made... That's, that's another guy's car.

   24. JRJoe Rogan46:36

       Some fucking asshole.

   25. RRRichard Rawlings46:36

       And it's just not quite right.

   26. JRJoe Rogan46:38

       (laughs)

   27. RRRichard Rawlings46:38

       Mine is more absolutely perfect to the movie. That's somebody else's rendition of it. Um, but anyways, I call my buddy, I go, "Let me borrow the car," et cetera. He gets there with 42 miles on it after three years, it doesn't run, the gas is bad, carburetor's all fucked off. And, of course, I call him up and go, "You're a really shitty car owner." I said, "This, this thing is freaking badass and look what you've done to it." Well, he has a considerable amount of money, so the next day the title shows up in the mail and he goes, "You're right. I'm a shitty car owner. It's yours." Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan47:08

       He just gave it to you?

   29. RRRichard Rawlings47:09

       (laughs) Yeah, yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan47:10

       Jesus Christ.
5. 1:00:00 – 1:06:24

   Oh, yeah. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:00:00

      'cause we're in LA. I mean, you're in Texas, but there's legit Mexican places near you, I'm sure.

   2. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:04

      Oh, yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan1:00:04

      But, like, there's legit taquerias here where, you know, you go in there and Mexican soap operas are playing. Nobody speaks English.

   4. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:10

      Novelas.

   5. JRJoe Rogan1:00:11

      You gotta point to shit and say things. You gotta roll your Rs. Lengua, lengua quesadilla.

   6. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:17

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan1:00:17

      You, you gotta speak the lingo.

   8. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:18

      See, I can't do the lengua stuff. That, that, that's the, the tongue, right?

   9. JRJoe Rogan1:00:21

      Yeah.

   10. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:22

       I can't do that.

   11. JRJoe Rogan1:00:22

       It's the shit.

   12. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:23

       Oh, I don't like it.

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:00:24

       You never haven't? No?

   14. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:25

       No, I have tried everything. I mean-

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:00:26

       Oh, man, you gotta try elk tongue tacos.

   16. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:30

       I just... Why?

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:00:31

       For they're fucking delicious.

   18. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:33

       I don't know.

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:00:33

       It's so good. It's t- it's the most, one of the most tender meats you could ever have. Like, the most tender pot roast ever.

   20. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:40

       Really? Well...

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:00:40

       It's amazing.

   22. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:41

       If I ever get a chance.

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:00:42

       There's a, there's a place right here on Canoga, like maybe a, a few miles away from here. How good is that place, Jamie?

   24. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:47

       When I come to California, I'm not trying to get some elk tongue, I promise you. (laughs)

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:00:50

       Well, elk t- elk tongue is in the freezer, but the l- the cow tongue is what they have out here.

   26. RRRichard Rawlings1:00:56

       Yeah, cow tongue. Elk tongue is mine. (clears throat)

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:00:59

       But, uh, lengua quesadillas, you don't, you don't fuck with that?

   28. RRRichard Rawlings1:01:02

       Mm-mm.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:01:03

       Lengua tacos?

   30. RRRichard Rawlings1:01:03

       Uh, no.

Episode duration: 2:58:25