Joe Rogan Experience #1370 - Brian Grazer

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   Three, two... All right,…

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:00

      Three, two... All right, here we go. What's up, Brian? How are you?

   2. BGBrian Grazer0:04

      Hey, good.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:05

      Thanks for being here, man. Appreciate it.

   4. BGBrian Grazer0:06

      (laughs) Yeah, I'm p- I'm psyched about it.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:09

      I'm psyched about having you.

   6. BGBrian Grazer0:10

      Yeah, I'm get... now adjusting to the sound, uh-

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:13

      Oh, in your ears?

   8. BGBrian Grazer0:14

      Yeah, my ears, and is it muffled? And how's it all sounding?

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:17

      No, perfect.

   10. BGBrian Grazer0:17

       All right, good.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:17

       Sounds perfect.

   12. BGBrian Grazer0:18

       All right, cool.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:18

       So we were just talking about your books, and I tr- I said, "Let's save it. Let's save it for the podcast," 'cause I, I wanted it to sound fresh.

   14. BGBrian Grazer0:26

       Okay, yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:26

       I don't want you to re-say it. So tell me about... You, you wrote two books?

   16. BGBrian Grazer0:29

       I wrote two books. And, you know, as you know, I'm a, you know, movie writer and a movie and television producer and stuff.

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:36

       To say it mildly. I mean-

   18. BGBrian Grazer0:37

       (laughs)

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:38

       ... you've made some fucking amazing movies.

   20. BGBrian Grazer0:40

       Wow, thanks. Thanks, Joe.

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:41

       My pleasure.

   22. BGBrian Grazer0:42

       Yeah, and, um, uh, in all this, I, I, I think m- you know, uh, my whole life and whatever those stories are, the movies are, and the successes, I kinda think anyone that's really focused can, can do what I do. So that was kinda the end product of the first book, which was, it was called A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life. And, um, that book is really about... I mean, how much do you wanna know about it? (laughs)

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:12

       Everything.

   24. BGBrian Grazer1:12

       Everything.

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:13

       Whatever you wanna tell me.

   26. BGBrian Grazer1:14

       Okay, so basically, I couldn't read at all in elementary school, and it caused a lot of tr- a lot of shame and then a lot of trauma.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:26

       Did you have dyslexia or...

   28. BGBrian Grazer1:27

       I had dyslexia, very, ver- quite acute dyslexia.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:30

       Mm-hmm.

   30. BGBrian Grazer1:31

       And I think we're out in Woodland Hills, which was the fancy part of the valley. I grew up in the flats of Sherman Oaks, uh, actually as a, as a little kid going to Riverside Drive Elementary School and then later to Nobel Junior High and then later Chatsworth High School. And in elementary school, I couldn't read at all, and they didn't classify it as dyslexia. They- it was just you're slow. You're dumb. You, uh, why can't you answer this? Uh, and then you'd say, "I can't read," and then that didn't make sense. It just didn't c- none of those things computed really that somebody couldn't actually read a word, and I really couldn't read a word. So when you can't read a word, then you find ways to, uh, survive, cope, um, and not have the teacher look you in the eyes and say, "Okay, Brian, come to the board and answer this question." Because you're never g- it's just gonna produce more shame 'cause you're not-
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   Mm-hmm. …

   1. BGBrian Grazer15:00

      intense, committed to a really intense journey-

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:03

      Mm-hmm.

   3. BGBrian Grazer15:04

      ... and often have triumphed in it.

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:06

      Yeah, that's very contagious-

   5. BGBrian Grazer15:07

      Yeah, it is.

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:07

      ... like, the kind of energy that those people exude.

   7. BGBrian Grazer15:10

      Yeah. It, it is. It's, uh, inspirational too, isn't it?

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:13

      Yes. Yeah, yeah.

   9. BGBrian Grazer15:15

      Because like, even, uh, who was it? Josh ... You might know this guy. Josh Waitnick.

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:20

       Yeah.

   11. BGBrian Grazer15:20

       Okay. The guy that was the subject of Searching for Bobby Fischer.

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:23

       Yeah, the chess master.

   13. BGBrian Grazer15:24

       The chess master-

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:25

       Yeah.

   15. BGBrian Grazer15:25

       Who now is like a martial art-

   16. JRJoe Rogan15:27

       Jujitsu martial. Yeah.

   17. BGBrian Grazer15:27

       Exactly.

   18. JRJoe Rogan15:28

       Yeah, yeah, yeah.

   19. BGBrian Grazer15:28

       And he was able to like succeed in both templates or formats, right?

   20. JRJoe Rogan15:32

       Yeah. Did we say his last name right?

   21. BGBrian Grazer15:34

       Uh-

   22. JRJoe Rogan15:35

       Waitkins? Is that it? How do you say it?

   23. BGBrian Grazer15:37

       I thought it was Wait ... I don't know.

   24. JRJoe Rogan15:39

       Uh, it's, uh-

   25. BGBrian Grazer15:39

       Waitnick?

   26. JRJoe Rogan15:40

       Wait- he's, uh, he's a student under Marcelo Garcia, who's-

   27. BGBrian Grazer15:43

       Exactly.

   28. JRJoe Rogan15:44

       ... Yeah, one of the greatest jujitsu masters of all time.

   29. BGBrian Grazer15:46

       Oh, this is ... Of course you know that. That's right.

   30. JRJoe Rogan15:47

       Yeah.
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   Yeah. And the choke-…

   1. BGBrian Grazer30:00

   2. JRJoe Rogan30:00

      Yeah. And the choke-

   3. BGBrian Grazer30:00

      Which, again, I don't know-

   4. JRJoe Rogan30:00

      ... gave her multiple strokes. I've never-

   5. BGBrian Grazer30:02

      Yes.

   6. JRJoe Rogan30:02

      ... even heard of that before.

   7. BGBrian Grazer30:04

      I will t- let you, I will-

   8. JRJoe Rogan30:05

      It's crazy.

   9. BGBrian Grazer30:05

      ... email you exactly her, what happened to her.

   10. JRJoe Rogan30:07

       Please do.

   11. BGBrian Grazer30:08

       But she got through it and even when she's-

   12. JRJoe Rogan30:10

       And went back to training again.

   13. BGBrian Grazer30:11

       She goes back to training. She is.

   14. JRJoe Rogan30:13

       Whoa.

   15. BGBrian Grazer30:13

       I have pic- I have her on my phone. I'll show it to you later.

   16. JRJoe Rogan30:15

       You would think multiple strokes, that would be like, "All right. That's a wrap. We tried that."

   17. BGBrian Grazer30:19

       She just loves it and she now, you know, people are a little... She does one-on-ones so they don't do that move.

   18. JRJoe Rogan30:25

       Mm-hmm.

   19. BGBrian Grazer30:26

       Um, whatever that move would be. Again-

   20. JRJoe Rogan30:28

       Mm-hmm.

   21. BGBrian Grazer30:28

       ... I'll get all the information and just for your own curiosity-

   22. JRJoe Rogan30:31

       Wow.

   23. BGBrian Grazer30:31

       ... I'll send it to you. Um, but she's back in it. She loves it. Um, and she's-

   24. JRJoe Rogan30:37

       She's fully recovered?

   25. BGBrian Grazer30:38

       ... she's fully recovered.

   26. JRJoe Rogan30:40

       And did it have any effect on-

   27. BGBrian Grazer30:40

       She had a little nerve damage, which un- weird- un- f- uh, hon- honestly, she had a little nerve damage that, um, (smacks lips) that is now i- f- in her foot, so periodically, her foot will become incre- completely black and blue.

   28. JRJoe Rogan30:58

       Whoa.

   29. BGBrian Grazer30:59

       I know, ƒ. So, uh, but she'll get through it 'cause she's really strong men- mentally. She's g- she wasn't always that way, but, but we've, you know, my wife and I have sort of helped her with tough love, like, "You can do it," you know, that kind-

   30. JRJoe Rogan31:14

       Mm-hmm.
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   That's so interesting that…

   1. BGBrian Grazer45:00

   2. JRJoe Rogan45:00

      That's so interesting that you pulled that from that woman's experience-

   3. BGBrian Grazer45:03

      I did.

   4. JRJoe Rogan45:03

      ... surviving torture.

   5. BGBrian Grazer45:05

      I credit her f- for that-

   6. JRJoe Rogan45:06

      Wow.

   7. BGBrian Grazer45:06

      ... always. 'Cause she, um, yeah. S- so, so that's s- so how... So I found that all of these insights, you know, that we're referring to, the ones that you have when you're, you know, behi- just getting off stage and you realize, "Wow, I could talk to my buddies or this new guy for a minute," those random moments, uh, that you get to talk to somebody can often produce a story or an insight, an emotional insight that you can transport to something else, you know? That I found that all these conversations that I was having were like, kind of like I see these stars behind you. They were like stars or a constellation of dots, you know? Of... and, and that you just f- have faith that they somehow inform you and make you better and smarter and that they connect someday.

   8. JRJoe Rogan45:56

      Well, it's so insightful that you look at these conversations that way 'cause, I mean, I really have n- felt that effect m- on me personally over the years-

   9. BGBrian Grazer46:04

      I bet.

   10. JRJoe Rogan46:04

       ... doing this. But the fact that you've, like, sought it out just as a- an education, just as something that expands you 'cause we really are, uh, a combination or an accumulation of all of our experiences. And the more experiences you can have, even if it doesn't feel tangible in that moment, it broadens your perspective. It broadens who you are.

   11. BGBrian Grazer46:24

       Yeah. Well, I, I think for you, uh, as well, because you still do standup. We were talking about that someone that mi- works in my office saw you the other night, and you remembered who she was. She goes, "He won't remember me." (laughs) And you did.

   12. JRJoe Rogan46:36

       She used to be on Kill Tony. Kill Tony is a great podcast that-

   13. BGBrian Grazer46:41

       Mm-hmm.

   14. JRJoe Rogan46:41

       ... um, my friend, Brian Redbanon and Tony Hinchcliffe do.

   15. BGBrian Grazer46:44

       Uh-huh.

   16. JRJoe Rogan46:44

       And this podcast involves, uh, comedians going up and doing, uh, one minute of material-

   17. BGBrian Grazer46:52

       (laughs)

   18. JRJoe Rogan46:52

       ... in front of these professional comics. And the professional comics either say, "Hey, that was great," or they shit all over it-

   19. BGBrian Grazer46:58

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan46:58

       ... or everybody makes fun, or there's a band, there's a bunch of chaos, and it's all done in front of a live crowd.

   21. BGBrian Grazer47:03

       That's fun.

   22. JRJoe Rogan47:03

       And Vanessa was on it for quite a while.

   23. BGBrian Grazer47:05

       Wow.

   24. JRJoe Rogan47:06

       Yeah.

   25. BGBrian Grazer47:06

       Oh, that's good.

   26. JRJoe Rogan47:07

       Yeah.

   27. BGBrian Grazer47:08

       She tries hard. I know that. I mean, she works there.

   28. JRJoe Rogan47:09

       It's a hard business.

   29. BGBrian Grazer47:10

       Yeah. But as I was saying, like, when I watch you do standup, 'cause I made a point to, to catch up on it, you're really, really good. And you're telling... I'm watching you tell stories that, or comedic story, you make them comedic. And I could, I think I can tell, and you tell me if I'm wrong, that sometimes, you don't know all the answers to that story. And I see that you're grabbing things that lived in y- that you, experiences or insights that lived in the environment that you've have or had. 'Cause I watched a couple of scenes very (laughs) closely, and I know you didn't have it figured out, and you got the bigger laugh from the thing that you pulled from some place, I thought.

   30. JRJoe Rogan48:01

       There's a little bit of-
5. 1:00:00 – 1:13:17

   Yeah. …

   1. BGBrian Grazer1:00:00

      right. Exactly. You get it. (laughs) Beyond get it. But it's like it... I learn off of it every day because I'm not perfect, but I make sure that when I get into elevators, I, I practice what I preach. I put my phone away. I don't go in the elevator and just look at my phone. I look at people, or I- I'm just cool, like, and relax- you know, chill.

   2. JRJoe Rogan1:00:22

      Yeah.

   3. BGBrian Grazer1:00:22

      And then often, you make just... You make people feel better if you're actually looking at them.

   4. JRJoe Rogan1:00:28

      For sure.

   5. BGBrian Grazer1:00:29

      Yeah.

   6. JRJoe Rogan1:00:29

      For sure. I've, um... Uh, the last week, I put a one-hour limit on my phone use.

   7. BGBrian Grazer1:00:35

      Oh, wow.

   8. JRJoe Rogan1:00:35

      Yeah. I put a one-hour limit on whether, whether it's apps per day.

   9. BGBrian Grazer1:00:39

      Per, per day, you mean?

   10. JRJoe Rogan1:00:39

       Yeah.

   11. BGBrian Grazer1:00:39

       Per day, yeah.

   12. JRJoe Rogan1:00:39

       Yeah. Apps, whatever-

   13. BGBrian Grazer1:00:41

       Yes.

   14. JRJoe Rogan1:00:41

       ... whatever I'm using. And-

   15. BGBrian Grazer1:00:42

       That's a good idea.

   16. JRJoe Rogan1:00:43

       ... I've thought about using the ph- like, thought about looking at the phone aimlessly-

   17. BGBrian Grazer1:00:46

       Yeah, you shou-

   18. JRJoe Rogan1:00:46

       ... and not.

   19. BGBrian Grazer1:00:47

       Mm-hmm.

   20. JRJoe Rogan1:00:47

       You know, I've got this thing now that I'm doing where I just grab my phone. I go, "No, no, no," and then I put it away.

   21. BGBrian Grazer1:00:53

       Huh.

   22. JRJoe Rogan1:00:54

       I just... 'Cause people are really, really addicted to phones.

   23. BGBrian Grazer1:00:58

       They're really addicted.

   24. JRJoe Rogan1:00:58

       And you don't realize until you look at that f- screen time-

   25. BGBrian Grazer1:01:02

       Yeah.

   26. JRJoe Rogan1:01:02

       ... that reading that you get at the end of the day, and you're like, "Five hours?"

   27. BGBrian Grazer1:01:05

       (laughs) I'm sure I'm in that... (laughs)

   28. JRJoe Rogan1:01:06

       (laughs)

   29. BGBrian Grazer1:01:07

       Maybe four. (laughs)

   30. JRJoe Rogan1:01:08

       A lot of us are.

Episode duration: 2:03:49