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The Joe Rogan ExperienceThe Joe Rogan Experience

Joe Rogan Experience #1404 - Bryan Callen

Bryan Callen is an actor and stand-up comedian, and together with Brendan Schaub he also hosts “The Fighter & The Kid” podcast. His stand up special “Complicated Apes” is now available to download on iTunes, Amazon, and various other platforms.

Joe RoganhostBryan Callenguest
Dec 21, 20193h 0mWatch on YouTube ↗

CHAPTERS

  1. 0:00 – 1:49

    Turmeric coffee, aging pains, and flirting with TRT

    Joe and Bryan open with a goofy debate about how to spell turmeric, then quickly shift into the reality of getting older—stiff mornings, cold feet, and bodies that feel like “wet cement.” Bryan hints he’s ready to get serious about testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), while Joe argues it’s a game-changer for energy and vitality.

    • Turmeric coffee and the infamous “R” in turmeric
    • Bryan’s complaints about aging, stiffness, and inflammation
    • Joe’s pitch for TRT and Bryan’s growing openness to it
    • Joe mentions stem cells for joint wear-and-tear
    • Humor around vanity and getting “jacked”
  2. 1:49 – 5:11

    Sauna, intermittent fasting, and strength vs. burnout training

    They trade routines that help them feel younger—sauna sessions, sleep, and intermittent fasting. The conversation pivots into training philosophy, including Pavel Tsatsouline’s strength-first approach and why constant high-intensity training can be counterproductive as you age.

    • Joe’s daily sauna habit and perceived recovery benefits
    • Bryan’s sleep + 12–14 hour fasting window and fewer colds
    • Pavel Tsatsouline’s ‘eat once a day’ and strength emphasis
    • Long rest periods, sub-max sets, and training frequency
    • CrossFit/HIIT benefits vs. injury risks over time
  3. 5:11 – 9:27

    Bill Goldberg stories: pro-wrestling brutality, athleticism, and training longevity

    Joe and Bryan geek out over Bill Goldberg’s size, athletic background, and surprising agility. That leads to a broader appreciation of pro wrestling as a punishing profession, and why the wrestlers who stay mobile and disciplined age better than the rest.

    • Goldberg’s size, football background, and doing his own stunts
    • How brutal the pro-wrestling schedule is on the body
    • Stretching, mobility, and ‘length is strength’ as survival tactics
    • Comparisons to other elite fighters’ physical presence
    • Why some athletes remain remarkably functional post-career
  4. 9:27 – 13:14

    Judo in Joe’s garage and DDP yoga: technique, mobility, and back rehab

    They jump to Joe’s garage setup and how Olympic judoka Jimmy Pedro could throw a much larger Goldberg with clean technique. The topic expands to injury prevention and Diamond Dallas Page’s yoga helping broken-down wrestlers stabilize their backs and regain function.

    • Joe’s garage training space and stunt/athlete crossover
    • Jimmy Pedro’s technique advantage over size and strength
    • DDP yoga as rehab for wrestlers with major back injuries
    • Dynamic tension and spinal stabilization through yoga practice
    • Flexibility and mobility as core ‘aging well’ strategies
  5. 13:14 – 18:31

    Physical comedy injuries, warming up, and dumb athletic ego

    Bryan jokes about getting sore from filming physical comedy, then they connect it to older bodies needing better warmups. Joe admits to doing reckless feats (kicking contests, heavy lifts while drunk) and they compare it to how elite fighters warm up methodically to avoid injury.

    • Bryan’s on-set physical comedy soreness and tight-jeans bit
    • Chevy Chase pratfalls and the idea that pain makes people grumpy
    • Bryan’s boxing injury from not warming up
    • Joe’s meniscus tear and other self-inflicted training mistakes
    • Pros (Lomachenko, Pacquiao) warm-up systems vs. amateur ego
  6. 18:31 – 37:13

    MMA deep-dive: Cejudo, Aldo vs. Moraes, and fixing fight scoring

    The conversation shifts hard into MMA analysis—Cejudo’s fights, Aldo at 135, and Moraes’ deadly switch kick. Joe and Bryan argue the 10-point must system is too blunt for MMA’s complexity and brainstorm what a better scoring framework might consider.

    • Cejudo’s durability and the Moraes comeback narrative
    • Aldo’s move to bantamweight and controversy over judging
    • Breakdown of Moraes’ left high switch kick mechanics
    • Why MMA scoring feels inconsistent vs. boxing’s simplicity
    • Value of takedowns, control, damage, and submission threats
  7. 37:13 – 47:38

    Ego, ideology, and the ‘woke’ spiral: Merry Christmas and ‘quantum supremacy’

    They pivot from sports into culture and politics—how people cling to beliefs, fear being wrong, and escalate moral posturing. The Whitney Cummings HR story becomes a launch point for discussing Hollywood progressivism, language policing, and how ‘smart but not wise’ dynamics play out among young activists.

    • Changing your mind vs. being ‘married to ideas’
    • Bullying trauma and identity shaped by past experiences
    • Whitney Cummings reported for saying ‘Merry Christmas’
    • ‘Quantum supremacy’ terminology backlash and reactionary politics
    • Young intelligence vs. wisdom gained through life experience
  8. 47:38 – 58:58

    World War perspective: Europe’s scale, trench warfare horror, and historical amnesia

    Bryan recounts Great Courses lectures and paints a brutal picture of World War I trench warfare—romantic expectations meeting industrial slaughter. They compare Europe’s geography to the U.S. to emphasize how concentrated the devastation was, then connect WWI’s legacy to WWII and the Holocaust’s proximity in living memory.

    • Europe’s war geography compared to U.S. state-scale distances
    • WWI myths of glory vs. machine guns, gas, and mass casualties
    • Trench warfare conditions and the ‘meat grinder’ reality
    • WWII as continuation of unresolved WWI conflicts
    • How recent the Holocaust is in generational terms
  9. 58:58 – 1:16:01

    Relativity and the weirdness of time: Rovelli, entropy, and clock drift

    They jump from history to physics and philosophy—Einstein, relativity, and the mind-bending implications of time dilation. Jamie references Carlo Rovelli’s ‘The Order of Time,’ sparking discussion about biological aging, entropy, and how even clocks at different heights drift over long periods.

    • Einstein’s insight: light travel time and time dilation intuition
    • Carlo Rovelli and why ‘time’ gets more confusing the more you learn
    • Biological aging questions vs. ‘time stands still’ scenarios
    • Entropy as the arrow of time and aging as irreversibility
    • Gravity/altitude effects on synchronized clocks over time
  10. 1:16:01 – 1:22:54

    China, Huawei, Opium Wars, and tech power struggles

    The conversation turns geopolitical: China’s surveillance state, censorship, and the strategic fear around Huawei’s hardware and 5G infrastructure. Bryan adds historical context with the Opium Wars and foreign humiliation narratives, while Joe focuses on modern tech dominance, IP theft, and state leverage.

    • Bryan’s firsthand experience of China’s controls (firewalls, warnings)
    • Huawei executive’s legal troubles and U.S. extradition push
    • Why governments fear embedded backdoors in infrastructure tech
    • Opium Wars and the roots of modern Chinese resentment
    • Innovation vs. copying, and tech as a national security frontier
  11. 1:22:54 – 1:27:45

    Markets, cars, and rewards: creative destruction, Tesla quiet, and Porsche obsession

    They debate capitalism’s ‘creative destruction’ and how innovation consolidates tools (GPS/cameras/phones) while old industries die. Joe and Bryan riff on car culture—from Tesla’s silent driving experience to Japanese reliability and Brendan Schaub daily-driving an absurd supercar-level Porsche.

    • Capitalism vs. centralized planning and why old products must die
    • Why Tesla’s silence changes how you experience driving
    • Japanese engineering reliability (Lexus) vs. luxury quirks
    • Brendan Schaub’s GT2 RS as a daily driver and reward psychology
    • TRT jokes returning as part of the ‘man hobbies’ loop
  12. 1:27:45 – 1:39:23

    Comedy life: tour plugs, huge venues, walk-up songs, and friendship era comics

    Bryan plugs upcoming shows (Phoenix and Boston), which evolves into talk about arena-level standup, pre-show music, and how different today’s comedy scene is from the Kinison/Dice feud era. They celebrate the current ecosystem where many top comics are friends and podcasting strengthens community.

    • Bryan’s tour dates and ‘new hour’ promotion
    • Joe on massive venues (Tacoma Dome with Chappelle)
    • Walk-up songs (AC/DC, Zeppelin) and performance rituals
    • Greta Van Fleet and the appeal of modern ‘classic rock’ energy
    • Comedy Store lore: Kinison’s bullet hole and old rivalries vs. today
  13. 1:39:23 – 1:59:18

    Stallone hang, Hollywood credit theft, head injuries, and compassion for the broken

    They bounce through Hollywood stories: idea theft lawsuits, Bryan’s night at Stallone’s house (with Arnold, Pacino, Burr, and others), and admiration for Stallone’s discipline and talent. From there, the tone deepens—head injury links to impulsive genius (Kinison, Roseanne), free will skepticism, and how trauma shapes people’s lives.

    • Hollywood credit fights, lawsuits, and ‘created by’ power games
    • Bryan’s Stallone night: paintings, legends, and social awkwardness
    • Stallone’s longevity and the ‘Rocky’ conviction story
    • Kinison/Roseanne head injury narratives and behavioral change
    • Trauma, compassion, and how childhood abuse can echo for life
  14. 1:59:18 – 3:00:54

    Modern life spiral: surveillance states, AR futures, parenting fears, and the absurdist finish

    The final stretch ricochets between serious and ridiculous: hunting ethics, owls as apex predators, China-style surveillance, and Joe’s vision of AR social scores. They close with parenting worries about video game addiction and desensitization, then end on signature chaos—penis tattoo rabbit holes and rapid-fire jokes before the wrap.

    • Hunting reflections: remorse, turkeys, and predator realities (owl vs. hawk)
    • Snowden quote and fears of global surveillance normalization
    • Augmented reality futures: wearable overlays and social scoring
    • Kids, violent games, addiction/withdrawal, and social isolation concerns
    • Comedy derailments: dick pics, penis tattoos, and closing banter

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