Joe Rogan Experience #1522 - Rob Lowe

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   Oh. Oh, Rob Lowe.…

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:00

      Oh. Oh, Rob Lowe. Here we go.

   2. RLRob Lowe0:02

      Here we are.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:03

      What's up, man?

   4. RLRob Lowe0:04

      It's good to be ... I was just saying, it's good to be in, like, a proper studio and, uh ...

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:08

      Have you been completely locked down the entire time?

   6. RLRob Lowe0:10

      Completely.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:11

      It's outrageous. We're five months in now.

   8. RLRob Lowe0:14

      Uh, when does it-

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:14

      Who would have ever thought this?

   10. RLRob Lowe0:16

       It r- and, and it, if you'd have said this is what 2020's gonna have, I mean, you wouldn't have left the New Year's party.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:22

       You would've never believed it.

   12. RLRob Lowe0:23

       No.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:23

       You would've gone, "How does this happen? Like, is there a war? Like, what, what happens? What takes place?"

   14. RLRob Lowe0:29

       And it's funny how easily, not easily, but like, that it's just, "Yeah, no, this is what we're dealing with." I mean, I guess everybody, y- one has to adapt, so that's the good news, I guess.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:37

       Have you been going to restaurants at all?

   16. RLRob Lowe0:39

       Um, I've been to probab- I've gone out to a restaurant maybe three times.

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:44

       It's, have you gone to the ones where they wear the mask and then the shield over their face as well?

   18. RLRob Lowe0:49

       Yeah, it's like they're gonna do welding in the kitchen.

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:51

       (laughs) It's so strange.

   20. RLRob Lowe0:52

       It's ...

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:53

       But it's better than nothing, so you just sort of adapt.

   22. RLRob Lowe0:55

       I know. I mean, uh, I, who knows when it'll ... I mean, at least some people feel like they're going back to work. I mean ...

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:01

       Yes.

   24. RLRob Lowe1:01

       I think we're gonna go back on my show, on, on 9-1-1 Lone Star, pre-production in, on the 17th.

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:08

       Now, how will they do that?

   26. RLRob Lowe1:10

       Well, that's the thing, is that's a big show. I mean, it's n- it's not, you know, a game show.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:15

       Right.

   28. RLRob Lowe1:15

       It's like, you know, it's adventurers and rescues and pyrotechnics and stunt people. It's just huge in scope, so it, it really is the thing, if we can pull that off, that'll be, that'll be good. But I think the plan is ... Well, one thing that's interesting is just how you run a set is gonna change, they tell me. So you'll come in in the morning. Everybody will get tested. And then everybody's segregated, so i- you go to the set, and the director and the actors will rehearse. That's it, nobody else there. Then they leave, have to leave, and then the, the lighting crew will come in, and they light alone, just the lighting crew, and then they leave. And then the sort of, uh, you know, the, the w- all the production teams get their moment to do what they need to do, but they're doing it alone.

   29. JRJoe Rogan2:02

       Well, they have a test now that the White House is using, and, uh, it takes 20 minutes. It's an actual test. You go there, so you, you could find instantaneously. See, what ... We're, we're doing one here, the one that you got, is an antibody test. That takes 10 minutes, and it shows active antibodies, which means you got the disease five, six days ago or whatever, and your body's fighting it off. It's currently in your system. And it also shows another indicator whether or not you've fought it off a long time ago.

   30. RLRob Lowe2:31

       Mm-hmm.
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   It's so hard to…

   1. RLRob Lowe15:00

      massive boulders, that you would think would be soldered into the Earth's core, were just like (slurping) boop, and just washed out.

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:08

      It's so hard to imagine, because like if you drive up the 101 and you see those beautiful hills, you just see beautiful hills. But what that is is evidence that the Earth is moving.

   3. RLRob Lowe15:17

      (laughs)

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:18

      That's what those hills are.

   5. RLRob Lowe15:19

      I know.

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:19

      Like, you're safer in Kansas, but then again, you're not, because then there's tornadoes.

   7. RLRob Lowe15:23

      E- e- there's no free lunch, man.

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:24

      Yeah. Oh, look at this.

   9. RLRob Lowe15:26

      Uh, yeah. I know that house.

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:29

       Yeah, it's- it's crazy when you see that like six feet of mud literally poured into people's homes. So, just like the people that were on the- the bottom floor of the house were just destroyed immediately.

   11. RLRob Lowe15:41

       Yeah. I mean, you c- you just... And you-

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:43

       How many people died in this?

   13. RLRob Lowe15:44

       23.

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:46

       What a crazy way to go, too.

   15. RLRob Lowe15:48

       Yeah. I mean, in this... In th- the stories, you know, everybody's story is more tragic than... Look at that.

   16. JRJoe Rogan15:56

       Well, one thing that this pandemic taught a lot of people is that what you think of as being static and unchanging, that, uh, the world that we live in is basically pretty stable, it's not. A s- a small event, and it's not small, but a virus that kills less than 1% of the population can completely obliterate the world as you know it. And that's minor in comparison to a solar flare or an asteroid impact or a super volcano. Like, if Yellowstone goes, that's the real concern.

   17. RLRob Lowe16:29

       And that's another thing. I used to think, "Ah, that's... Yeah, that's my, uh, that- that's the stuff I watch at night by the fireplace. It's my ancient alien shit. That's not really happening."

   18. JRJoe Rogan16:36

       (laughs)

   19. RLRob Lowe16:37

       And now, based on what I've- I've experienced, I... Anything could happen.

   20. JRJoe Rogan16:41

       Well, Yellowstone definitely could go. They say it goes every 6 to 800,000 years, and the last time it went was more than 600,000 years ago.

   21. RLRob Lowe16:49

       Can you imagine?

   22. JRJoe Rogan16:50

       It would obliterate everybody on the continent. There'd be no one left. The- the people in like maybe Africa, some in New Zealand, some people would survive, but they would experience nuclear winter. So, crops would die off. The temperature would radically reduce. The entire sky would be filled with ash. It's a super volcano. You know, those caldera super volcanoes, they've- they've exploded throughout history and killed massive, massive numbers of human beings. Like, they think that there was one in Indonesia somewhere around 60 to 70,000 years ago that killed off most of the population of the world and left as few as 7,000 human beings.

   23. RLRob Lowe17:28

       Really?

   24. JRJoe Rogan17:29

       Yeah. That's just 70,000 years ago.

   25. RLRob Lowe17:32

       Well, you've had like, like Graham Hitchcock and people on.

   26. JRJoe Rogan17:34

       Graham Hancock, yeah.

   27. RLRob Lowe17:34

       Hancock, right?

   28. JRJoe Rogan17:35

       Yeah, and- and Randall Carlson.

   29. RLRob Lowe17:37

       A- and that... Is that part-

   30. JRJoe Rogan17:37

       Yeah.
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   Yeah. …

   1. RLRob Lowe30:00

      Yeah.

   2. JRJoe Rogan30:00

      So they would sort of sabotage each other and they would kind ... There was a lot of, like, backstabby shit going on, and he didn't like it.

   3. RLRob Lowe30:07

      He did.

   4. JRJoe Rogan30:07

      And he was really hesitant, like, to be friendly with people on the set, like when he first got on the sitcom. It took a while for him to loosen up and realizes, oh, this is a different thing, 'cause that, that environment was w- every man for himself.

   5. RLRob Lowe30:23

      Yeah. It's, it's funny. Ensembles are, are funny that way. Like, there is a, an element of teamwork. Oh, it's like any team. There's an element of teamwork that's intrinsic and you want and is great, and hopefully it's there. But then there's that, that element of, of, you know, competitiveness, even with your sort of band of brothers, but, you know, that, that gets toxic in a hurry-

   6. JRJoe Rogan30:43

      Hmm.

   7. RLRob Lowe30:43

      ... with the right ... with, with the wrong culture.... and, and maybe the wrong people in a bit. But SNL, i- i- it's like, it is what it is. There's only so many slots for sketches, and there are only so many people writing. And, uh, the best is when people try to tank them in the read-through, like-

   8. JRJoe Rogan31:00

      (blowing raspberry)

   9. RLRob Lowe31:00

      ... you read all of them on Wednesday, a big, huge stack of them, and people will, like, laugh really, really hard at their own stuff or, like, roll their eyes. It... uh, it's, it's fun to watch. (laughs)

   10. JRJoe Rogan31:10

       Ugh. Yeah. That's basically what he's talking about. That, that always made me really uncomfortable, the fake producer laugh.

   11. RLRob Lowe31:17

       Oh.

   12. JRJoe Rogan31:17

       Like, when you'd be doing, like, the third run through and they're like, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha." Like, ugh.

   13. RLRob Lowe31:23

       You're dead.

   14. JRJoe Rogan31:24

       Uh. But people don't even know what we're talking about. It's like, when you do a table read or you do a run-through-

   15. RLRob Lowe31:27

       We've done the most unrelatable podcast-

   16. JRJoe Rogan31:30

       (laughs)

   17. RLRob Lowe31:30

       ... ever just now.

   18. JRJoe Rogan31:31

       What's it like to be famous and young and good-looking? "Oh, everybody knows."

   19. RLRob Lowe31:33

       And, um, and doomsday prepping and, uh-

   20. JRJoe Rogan31:36

       (laughs) Earth Roamers that cost a million bucks.

   21. RLRob Lowe31:37

       Earth Roamers. Re- yes. It's just great, you know?

   22. JRJoe Rogan31:39

       Yeah.

   23. RLRob Lowe31:39

       There's n- there's nobody quite like a man of the people Joe Rogan and Rob Lowe podcast.

   24. JRJoe Rogan31:43

       (laughs)

   25. RLRob Lowe31:43

       Let's face it.

   26. JRJoe Rogan31:44

       When you do a run-through, folks-

   27. RLRob Lowe31:46

       (laughs)

   28. JRJoe Rogan31:46

       ... you act... Uh, if you do a sitcom, you act out the show. And they want the actors to feel like what they're doing is funny, because there's nothing weirder than doing something with no audience and not hearing any laughter at all. So the, the producers would laugh, but they would do this fake laugh, and it would throw you off so hard 'cause it's s- like, all you could... It's jarring. You're like, "Oh."

   29. RLRob Lowe32:07

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan32:07

       It's just so phony.
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   Yeah. He, he, he…

   1. JRJoe Rogan45:00

      It was weird. He had gray skin. And I remember thinking, "Jesus Christ, Chris Farley has gray skin. Like, what's going on?" Like, he was sweaty and just, just all fucked up.

   2. RLRob Lowe45:10

      Yeah. He, he, he had major, major demons, uh, and a lot of us really worked, you know ... W- we're worked out for. You know. But, you know, it's ... Some people can't, they can't make that leap, man. They just can't make the leap.

   3. JRJoe Rogan45:22

      The thing about him, though, is, the ... Fucking I always wonder about guys like that, that are so powerful. Like, is it the demons that made him so good? He was so good.

   4. RLRob Lowe45:31

      So good.

   5. JRJoe Rogan45:32

      When he would go ape shit, I mean, he had ... The, the fucking horsepower he had, it was so stunning.

   6. RLRob Lowe45:38

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan45:38

      Like, when you have these scenes when he would just go fucking crazy, it was so fun. And you would wonder-

   8. RLRob Lowe45:44

      I-

   9. JRJoe Rogan45:44

      ... like what is, is that same thing what makes him ... I mean, 'cause it was so real. Is that what made him just go crazy with coke and go crazy with everything else?

   10. RLRob Lowe45:54

       Well, I mean, I think, I think like normal people, like I don't see a lot of normal people drawn ... Well, why would any normal person wanna be in entertainment?

   11. JRJoe Rogan46:04

       Right.

   12. RLRob Lowe46:05

       Right. Why, why would they?

   13. JRJoe Rogan46:06

       Right.

   14. RLRob Lowe46:06

       So, I think just by default, damaged people, or people with a more, more, more articulately, people with a hole to fill are drawn to entertainment to fill the hole. And, um, you know, and s- and some, and some of the people have o- have other damage too. Rage, anger, whatever it is. But without a question, the more normal someone is, I know, like, unfortunately, the less entertaining. (laughs)

   15. JRJoe Rogan46:35

       Yeah. Right?

   16. RLRob Lowe46:35

       Do you ever find that, though?

   17. JRJoe Rogan46:36

       Yes.

   18. RLRob Lowe46:36

       Like, you're at a ... You're, you have ... You're at dinner or whatever, and they're like, "I'm this, that," and they're like really, really nice, and really, really decent. And, and I go, "I wish you were crazy and damaged like me 'cause then you'd be really ..." (laughs)

   19. JRJoe Rogan46:46

       (laughs) Then we could have a fun conversation.

   20. RLRob Lowe46:48

       Really funny, yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan46:48

       Well, that's absolutely the case with comedians. Like, my, my favorite people are all completely fucked up.

   22. RLRob Lowe46:55

       Have you ever met ... Can you think of a normal, decent, well-rounded, un-fucked up person who's hilarious?

   23. JRJoe Rogan47:04

       No. I'll tell you real quick. Eh.

   24. RLRob Lowe47:07

       Right?

   25. JRJoe Rogan47:08

       No. (laughs) No. No, the ... Humor is ... A big part of humor is saying things that are radically inappropriate.

   26. RLRob Lowe47:15

       Right.

   27. JRJoe Rogan47:15

       But maybe accurate.

   28. RLRob Lowe47:17

       Do you think, do you think that our ... The culture where everybody is so sensitive today is, is ... It's gotta be hard to be f- I think it's harder to be funny. You can

   29. JRJoe Rogan47:25

       Yeah.

   30. RLRob Lowe47:25

       Like you can make blazing s- There's so many movies you couldn't make now.
5. 1:00:00 – 1:10:12

   Mm-hmm. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:00:00

      No, it's beautiful because then they become these sustainable, fascinating human beings.

   2. RLRob Lowe1:00:06

      Mm-hmm.

   3. JRJoe Rogan1:00:07

      You know? It's a, it's a-

   4. RLRob Lowe1:00:08

      How old are your kids?

   5. JRJoe Rogan1:00:09

      I have a 23-year-old, I have a 10-year-old, and a 12-year-old. That's why-

   6. RLRob Lowe1:00:13

      And that's kind of good. You love d- going through this s- 'Cause my, mine are 24 and 26, so the notion of ha- going back and having, like, that, another crack at it kinda sounds kinda cool.

   7. JRJoe Rogan1:00:25

      It is kinda cool. Um, you know, it's wei- What's weird about babies and just humans, they're so different right out of the box.

   8. RLRob Lowe1:00:32

      Yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan1:00:32

      Like, there's so much study on what makes a personality, what makes a human being, whether it's nature or nurture. And people who are parents can tell you, there's certain aspects of a kid's personality that they're just born with. You see them with it as a baby, like right out of the box.

   10. RLRob Lowe1:00:50

       Mm-hmm.

   11. JRJoe Rogan1:00:50

       And like, o- you know, one year in, they're different, two year ... Like, they're so different. It's, it's so f- Like, sometimes my daughters will say something to me. It's just, I, and I just get so stunned, just talking to them, like, this ... I remember when you were this tiny little thing. And now, w- you and I are sitting here and we're having a conversation about space-

   12. RLRob Lowe1:01:10

       Yeah.

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:01:10

       ... or about mortality, or about what I think God is, or about, you know, wh- why do people act mean, you know? Like, I was having this conversation with my daughter ...... with my, uh, 12-year-old about mean people. And I'm like, "B- believe me, it d- it seems like they're just mean, but they're only mean because they're hurting. That's why people are mean. They feel terrible, so they want you to feel terrible."

   14. RLRob Lowe1:01:35

       Right.

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:01:35

       And we were just having this weird conversation about emotions and about where it comes from and, you know, and how some people, their, you know, their family's broken up and because of that, they wish that things were normal so they make up lies. Or they ... When other people are doing well, they get angry at other people, like-

   16. RLRob Lowe1:01:54

       Right.

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:01:54

       And we were just- just talking through this and in the middle of it, I'm talking to her and I'm thinking, "I remember when you were so small."

   18. RLRob Lowe1:02:00

       I know. (laughs)

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:02:00

       "You were this tiny little thing and now here you are, this 12-year-old who's like real-" And we- we're having this, like, intense, like conversation about emotions and the development of human beings and how to be more compassionate and how there's this instinct to go, "Fuck her," you know? And I'm like, "I know you have that feeling, but you gotta fight that feeling." Like, nobody has that feeling more than me. That fuck you feeling? I got a lot of that. But you gotta keep it locked up. It's not good for you. That- It's- doesn't do you any good, either. When you're like, "Fuck you," that you're s- really saying, "Fuck yourself." It's, uh, not helping you 'cause you're developing anger instead of developing forgiveness. Like, you develop this anger towards a person where it's better, it's hard, but it's better to try to understand why they're that way and why they're lashing out at you.

   20. RLRob Lowe1:02:42

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:02:42

       And when you do that, what I was explaining to her is like, it'll be ineffective. Like, their- their mean stuff to you will be ineffective. It doesn't work anymore because you know who you are. So if you know who you are, you- you'll- it'll bother you that they're trying to do it, but it won't ... You won't change your feelings about yourself. Someone can-

   22. RLRob Lowe1:03:00

       Yeah.

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:03:00

       If you don't have a good sense of personal sovereignty, someone can change your feelings about yourself. You know, I remember when I was young, someone could insult me and I would think that they were right. I'd be like, "Oh, God. I am a loser." You know what I mean? Like, "Fuck, I'm a loser. Shit."

   24. RLRob Lowe1:03:16

       Mm-hmm.

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:03:16

       And I'd go home and I'd feel terrible and I'd feel like a loser. But if someone does it to you when you have sovereignty, you're like, "Ah, that's- feels gross. This person's trying to make me feel bad." But it doesn't change who I am.

   26. RLRob Lowe1:03:27

       Right.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:03:27

       I know who I am. I ... You- you- you gain an understanding through struggle. And we were having this conversation. I remember thinking, "God, it's so weird." Like, that people just sorta pop out of vaginas. You know, you have sex-

   28. RLRob Lowe1:03:40

       (laughs)

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:03:40

       ... a person gets developed, they pop out of vagina, next thing you know, they're 12 and they're sitting across the dinner table, just you and her, just chit chatting. It's, God, so it's amazing. It's amazing.

   30. RLRob Lowe1:03:50

       It's true. I always, I, I always tell my kids, like, that, you know, that great phrase about bitterness, you know, and anger. And bitterness is, it's like drinking poison and-

Episode duration: 2:52:10