The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #1523 - Joey Diaz & Brian Redban
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:19
Birthday toast, COVID-era drinking, and surprisingly good non-alcoholic beer
The episode opens with a birthday toast and quickly turns into a riff on alcohol habits during COVID. Joe, Joey, and Redban compare non-alcoholic beers and why some brands feel more "real" than others.
- •Joe celebrates turning 53 with a toast
- •Joey talks about not drinking through COVID
- •Heineken 0.0 vs O'Doul's taste comparison
- •Humor about being "tricked" into thinking it's real beer
- 1:19 – 3:10
Beer history, low-alcohol laws, and the U.S. drinking age change
They segue from beer types into regional alcohol rules and the history of changing the drinking age. Joe has Jamie look up Massachusetts’ timeline, and Joey adds political-era context around Dukakis.
- •Joey recalls 3.2 beer and underage rules in Colorado/Utah
- •Joe asks when Massachusetts raised the drinking age
- •Massachusetts shifts: 1979 (18→20), 1984 (20→21)
- •Joey brings up Dukakis-era controversies and prison policy effects
- 3:10 – 4:56
COVID prison releases and the case for freeing non-violent offenders
The conversation moves from politics to criminal justice during the pandemic. Joe argues for releasing non-violent drug offenders while warning about releasing violent inmates; Joey adds DUI repeat-offender realities.
- •Prison releases during COVID (e.g., California numbers)
- •Joe’s distinction: drug offenses vs violent crimes
- •Joey emphasizes non-violent/first-time releases
- •Discussion of chronic DUI offenders and interlock devices
- 4:56 – 5:40
Chicago unrest, misinformation, and fear of another national flashpoint
They discuss violence and looting in Chicago and how misinformation spreads fast in tense environments. Joe worries the country is one viral incident away from renewed widespread unrest.
- •Chicago shooting/riots and looting details
- •False report about a teen killed by police
- •How misinformation triggers rapid escalation
- •Joe’s view: society feels primed to explode again
- 5:40 – 16:13
Why leaving Los Angeles feels inevitable: shutdowns, decay, and gun lines
Joey challenges Joe’s increasingly negative view of LA, prompting Joe to explain why city life feels unhealthy and unstable. They describe shuttered businesses, slow recovery timelines, and a surge in gun buying.
- •Joe explains why big-city living feels mentally unhealthy
- •Joey predicts a long (≈18 months) recovery for key areas
- •Melrose/West Hollywood decline and business closures
- •Gun store lines and fear-driven consumer behavior
- 16:13 – 19:27
Pandemic governance, lack of health messaging, and collapsing public trust
Joe critiques officials for inconsistent policies and for shutting down work without a sustainable plan. He also argues leaders missed a major opportunity to promote metabolic health, vitamins, and exercise.
- •Leaders weren’t selected for crisis competence; they were elected
- •Working-class restrictions vs officials still being paid
- •Criticism of one-note messaging (masks/closures) vs health measures
- •Joey jokes about Garcetti/Newsom; political frustration grows
- 19:27 – 22:50
Crime spikes, helpless institutions, and Joey’s “press 2 for Spanish” hack
They trade stories about rising crime, catalytic converter thefts, and slow police response. Joey delivers a comedic but pointed rant about navigating systems (911, unemployment) and how people improvise under stress.
- •Reports of crime increases (NYC, LA neighborhoods)
- •Catalytic converter theft economy explained
- •911 hold times and the practicality of the non-emergency line
- •Joey’s “press 2 for Spanish” tip as a systems workaround
- 22:50 – 26:30
Bourbon, tooth-pulling, and doctors who used drugs: Joey’s wild medical tales
A lighter interlude turns into Joey’s extreme stories about self-medicating tooth pain and getting caught with a “cocaine tooth.” He also claims multiple doctors admitted to past drug use, escalating into dark comedy.
- •Buffalo Trace and Prohibition-era “medicinal” liquor loopholes
- •Joey’s DIY tooth pain management with alcohol and drugs
- •The “cocaine tooth” story and dentist confrontation
- •Doctors confessing drug histories; heart doctor with stents from cocaine
- 26:30 – 29:55
Politics is rigged: Joey’s childhood view of municipal corruption and money influence
Joe asks Joey what he thinks happens to the country, and Joey answers through the lens of early exposure to political corruption. He frames politics as donor-driven and predicts social instability fueled by fear and economic stress.
- •Joey claims he saw payoffs and “theft” at local levels as a kid
- •Argument that big donors buy policy outcomes
- •Concerns about public despair, confusion, and volatility
- •Joey’s coping: exercise, sunlight, avoiding doom media
- 29:55 – 33:04
Comedy withdrawal and the lost ritual of going on stage
Joey and Joe reflect on how losing live comedy removed a nightly identity shift and a core community. They describe the Comedy Store’s pre-shutdown era as unusually supportive and creatively explosive.
- •The 7 p.m. “performer mode” ritual and adrenaline cycle
- •Comedy Store described as a positive, supportive ecosystem
- •Podcasts helped comics amplify each other’s careers
- •How shutdowns affect mental health and purpose for performers
- 33:04 – 39:11
Joey’s path to the Comedy Store: crime vs comedy, Mitzi Shore, and “war” Tuesdays
Joey recounts becoming a Store regular incredibly fast and surviving different eras of the club. He describes the intensity of peak lineups—especially Tuesdays—as preparation-for-battle comedy culture.
- •Joey becomes a regular within about a month of arriving in LA
- •Three phases of the Store: hard nights, avoided years, then renaissance
- •“Tuesday night war” mentality and performance preparation
- •Regret about missing life outside road/Store grind
- 39:11 – 46:05
Early acting chaos and why rappers (and some athletes) can act instantly
Joey tells a story of being cast in a CBS pilot while inexperienced and heavily partying, leading to his lines being cut down to nothing. They pivot to how rappers like Ice Cube and Tupac transitioned into acting so well.
- •CBS pilot story: shrinking pages, terrible acting, chaotic lifestyle
- •Director’s disappointment and Joey’s learning curve
- •Rappers as natural actors: Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, Tupac
- •Quick detour into films and actors (Mickey Rourke, Adrien Brody)
- 46:05 – 53:17
COVID testing, Hollywood “bubbles,” and how productions try to restart safely
They revisit COVID protocols, comparing antibody tests and nasal swabs. Joey praises Dana White’s bubble approach and describes detailed production “bubble” systems like Tyler Perry’s, including testing cadence and zone separation.
- •Antibody vs swab testing debate and accuracy claims
- •Dana White’s bubble and why it worked
- •Tyler Perry-style production quarantine/testing pipeline
- •Rising production costs and distrust of underqualified “COVID officers”
- 53:17 – 1:03:21
Elections, taxes, mail-in voting skepticism, and Joey’s Jersey machine-politics stories
Political news (Kamala Harris as VP pick) triggers talk about voting, taxes, and institutions under strain. Joey launches into detailed stories of Hudson County politics—sign wars, intimidation, patronage, and how elections get “managed.”
- •Reaction to Biden/Harris announcement and campaign dynamics
- •Discussion of high combined state/federal tax burdens
- •Mail-in voting concerns and distrust of institutions
- •Joey’s North Bergen political “family” stories: sign ripping, coercion, patronage
- 1:03:21 – 1:16:50
Power, policing, and Joey’s interrogation warfare (plus one-shoe psychological torture)
They broaden the theme of power—cops, cartels, and governments—and why people misuse authority. Joey then tells long-form stories about being questioned/arrested and how he deliberately confused police with elaborate narratives.
- •Debate: bad cops vs the difficulty of policing as a job
- •Joey’s claim he never had major problems with police during arrests
- •Interrogation-room mind games and feeding fake leads for months
- •Writing letters to a judge over years and a courtroom payoff moment
- 1:16:50 – 1:26:31
Bad gigs, drive-in/park comedy, and the Comedy Store “murderer’s row” lineups
They trade war stories about terrible early gigs and how they shape comics—up to a point. Joe compares endless hell gigs to overtraining, then describes the Store’s stacked lineups that made it hard for newcomers to get spots.
- •Drive-in/park comedy as “methadone” (Mark Normand quote)
- •Joey’s absurd restaurant/Elvis-impersonator gig
- •Joe’s view: too many bad gigs armor your act and limit nuance
- •Comedy Store lineups packed with killers; scarcity and resentment dynamics
- 1:26:31 – 1:36:23
Old TV time capsules, comedy influences, and Freddie Prinze tragedy
Redban’s Peacock/Carson binge leads into nostalgia about late-night culture and classic comics. Joey recounts discovering Richard Pryor as a kid and the impact of Freddie Prinze—especially his death—on their generation.
- •Watching old Carson episodes as cultural history
- •Joey’s early Pryor albums, hiding them from his mom
- •Carlin, Redd Foxx, and Freddie Prinze as formative figures
- •Chico and the Man memories and the shock of Prinze’s suicide
- 1:36:23 – 1:51:20
Teen sex culture, Catholic guilt, and outrageous family stories
The tone shifts to raunchy, nostalgic stories about early relationships, strict parents, and Catholic shame. Joey’s mother stories escalate into absurd vignettes about surprise check-ins, dating rules, and neighborhood legends.
- •Catholic guilt around sex and lack of birth control education
- •Joey’s stories: being caught, strict family discipline, cultural expectations
- •Joe and Redban compare “neighborhood freak” archetypes
- •Discussion of how norms and accountability changed over decades
- 1:51:20 – 3:31:49
Conspiracies, Epstein, e-bikes, scooters, and the danger of modern toys
They briefly touch on Epstein and conspiracy culture before pivoting into e-bike and scooter accidents, sparked by Simon Cowell’s injury. The segment becomes a safety rant about speed, intoxication, and why scooters are more dangerous than people assume.
- •Epstein’s case vs meme-driven conspiracies (e.g., Tom Hanks jokes)
- •Speculation about witness safety and “disruptions”
- •Simon Cowell e-bike accident and high-torque electric rides
- •Scooter risks, licensing, DUIs, and Joey’s biking safety habits
