The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #1789 - Tom Papa
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:57
Tom Papa’s bread delivery and TSA smuggling jokes
Joe welcomes Tom Papa, who arrives with homemade sourdough—one regular loaf and one olive loaf. They riff on traveling with bread, TSA suspicion, and how food could theoretically be used for smuggling.
- 1:57 – 6:08
Fentanyl border bust story and why desperation drives crime
The conversation pivots to a shocking news story about a pregnant drug runner caught smuggling fentanyl internally. They discuss fentanyl’s extreme potency and speculate how authorities detected it, while acknowledging the desperation behind such choices.
- 6:08 – 13:34
Airport behavior: drunk passengers, boarding-line chaos, and mask-era flying
Tom recounts an encounter with a loud, drunk fan at the gate who tried to board early. From there they talk about airport drinking culture, line-cutting, and how COVID-era rules (especially masks) intensified conflict on planes.
- 13:34 – 17:32
Pandemic stress, perspective, and how people mentally ‘come back’
They broaden out into how the last few years pushed many people past their coping limits. Tom emphasizes resilience and small daily tasks; Joe stresses perspective and how hard it is to re-center after a psychological spiral.
- 17:32 – 18:24
Ukraine war fears: nukes, Putin’s endgame, and information uncertainty
Joe and Tom dive into the early Ukraine invasion context and the dread of nuclear escalation. They discuss Putin’s limited ‘good’ exits, propaganda/uncertain reporting, and what sanctions or defeat might trigger for a nuclear-armed dictator.
- 18:24 – 39:20
Nuclear arsenals, command-and-control anxiety, and the ‘long table’ isolation
They look at rough nuclear warhead numbers and how destructive modern weapons are compared to Hiroshima/Nagasaki. The discussion turns to Putin’s isolation (symbolized by the long-table meetings), and what checks—if any—exist before launch decisions.
- 39:20 – 50:54
Movies as relief: Batman, Christian Bale, and Tom Cruise stunt obsession
After heavy geopolitics, they decompress into film talk: Batman versions, Christian Bale’s transformations, and the insanity of practical stunts. Joe shares fascination with Buster Keaton’s daredevil work and Tom Cruise’s commitment to doing his own stunts.
- 50:54 – 53:50
Injuries in real life: Tom’s fall, broken ribs, and brutal fight damage
Tom describes slipping on ice in Fargo and lingering rib pain, prompting discussion of head injuries and recovery. Joe pulls up MMA examples of extreme body damage, including rib breaks and punctured lungs, contrasting everyday mishaps with pro-fighter trauma.
- 53:50 – 1:08:06
UFC live experience, Vegas food, elk cooking, and steak technique deep dive
They plan a future UFC event outing and drift into Vegas dining recommendations. Joe and Tom trade cooking enthusiasm—elk recipes, garlic/sauce aromas, and a detailed steak method (reverse sear, cast iron, tallow, Maillard reaction).
- 1:08:06 – 1:27:42
Baseball lockout, sports as proxy war, and ‘phony fan’ spotting
Tom vents about the MLB lockout and how greed alienates fans, while Joe needles baseball as ‘boring.’ They expand into why sports matter socially, how fandom can become performative (World Cup ‘virtue-signal’ types), and Joe’s ability to detect MMA phonies.
- 1:27:42 – 1:37:03
Native American history, disease collapse, Mayan ruins, and lost-civilization theories
Joe explores football’s early Native American history and the darker story of forced assimilation at boarding schools. From there they discuss catastrophic disease impacts on Native populations, Mayan sites like Chichen Itza, and speculative ancient-cataclysm ideas like the Younger Dryas impact theory.
- 1:37:03 – 2:35:13
Cigars, gambling addiction, body image trends, metaverse bodies, and aging/fitness protocols
They light up cigars and segue into addiction in many forms: gambling, overtraining, and body dysmorphia. The talk ranges from ‘dad bod’ survey skepticism and metaverse avatars to aging fears—spinal discs, joint replacements, testosterone therapy, supplements, diet inflammation, and exercise as mental health medicine.
- 2:35:13 – 3:09:02
Werewolves, practical effects vs CGI, and why comedy movies disappeared
They wrap with pop-culture: Duncan Trussell updates, Joe’s upgraded werewolf prop, and a deep dive on monster-movie effects (American Werewolf in London vs later takes). The conversation ends on how social media outrage and industry shifts gutted the big R-rated comedy movie pipeline, before Tom plugs tour dates.
