Joe Rogan Experience #2034 - Jeremy Jones

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   (drum roll) Joe Rogan podcast,…

   1. JJJeremy Jones0:00

      (drum roll) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.

   2. NANarrator0:04

      The Joe Rogan Experience.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music plays) Jeremy Jones, what's happening, baby?

   4. JJJeremy Jones0:14

      Not much, not much.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:15

      We finally did this.

   6. JJJeremy Jones0:16

      Trying to r- yeah, trying to run out, you know. (laughs)

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:17

      Yeah, man, uh, playing you was a very humbling experience. I should tell everybody, Jeremy Jones, professional pool player, um, the team captain of the Mosconi Cup, which is the most prestigious international team tournament in all the world of pool. But, what, what I r- really enjoyed about talking with you for the last couple days is you're just- you're a very smart guy, very interesting guy. There's a lot of, y- you know, like, a lot of interests in all kinds of different things. You're a very fascinating guy.

   8. JJJeremy Jones0:45

      Y-

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:45

      That's why you're so good at commentary.

   10. JJJeremy Jones0:47

       Yeah, I guess so. Maybe just growing up watching all that stuff and, uh, I think my parents, you know, they- they had pretty vast interest, even though maybe didn't afford it all the time to be able to, you know, kinda go with it. But, yeah, number five of six kids, you learn a lot of stuff.

   11. JRJoe Rogan1:00

       Well, it's just always been fascinating to me, the people that are really good at pool are some of the fucking smartest people I've ever met in my life. There's just- they just got that bug. They got that bug to chase this one thing, geometry and pockets and balls and collisions, and, you know, they got that bug to chase it, but some of the best players that I- I've talked to, they're some of the smartest people I've ever met.

   12. JJJeremy Jones1:23

       Oh, absolutely. I mean, that just tells you about the game, right?

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:25

       Yeah.

   14. JJJeremy Jones1:25

       How much there is to it, and, uh, yeah, I mean, it's just- it- it grabs you and- and, you know, if you're watch- paying attention to what goes on, it's, like, hardly ever the same thing.

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:35

       Yeah.

   16. JJJeremy Jones1:35

       You know, you- you don't realize how much control you have. I thought- I thought pool was kinda like a game you played waiting on a bowling alley lane. You know, prior to playing it.

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:43

       Right.

   18. JJJeremy Jones1:44

       I didn't know you could play it well. I didn't know you could play it for a living. You know, there's movies out there and stuff, but, I mean, ph- it just didn't seem real.

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:51

       When you- wh- what- how old were you when you first started playing?

   20. JJJeremy Jones1:55

       Uh, really playing, 17. I was 17 years old. Yeah, I started late.

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:59

       I started really late. I was 25, I think. Somewhere around 24. 24 or 25, yeah.

   22. JJJeremy Jones2:07

       Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I worked two jobs, and one of them, uh, we'd, you know, have a few beers on the weekends at a pizza restaurant and play poker with our money, our tip money, and one of the guys would go to the game room and play pool. And he, uh, took me down there one day and kinda hustled me (laughs) a little bit, you know. We kinda knew each other like that, and, uh, the only thing I wanted to do was be able to beat him, Joe. That's, uh- like, that's what I wanted to do.

   23. JRJoe Rogan2:30

       Right, right.

   24. JJJeremy Jones2:30

       Yeah, and that's- so I quit one of the jobs. I quit the pizza restaurant, went and got a job at the game room so I could play for free, and, uh, you know, kinda the rest is history from there.

   25. JRJoe Rogan2:39

       Wow. It's a game that just sucks you in. I remember, uh, I used to go and play with my friend John, and we would go to this place, Executive Billiards in White Plains, and, uh, when we got there, you know, it was an interesting time because there was a lot of gambling going on in that place. And the guy- the- the owner was a wild man. The owner of the- the pool hall was this really eccentric musician. Yeah, his name was Guy Azzariti, but he would use the- the name Guy Hamilton when he performed. He was this, uh, musician, like a piano player, g- g- like, really good musician. And he had some money from, you know, his career as a piano player, and he was really into pool. He loved the culture of it. And so he was the owner of this joint, and we were all just hanging out with him, having fun, and I would go there and it would be filled with people gambling. And I was like, "This place is wild." And then I was watching, like, really good players play when I was, you know, just starting out, didn't know what I was doing, and I was like, "That looks so different than anybody else I've ever seen play pool." Like, the way they hit the ball is so soft and they're in such control, and you're watching the ball spin off the cushions and get perfect on the next ball, and everybody's, like, shaking their head, "Wow." I'm like, that- that got me hooked.

   26. JJJeremy Jones3:58

       Yeah, absolutely.

   27. JRJoe Rogan3:59

       That- that's what got me.

   28. JJJeremy Jones4:00

       Yeah, I think the culture of it is a big- big part of it. I mean-

   29. JRJoe Rogan4:02

       Yeah.

   30. JJJeremy Jones4:03

       ... just being able to gamble and not take it personal.
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   That's an interesting game…

   1. JJJeremy Jones15:00

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:00

      That's an interesting game to play with someone who can't play, 'cause that would get them thinking, "I can do that."

   3. JJJeremy Jones15:05

      Or, or naive pool rooms.

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:07

      Yeah.

   5. JJJeremy Jones15:07

      Like if there's naive pool rooms with a good player, that just really ain't running out. I mean, that just sounds like the world.

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:12

      Right.

   7. JJJeremy Jones15:12

      You know what I mean?

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:13

      Right.

   9. JJJeremy Jones15:13

      That just sounds... All right, yeah. Go ahead.

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:15

       (laughs)

   11. JJJeremy Jones15:15

       Yeah.

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:15

       Exactly.

   13. JJJeremy Jones15:16

       I can drive one to a rail, that's for sure, but, you know.

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:18

       That's... But the thing is, like, wa- like practicing with you today, probably not. Like, and esp- especially if it's a bucket, it's a large-

   15. JJJeremy Jones15:26

       Oh, yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan15:26

       ... large-pocketed table, you run out like a champion, man. It's amazing. And I-

   17. JJJeremy Jones15:31

       Well...

   18. JRJoe Rogan15:31

       ... know you're not, like, playing professionally as much anymore, but damn, that was really impressive.

   19. JJJeremy Jones15:37

       Yeah, been here a few days. Got to play a little pool here in Austin already, so that's good. But, uh-

   20. JRJoe Rogan15:41

       Shout out to Skinny Bob's.

   21. JJJeremy Jones15:42

       Yeah, Skinny Bob's. That-

   22. JRJoe Rogan15:43

       That's a great spot.

   23. JJJeremy Jones15:44

       Yeah, the 50th going on. The longest running tournament in the country, so.

   24. JRJoe Rogan15:46

       Yeah, it's, uh... I went there last year to sweat it.

   25. JJJeremy Jones15:49

       Yeah.

   26. JRJoe Rogan15:49

       I m- I might try to make it there this year, too.

   27. JJJeremy Jones15:51

       Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan15:51

       It's, uh, it's fun, man. It's wa-... It's... I- I love watching high-level pool. It's just, uh, just d-... And especially, it's one of those things that I always said it's un-... like an art form that only the people that do it appreciate.

   29. JJJeremy Jones16:03

       Yeah, and when you really get into it, you see different strikers, you know what I mean? The strokes are different, you know what I mean?

   30. JRJoe Rogan16:08

       Mm-hmm.
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   (laughs) …

   1. JRJoe Rogan30:00

      friend Johnny's nuts in.

   2. JJJeremy Jones30:01

      (laughs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan30:02

      It was, it was beautiful to watch though. The k- I mean, the guy just, uh, watching someone who's just, like, re- just elegantly moving that ball around the table-

   4. JJJeremy Jones30:10

      Oh, yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan30:10

      ... for perfect position.

   6. JJJeremy Jones30:12

      He was kind of an elegant kinda guy anyways.

   7. JRJoe Rogan30:14

      Yeah.

   8. JJJeremy Jones30:14

      He was always cleaned up.

   9. JRJoe Rogan30:15

      Dressed nice.

   10. JJJeremy Jones30:15

       Yeah, real nice-

   11. JRJoe Rogan30:16

       Yeah.

   12. JJJeremy Jones30:16

       ... real clean.

   13. JRJoe Rogan30:16

       Handsome?

   14. JJJeremy Jones30:16

       Yeah. Seemed like, uh, you know, Jackie Gleason kinda.

   15. JRJoe Rogan30:19

       There he is.

   16. JJJeremy Jones30:20

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan30:20

       There he is, his beautiful mustache.

   18. JJJeremy Jones30:22

       Mm-hmm.

   19. JRJoe Rogan30:22

       (laughs) ... hell of a player.

   20. JJJeremy Jones30:24

       Yeah, he actually lived in Texas for quite some time.

   21. JRJoe Rogan30:26

       Oh, did he really?

   22. JJJeremy Jones30:27

       Yeah. He lived in the Dallas area for-

   23. JRJoe Rogan30:28

       So, he was the first pro that I ever saw that came through executive.

   24. JJJeremy Jones30:32

       Oh, wow.

   25. JRJoe Rogan30:32

       The first, like, real legitimate pro. And that was, uh, you know, early on when I was just learning pool.

   26. JJJeremy Jones30:38

       Yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan30:39

       Just learning pool.

   28. JJJeremy Jones30:40

       Yeah, well, he was pretty solid fundamentally-

   29. JRJoe Rogan30:42

       Mm-hmm.

   30. JJJeremy Jones30:42

       ... in stuff, you know. Like, kind of cre- critiqued that, so it'd be a good one to watch. But he was kind of like just a nine-ball player. So, not to pick on Paul, of course, but when you're on the road, you learn-
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   Okay. …

   1. JJJeremy Jones45:00

   2. JRJoe Rogan45:01

      Okay.

   3. JJJeremy Jones45:01

      And it wouldn't be a problem.

   4. JRJoe Rogan45:02

      But Jamie couldn't bet on us?

   5. JJJeremy Jones45:03

      That's... I think that's something.

   6. JRJoe Rogan45:04

      That seems-

   7. JJJeremy Jones45:04

      Yeah. Or if there's someone taking a percentage of some sort.

   8. JRJoe Rogan45:08

      That seems un-American.

   9. JJJeremy Jones45:08

      You know, kind of like the poker, y'all got the legal poker around here, right?

   10. JRJoe Rogan45:11

       I do not know. I don't play poker.

   11. JJJeremy Jones45:13

       Yeah, well, they got the legal poker rooms, but they charge like pool time, you know-

   12. JRJoe Rogan45:16

       Oh.

   13. JJJeremy Jones45:16

       ... like, like by the hour, so they don't take any money out of the pot, you know, like...

   14. JRJoe Rogan45:19

       Interesting.

   15. JJJeremy Jones45:20

       Yeah. So it's legal now.

   16. JRJoe Rogan45:21

       That makes sense. That's-

   17. JJJeremy Jones45:23

       Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan45:23

       That's not a bad compromise.

   19. JJJeremy Jones45:25

       Yeah, it's okay.

   20. JRJoe Rogan45:25

       But I feel like not being able to bet on your friend is un-American.

   21. JJJeremy Jones45:29

       (laughs) Oh, we're definitely not Texan, that's for sure. (laughs)

   22. JRJoe Rogan45:31

       You know what I'm saying? Like, if you're b- gambling with somebody and you're playing s- someone, I'm like, "I got money on Jeremy." If I, and if I say that, that's illegal? If like you were just making an agreement between people?

   23. JJJeremy Jones45:43

       I think so. Oh, yeah. I think so.

   24. JRJoe Rogan45:45

       That sounds so crazy.

   25. JJJeremy Jones45:45

       I'm pretty sure.

   26. JRJoe Rogan45:46

       That sounds so crazy.

   27. JJJeremy Jones45:47

       It happened once in Houston, like right before I started. Actually, a couple times, but once in Houston at a pool room that I frequented, um, like a year or two before I really started going there, right when I was young. They didn't take the guys that were playing. They took the guys that were all betting on the side.

   28. JRJoe Rogan46:03

       Oh my God.

   29. JJJeremy Jones46:04

       Yeah. Is that crazy?

   30. JRJoe Rogan46:05

       Yeah. Meanwhile, how many people are out there getting robbed? For real, Rob.
5. 1:00:00 – 1:05:56

   Yeah, but- …

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:00:00

      balls."

   2. JJJeremy Jones1:00:00

      Yeah, but-

   3. JRJoe Rogan1:00:01

      It's happening.

   4. JJJeremy Jones1:00:01

      ... you know. I go to senior centers, right, sometimes, and play pool with some of the older guys or have a lesson there or something like that. They talk a little shit without any gambling, so ... (laughs) I-

   5. JRJoe Rogan1:00:11

      (laughs)

   6. JJJeremy Jones1:00:11

      You, you know what I mean? So ... And some of it goes way back. Like it's-

   7. JRJoe Rogan1:00:15

      Yeah.

   8. JJJeremy Jones1:00:15

      ... pretty nasty stuff, so ...

   9. JRJoe Rogan1:00:16

      Oh, really?

   10. JJJeremy Jones1:00:17

       Well, I mean, kinda. I mean, you know, they don't know me from Adam talking about something real personal from 25 years ago. I d- ... You know.

   11. JRJoe Rogan1:00:24

       That's hilarious.

   12. JJJeremy Jones1:00:25

       Yeah, it is pretty funny, so ...... I think the barking in general, being somewhere you're allowed to bark a little bit.

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:00:31

       Yeah.

   14. JJJeremy Jones1:00:31

       You know?

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:00:32

       Well, that's- it was always- it's just like a part of the fun of it all. It's like wild things are happening.

   16. JJJeremy Jones1:00:39

       Oh, yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:00:39

       You know?

   18. JJJeremy Jones1:00:39

       Absolutely.

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:00:40

       People are accusing people, sharking them, and there's this-

   20. JJJeremy Jones1:00:43

       Well, the swings too, the ups and downs.

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:00:45

       Mm-hmm.

   22. JJJeremy Jones1:00:46

       You know, like, I mean, you know, you just broke so-and-so. He's dead broke. He was borrowing money yesterday and, you know, you spent two days out of the poolroom and he's, he's won 10,000 since, you know what I mean?

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:00:54

       Right.

   24. JJJeremy Jones1:00:55

       So you keep track of everyone.

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:00:56

       Yeah.

   26. JJJeremy Jones1:00:57

       Especially if you're in a place locally that you live at that has action. You always wanna know what's going on a little bit, you know?

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:01:03

       And for people that don't understand the allure of this, you're constantly engaged in some kind of competition. There's- it's constant happening.

   28. JJJeremy Jones1:01:11

       Oh, yeah. It is.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:01:11

       And there's-

   30. JJJeremy Jones1:01:12

       And it's endless.

Episode duration: 2:16:13