The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #2085 - Charles Wesley Godwin
CHAPTERS
- 0:02 – 1:30
Meeting Charles Wesley Godwin and getting introduced through Duncan Trussell
Joe welcomes Charles and explains how Duncan Trussell turned him onto Charles’ music backstage at the Mothership. They swap appreciation for Duncan and talk about how quickly Joe got hooked on Charles’ songs.
- 1:30 – 4:11
Asheville’s beauty, pandemic-era crime concerns, and small-town vulnerability
The conversation pivots to Asheville—its scenery, music venues, and a reported crime spike during the pandemic. Joe and Charles use it as a springboard to discuss how small communities can unravel when jobs disappear.
- 4:11 – 5:11
Morgantown’s downturn: Mylan leaves, COVID aftermath, and Main Street closures
Charles describes his hometown Morgantown, WV and how losing a major employer rippled through the local economy. Joe connects it to broader deindustrialization patterns that hollow out towns.
- 5:11 – 12:22
‘Roger & Me,’ Flint’s decline, and America’s abandoned industrial cities
Joe brings up Michael Moore’s documentary ‘Roger & Me’ to illustrate the human cost of factory flight. They touch on Flint’s water crisis and Detroit’s drastic transformation from boomtown to abandonment.
- 12:22 – 16:32
From paper maps to GPS: how travel (and touring) changed
A story about a man who couldn’t reach Detroit because he couldn’t read maps leads into nostalgia about pre-GPS navigation. Joe recounts early comedy road-gig directions and primitive in-car GPS tech.
- 16:32 – 20:16
Comedians and musicians: shared chaos, risk-taking, and evolving country culture
Joe and Charles compare the temperaments of comedians and musicians—impulsive, rebellious, and built for uncertainty. They talk about how modern genre crossovers (Post Malone, Jelly Roll) reflect a cultural shift in country and in art broadly.
- 20:16 – 24:16
The surreal scale of live crowds—and the hidden health costs
They marvel at massive festival crowds (Woodstock footage, Korn/Metallica-era seas of people) and Joe shares a Chappelle arena story. The talk turns to headbanging, CTE risks, and how repetitive impact can cause brain damage.
- 24:16 – 26:14
How Charles started music late: WVU, abandoning football, and the Avett Brothers spark
Charles explains he didn’t pick up guitar until age 20 after realizing he wasn’t good enough to play football at WVU. Watching the Grammys (Avett Brothers, Dylan, Mumford & Sons) triggers the idea to learn guitar as a productive hobby.
- 26:14 – 32:02
Estonia turning point: first performance, lingerie fashion show gig, and getting paid
A study-abroad semester in Tartu, Estonia becomes the unlikely launchpad for Charles’ first public performance. A roommate forces him onstage, and the resulting attention leads to a paid fashion-show gig—his first time earning money from music.
- 32:02 – 1:01:21
Learning to write: finding his voice, daily notebook discipline, and the ‘muse’ idea
Charles describes the slow process of becoming a songwriter—starting originals in 2014 and taking years to find his voice. He and Joe emphasize consistency, showing up daily, and treating creativity like a job, referencing Jason Isbell and ‘The War of Art.’
- 1:01:21 – 1:04:10
Pressure, labels, and near financial collapse: keeping the band together through 2021
Charles recounts the brutal economics of touring after COVID—taking a full band out, going broke, and nearly losing everything. A pivotal band meeting leads to everyone taking half pay until momentum returns via album release and touring with Zach Bryan.
- 1:04:10 – 1:21:52
Resilience mindset: failure as fuel, jealousy traps, mentorship, and paying it forward
Joe and Charles dig into the psychology of creative careers: fear, regret, jealousy, and the importance of using setbacks as motivation. Charles highlights mentors who helped him (William Clark Green, Ward Davis, Zach Bryan) and discusses supporting rising artists himself.
- 1:21:52 – 1:48:39
Touring health and lifestyle: running, vitamins, buses, alcohol, and road recovery
They talk about how touring wears down the body and what helps—running, vitamin D, supplements, and better sleep. The discussion includes bus-life tradeoffs, drinking less for performance and recovery, and the difficulty of eating well late at night.
- 1:48:39 – 2:00:54
Coal mining roots and West Virginia reality: danger underground and global energy contradictions
Charles explains his father’s decades in the mines, including terrifying low-seam work and cave-ins, and Joe reacts to the scale and risk. They expand to coal’s global role—China and India’s production, environmental narratives, and the human cost of extraction accidents.
- 2:00:54 – 2:27:47
COVID mandates, media distrust, and the opioid crisis (Painkiller) hitting Appalachia
The conversation turns political: vaccine requirements for touring, coercion, and Joe’s ivermectin controversy and media framing. They close on pharmaceutical incentives and the opioid epidemic’s devastation, referencing ‘Painkiller’ and the Sacklers’ impact—especially in West Virginia.
