The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #2118 - The Black Keys
CHAPTERS
Weed laws, Texas freedoms, and a crash course in gun culture
The conversation kicks off with jokes about smoking around police and quickly turns into frustration with cannabis laws versus what’s legal elsewhere. From there, they riff on Texas oddities (zebras, cults, constitutional carry) and swap first-time gun stories that underline how unsafe casual firearm exposure can be.
Action-movie absurdity: Rambo, Red Dawn, and why some eras don’t age well
They pivot from real guns to movie guns, laughing at how over-the-top modern Rambo is and how little the franchise has “evolved.” The group compares film aging versus music aging, setting up a broader nostalgia thread that recurs later.
Steven Seagal deep dive: Aikido, bad movies, and carrot-eating diplomacy
Dan and Joe dissect Steven Seagal’s career arc—from legitimate Aikido background to late-era, chair-bound fight scenes. They watch and discuss Seagal’s bizarre international appearances (Belarus/Russia), then debate Aikido’s real-world effectiveness versus combat sports.
Gene LeBell and the Seagal choke-out story (and why groin shots aren’t magic)
Joe recounts the famous story of judo legend Gene LeBell choking Seagal unconscious—allegedly with an embarrassing aftermath. The discussion turns into a blunt breakdown of what happens in real chokes, why groin strikes don’t stop them, and how fast unconsciousness can occur.
Unabomber origins, Harvard experiments, and the suspicion that ‘they never stopped’
A shirt joke about Harvard and the Unabomber triggers a grim detour into Ted Kaczynski’s early life and alleged psychological experimentation. Joe frames it as a chain of trauma, isolation, and institutional abuse, then broadens it into the idea that covert experiments likely persist today.
Creepy islands and weird biology: Montauk Monster, Plum Island, and herpes monkeys
Dan shares odd local lore from the Long Island area and an island story from South Carolina involving rhesus monkeys and dangerous viruses. Joe spins it into a running theme: islands as inherently sketchy settings for secretive, morally dubious activity.
Manson, CIA-adjacent theories, and recording in a time-capsule studio
Joe outlines claims from Tom O’Neill’s book “Chaos,” arguing Manson may have been shaped by intelligence-linked manipulation and LSD. Dan and Pat then pivot to music history: recording at Valentine Studios, a preserved late-’60s facility where Manson reportedly recorded.
Guns N’ Roses gig reality check, backstage rules, and celebrity run-ins
Dan describes opening for Guns N’ Roses at the Hollywood Bowl and the mismatch between expectations and reality (early set time, sparse crowd). Joe shares his own Axl Rose encounter, and Dan recounts an awkward germophobia interaction with Flea and John Frusciante.
Handshake psychology to presidential ‘cocktails’: Trump pulls, Biden energy, and Dr. Feelgood
A discussion about greetings morphs into stories about Trump’s famous handshake pull and Joe’s attempt to resist it. They spiral into jokes about Biden’s State of the Union performance, hypothetical stimulant/supplement stacks, and historical parallels like JFK’s ‘Dr. Feelgood.’
Urban legends, radiation horrors, and chemical exposure in everyday life
They debunk the Goldfinger ‘painted gold death’ myth, then pivot to real toxic history: radium girls, radioactive dishware, and the broader theme that industry repeatedly poisons people. The thread expands into modern concerns: PFAS, plastics, golf course chemicals, and lawsuits.
The new album’s creative engine: Noel Gallagher sessions and ‘On the Game’ meaning
Dan and Pat explain how they collaborated with Noel Gallagher by flying to London and writing/recording songs rapidly with no pre-written material. They unpack the phrase ‘on the game’ and how the band intentionally made the album process more fun and indulgent than before.
Underground Memphis rap obsession and bringing Lil Noid & Juicy J into the Black Keys’ world
Patrick describes discovering rare early-’90s Memphis cassette rap that mostly survives via fan uploads on YouTube. They talk about the sound, subject matter, and how they tracked down Lil Noid, brought him to the studio, and embraced unexpected contributions like scratching from Juicy J.
AI paranoia, fake videos, and UAPs: DeLonge predictions, weapons, and ‘neighboring dimensions’
They connect viral footage skepticism to AI’s ability to generate convincing fake videos, then widen into UFO/UAP theories (including interdimensional ideas). Dan recounts meeting Tom DeLonge in 2019 and being rattled by predictions about surveillance and world-changing events, which they tie to AI acceleration and military tech secrecy.
Bunkers, cult leaders as failed rock stars, and the mushroom ‘microdose’ that wasn’t
The episode ends on survivalist and cult tangents: why billionaires buy bunkers and why cult leaders often resemble frustrated performers. Dan then shares a chaotic story of accidentally taking a full psychedelic dose in LA and nearly getting kicked out of the Chateau Marmont due to an alias mix-up, before they cap it with wild Sean Penn stories.
