At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Bill Murray on Hunter S. Thompson, fame, politics, golf, and belonging
- Joe Rogan sits down with Bill Murray for a wide-ranging, unhurried conversation that weaves through Murray’s friendship with Hunter S. Thompson, his early days on Saturday Night Live, and his philosophy on work, fame, and craft.
- They revisit Thompson’s writing and legacy, including Murray’s experience playing him on film, and use that as a springboard into discussions about American politics, tribalism, and how media narratives distort reality.
- Murray reflects on old Hollywood and TV, from Steve McQueen and classic Westerns to his own films like Kingpin and Caddyshack, emphasizing how genuine fun and collaboration shape great comedy.
- The pair also dive into golf, pool, archery, and flow state, connecting these pursuits to mental presence, de‑cluttering the mind, and the deeper need for purpose and community—illustrated by examples like Austin’s Loaves & Fishes homeless community.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasAuthentic relationships often start before fame and labels enter the room.
Murray’s first encounter with Hunter S. Thompson—neither knowing who the other was while nearly drowning Bill in a pool stunt—shows how genuine connection can form around shared play and humor, not status.
Portraying a real person on screen demands deep responsibility and research.
Murray stresses that playing Hunter S. Thompson meant absorbing decades of the man’s life, not just mimicking quirks for 90 minutes, and even collaborating with Thompson on scenes to avoid lying about who he was.
Great writing and art can capture entire eras better than straight reporting.
The discussion of Thompson’s ‘high and beautiful wave’ passage illustrates how literary, experiential journalism can distill the spirit and disillusionment of the 1960s in ways that remain directly relevant today.
Leading with politics instead of shared humanity fractures relationships.
Murray and Rogan argue that when people foreground their political identity, they can’t see the value of those who disagree with them, whereas focusing on common goals and lived experience keeps collaboration possible.
Mental presence is a trainable skill, and games can be its laboratory.
Using golf (and Rogan’s archery and pool) as examples, they describe how rituals, physical anchors, and clear routines quiet mental noise so that each shot becomes a pure mind–body action rather than a distracted guess.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesAny actor that has to play a living person has a real responsibility. You can't just be that person for 90 minutes; they were that person for 60 or 70 years.
— Bill Murray
You had to enter the event to comment on it. You had to be a part of it.
— Bill Murray (on Hunter S. Thompson’s gonzo journalism)
People are leading with their handkerchief and not with their whole self.
— Bill Murray (on political identity and division)
Most of what life is: you want to be healthy, have a good family, make a living, live in a safe place. All this other shit people get caught up in has very little to do with you.
— Joe Rogan
Everything we are or hope to be, everything we dream about, it’s all within the skin. So you’ve got to stay within the skin.
— Bill Murray (on presence and performance, via golf)
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