Joe Rogan Experience #1688 - Greg Fitzsimmons
Narrator, Narrator, Joe Rogan (host), Greg Fitzsimmons (guest), Narrator, Narrator, Narrator, Narrator, Narrator
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Narrator and Narrator, Joe Rogan Experience #1688 - Greg Fitzsimmons explores greg Fitzsimmons, Comedy War Stories, Drugs, Brains, And Conspiracies Joe Rogan and Greg Fitzsimmons spend the episode swapping decades of comedy stories, discussing how stand‑up careers are built, broken, and rebuilt through obsessive road work, drugs, and life mistakes. They dive into brain health—sleep, diet, supplements, depression treatments, and psychedelics—alongside detailed talk about MMA commentary and jiu-jitsu. The conversation repeatedly veers into crime and government conspiracy: mobbed‑up comedy clubs, Whitey Bulger, MK‑Ultra, Tom O’Neill’s Manson book, and even whether the moon landing might have been faked. Throughout, they contrast old-school TV and gatekeepers with today’s internet‑driven, independent comedy ecosystem.
Greg Fitzsimmons, Comedy War Stories, Drugs, Brains, And Conspiracies
Joe Rogan and Greg Fitzsimmons spend the episode swapping decades of comedy stories, discussing how stand‑up careers are built, broken, and rebuilt through obsessive road work, drugs, and life mistakes. They dive into brain health—sleep, diet, supplements, depression treatments, and psychedelics—alongside detailed talk about MMA commentary and jiu-jitsu. The conversation repeatedly veers into crime and government conspiracy: mobbed‑up comedy clubs, Whitey Bulger, MK‑Ultra, Tom O’Neill’s Manson book, and even whether the moon landing might have been faked. Throughout, they contrast old-school TV and gatekeepers with today’s internet‑driven, independent comedy ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
Physical wear and tear is real, so protect your senses early.
Both Rogan and Fitzsimmons talk about tinnitus and hearing loss from concerts and loud environments, highlighting that simple precautions (ear protection, limiting exposure) could have prevented long‑term damage.
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Playing music or doing focused hobbies can be powerful mental therapy.
Greg describes learning guitar as a kind of meditation that pulled him out of his head; Rogan links this to any challenging activity that demands total concentration and acts as a mental reset.
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Good stand‑up comes from obsessive iteration, not just stage time.
Fitzsimmons explains how taping sets, re‑listening, and making microscopic edits in hotel rooms turned loose premises into tightly structured bits, especially during heavy road periods.
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Brain health hinges on fundamentals: sleep, diet, and regular cognitive strain.
Rogan emphasizes how sleep deprivation drops his “IQ” and notes the importance of fats, vitamin D, exercise, and mental workouts (sudoku, languages) in keeping cognition sharp.
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New treatments for depression and brain injury show promise but are intensive.
They discuss transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), ketamine, MDMA therapy, psilocybin, and lion’s mane mushroom as tools that can remap mood and cognition—often after long, structured protocols rather than quick fixes.
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Independent platforms let comedy be weirder, freer, and more honest.
Shows like Kill Tony and online sketch creators (e. ...
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Government and law‑enforcement history is far more manipulative than most realize.
Their discussion of Tom O’Neill’s research into MK‑Ultra, Manson, Jack Ruby, and even FBI‑driven ‘kidnapping plots’ reinforces that intelligence agencies have a long, documented record of entrapment, psychological experiments, and narrative control.
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Notable Quotes
“You can always see the comics that aren't gonna progress. They go on the road with golf clubs.”
— Greg Fitzsimmons
“Every time you listen to a set, it's like a half a set. It’s 50 percent as valuable as doing another show.”
— Joe Rogan
“I had a high school art teacher who convinced me there was no way to make a living as an artist. He was such an asshole.”
— Joe Rogan
“Tom O’Neill worked on that book like a dog on a bone for 20 years.”
— Greg Fitzsimmons
“It’s important for people to know that what you see on the news is a show. What’s going on behind the scenes is real complex.”
— Joe Rogan
Questions Answered in This Episode
How much responsibility do comedians have—if any—to address or fact‑check conspiracy‑leaning topics they bring up on big platforms?
Joe Rogan and Greg Fitzsimmons spend the episode swapping decades of comedy stories, discussing how stand‑up careers are built, broken, and rebuilt through obsessive road work, drugs, and life mistakes. ...
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Could the kind of obsessive, solitary work ethic Rogan and Fitzsimmons describe for stand‑up be applied in a healthy way to other careers, or does it inherently risk burnout?
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Where should the ethical line be drawn with technologies like deepfakes and AI voice replication in documentaries and entertainment?
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If psychedelics and TMS can truly repair or rewire damaged brains, what would a responsible, large‑scale rollout of those treatments actually look like?
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Does the rise of independent comedy platforms like Kill Tony and podcasts represent a permanent shift away from traditional TV, or will the industry eventually reassert control?
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Transcript Preview
(drumming) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.
The Joe Rogan Experience.
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music plays) Headphones? No headphones? What do you wanna do?
What do I want headphones for?
Wanna get crazy?
And you're fucking three feet from me.
I like to listen to both sounds in my ears at the same time.
I have, like, I think I got a lot of wax built up in my ears and I got fucking tinnitus now.
Oh, no.
Yeah.
How'd you get that?
Um, I think I went to too many concerts in my life.
(laughs)
Went to a lot of loud concerts as a teenager.
Lead singer of AC/DC, what's his name again?
B- Barr, what's his-
Brian Johnson.
Brian Johnson.
Brian, yeah.
He can't, uh, he can't hear. His, his hearing's fucked. He can't perform anymore.
Yeah, I think, uh, Pete Townshend also.
Well, back in, you know, you gotta think in the '70s, like, no one knew anything.
Right.
They didn't know what tinnitus, football players didn't know about CTE.
Right.
No, no one knew about anything.
Right, right.
And those poor guys would just fucking stand right there, bare ears.
But, uh, yeah, I mean, I think AC/DC still has the world record for the loudest concert.
Of course they do.
Yeah.
(laughs)
You ever been to an AC/DC concert?
No.
I went to one in, uh-
No.
... in, uh, Madison Square Garden one time. It was fucking crazy.
I haven't been to a concert concert, like see a band in, like, an arena in forever.
What's the last concert you went to?
I'm trying to remember. I've seen, like, small shows. Like I saw Gary Clark Jr. out here. I saw-
Oh, really?
Oh man.
Oh, wow.
I saw him at his club, Antone's.
Uh-huh.
It was amazing.
Wow.
It was amazing. 'Cause we were, like, right there, like, second row.
Uh-huh.
That was dope.
Yeah.
But I mean, (sighs) I don't ... You know. It's ins- it's inspiring to go see musicians, though, especially, like, I don't have any un- Do you d- play an instrument or anything?
I play guitar and harmonica.
You, you play guitar?
Yeah.
Really?
Yeah.
You good?
No, I'm just like a chord guy. I don't, I don't d- jam.
You just like it for fun?
I've- It was very therapeutic. When I first moved to LA, I started taking lessons at this place down the street, and I just found that it was, like, one of these zen things that got me out of my head.
Mm.
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