The guest
Greg Fitzsimmons: Veteran stand-up comedian, writer, and podcaster (Fitzdog Radio), a longtime friend of Joe Rogan from the Boston and LA comedy scenes.
What this episode covers
This is a loose, wide-ranging conversation between two stand-up comedians. They open with Joe's grueling fitness contests and the mental-health benefits of cardio, then drift into comedy careers, the freedom of decentralized comedy in Austin, and the discipline of writing through 'resistance.' Long stretches cover true crime and the barbarism of history (Vlad the Impaler, the Comanches, mob hitmen like Roy DeMayo), gambling addiction, and the dangers of street fights and head injuries. They also trade movie and TV opinions, criticizing actor changes in House of the Dragon and praising shows like Peaky Blinders and The Crown.
Recommended on this episode
BookRecommended
Kevin Nealon caricature book
Kevin Nealon
“as good as any caricatures I've seen”
“He does caricatures of famous comedians really... he's got a new book that just came out... it's like as good as any caricatures I've seen”— Joe Rogan
BookRecommendedISBN verified
Empire of the Summer Moon
S.C. Gwynne
“it's an amazing book”
“if you find out what the Comanches did there's uh this book Empire of the summer Moon... it's a it's an amazing book”— Joe Rogan
ProductRecommended
Porsche 911 Turbo S
Porsche
“the handling is outrageous the speed is telepathic”
“Reggie has a Porsche Turbo S which is a Preposterous car... the handling is outrageous the speed is telepathic”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
Snatch
Guy Ritchie
“that was great fucking movie really good movie”
“what was the movie where it wasn't Brad Pitt yeah snatch snatch that was great fucking movie really good movie”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
Uncut Gems
“great fucking movie”
“you're like Adam Sandler and rough rough cut Gems or uncut gems did you see that movie yeah great fucking movie”— Greg Fitzsimmons
MediaRecommended
Lost in America
Albert Brooks
“one of the greatest comedies of all time”
“that Albert Brooks movie they leave La... one of the greatest comedies of all time the boldest experiment in advertising history”— Greg Fitzsimmons
MediaRecommended
The Crown
“that show is really fucking good”
“that show is really fucking good Olivia Coleman is unbelievable”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
The Lord of the Rings (film trilogy)
Peter Jackson
“loved them”
“did you watch the Lord of the Rings movies yes loved them oh really yeah well I was a big fan of the books when I was a kid”— Greg Fitzsimmons
BookRecommendedISBN verified
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
“the books are incredible”
“the books are incredible I mean the guy wrote a language he wrote a whole language to go with the the whole story”— Joe Rogan
BookRecommended
Murder Machine
Gene Mustain and Jerry Capeci
“the book is terrifying”
“Joey Diaz gave me a book once on... it's called Murder machine about Roy DeMayo... the book is terrifying the book is called Murder machine”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
Peaky Blinders
“one of the most badass protagonists in any drama you've ever seen”
“it is up there with you know Game of Thrones Sopranos... the guy who's the lead is just one of the most badass protagonists in any drama you've ever seen”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
Thieves Highway
“it's fucking good”
“something Highway it was about... thieves Highway was it good oh it's fucking good”— Greg Fitzsimmons
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
ProductReferenced
MyZone
Myzone
“we were using this my zones thing so it's like you wear a chest strap and the chest strap gives you points uh with the application”— Joe Rogan
ProductReferenced
iPad
Apple
“Ari figured out that he could watch TV while you were doing cardio so he watched movies on an iPad while he's doing cardio”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
John Wick
“so I watched John Wick like 50 times I kept rewinding it to the scene in the bath house where he kills everybody”— Joe Rogan
ProductReferenced
23andMe
23andMe
“when they do a genetic test they can find out some of your families from Eastern Europe... they can do that with like a 23andMe”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Kill Tony
Tony Hinchcliffe
“now with all these podcasts particularly like with kill Tony and all these other comedy podcasts like if you're in the group of people”— Joe Rogan
BookReferencedISBN verified
The War of Art
Steven Pressfield
“one of the terms that Stephen pressfield uses in the war of art... he talks about resistance and that's the resistance is the thing that keeps you from writing”— Joe Rogan
BookReferenced
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
“Stephen pressfield uses in the war of art the war of art not to be confused with the Art of War”— Joe Rogan
BookReferencedISBN verified
If I Did It
O.J. Simpson
“he wrote a book called if I did it somebody gave me a copy of that... he described the murder from his point of view he signed it”— Joe Rogan
BookReferencedISBN verified
The Gray Man
Mark Greaney
“the movie The Gray Man... fun movie but very different than the book the book is dark... it's about like a real CIA Hitman”— Greg Fitzsimmons
MediaReferenced
Taken
“I don't mind Liam Neeson doing action... the main one taken... when he calls the guy up... I have a particular set of skills... I bought that”— Greg Fitzsimmons
MediaReferenced
Coming to America
“how was that coming to America was such a fucking great premise you ever see that movie”— Greg Fitzsimmons
MediaReferenced
The Jamie Kennedy Experiment
Jamie Kennedy
“do you remember the Jamie Kennedy experiment of course Jamie Kennedy is like the most underrated prank show guy in history”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Amazon
“I haven't watched The Lord of the Rings thing on Amazon but I heard so fucking disaster... it's the most expensive TV show ever made”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
The Pope of Greenwich Village
“what about Mickey Rourke and Pope Greenwich Village oh my God that was about Eric Roberts... what a scene what a great fucking scene”— Greg Fitzsimmons
MediaReferenced
Best of the Best 2
“imagine going from the pope of Greenwich Village to the best of the best too... he got beefed up for that yeah man it's in the karate movie”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Your Mom's House
Tom Segura and Christina P
“Tom Segura has sent me and showed me some of the most horrific things that they show on your mom's house live when they do those shows”— Greg Fitzsimmons
Big reveals from this episode
- Joe recounts doing seven hours of cardio in one day for 1,100 points during a comedians' fitness contest, watching John Wick on repeat to stay motivated.
- Joe describes being hypnotized by 'mind coach' Vinnie Shoreman and experiencing a real, drug-like altered state of clarity.
- Greg confesses he punched a girl in the face on Halloween at age 13, mistaking her for a boy after she sprayed shaving cream in his eyes.
- Joe pulls up Greg's age live on his phone, joking about Greg getting B12 and testosterone shots and joining Gold's Gym in Venice.
- Greg tells the story of being paired to play golf with O.J. Simpson after the murders but before prison, asking O.J. on the 11th hole to admit 'she did it.'
- Greg recounts taking an eighth of fresh mushrooms in Vancouver and wandering for six hours, calling it one of the greatest days of his life.
- Joe details living on Mulberry Street next to Gotti's Ravenite Social Club, with the FBI hiding microphones in car hubcaps.
Worth remembering
- Malcolm Gladwell's theory that Appalachian honor-culture violence descends from herding peoples who had to violently defend movable livestock.
- 'Fitzsimmons' means 'bastard son of Simmons,' from Norman invaders who seized Irish land; any 'Fitz' name signals illegitimate lineage.
- Brett Favre allegedly helped siphon roughly six million dollars from a Mississippi welfare fund to build a volleyball stadium.
- Physicist Steven Koonin examined climate models and noted Earth's temperature has always spiked and dipped over thousand-year spans.
- The Bram Stoker Dracula myth originates with Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Tepes), who tortured and impaled enemies while dining.
- Cynthia Ann Parker, kidnapped at nine and assimilated by the Comanche, became despondent when forcibly returned to white society; her son was Quanah Parker.
- Amazon's Rings of Power reportedly cost over 700 million dollars, with much spent just to secure the digital rights.
- Joe Rogan lived next door to Gotti's headquarters; mob hitman Roy DeMayo (the 'Murder Machine' crew) was tagged for 75 murders and claimed 100.
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