The guest
Marcus King: Acclaimed Southern blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter from Greenville, South Carolina, born into a multi-generational family of musicians. Frontman of The Marcus King Band, known for fiery live performances and reviving guitar-driven rock.
What this episode covers
Joe Rogan and Marcus King open on Marcus's gift of a guitar before diving into a long, candid conversation about addiction, sobriety, and mental health. Marcus speaks openly about quitting drinking, his ongoing struggle with depression, suicidal thoughts, and his desire to wean off the antidepressant Cymbalta, while Joe argues much of America's medication culture is driven by financial incentives rather than real chemical imbalances. They riff on the resurgence of rock and roll, the magic and business snakes of the music industry, drug policy and cannabis legalization, the strange cultural history of pornography, and VR zombie gaming. The episode is heavy on personal storytelling, dark humor, and Marcus's reflections on how struggle fuels great art.
Recommended on this episode
ProductRecommended
Ketone-IQ
Ketone-IQ
“That stuff's great”
“This is why people take things like Ketone IQ. That stuff's great. Like you just down one of those little shots and it puts you into ketosis”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
Late Night with the Devil
Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes
“That was [ __ ] good. That's a really good movie”
“Have you ever seen Late Night with the Devil? That was [ __ ] good. That's a really good movie, man.”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
From
Epix / MGM+
“It's [ __ ] good, man. It's good”
“It's [ __ ] good, man. It's good. And it's really scary. It's really scary and [ __ ] creepy and horrific.”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
Forensic Files
Medstar Television
“I love it”
“it's like forensic files puts me out. I love it. You like that before you go to bed? That's my comfort.”— Marcus King
MediaRecommended
Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Colonel Bruce Hampton
Billy Bob Thornton
“I just buy copies... and I just give it to people”
“what I do now is I just buy copies of his documentary Basically Frightened and I just give it to people who aren't hip to the knowledge”— Marcus King
MediaRecommended
American Werewolf in London
John Landis
“a great [ __ ] movie... One of the greatest movies of all time”
“it's a great [ __ ] movie. One of the best scenes. One of the greatest movies of all time.”— Joe Rogan
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
ProductReferenced
Willie's Remedy
Willie Nelson
“He's got that weed drink. Willy's remedy. And Ron White brought some to the green room. It's real as [ __ ] dude. That stuff's very legit”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Midnight Cowboy
John Schlesinger
“we would play just the footage of like a Midnight Cowboy. It's a good one. Yeah. That was back when Times Square was dirty.”— Marcus King
MediaReferenced
The Brown Bunny
Vincent Gallo
“Do you remember the movie Brown Bunny? Brown Bunny was a Vincent Gallo movie that he made and there was a real sex scene in there”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Deep Throat
Gerard Damiano
“couples would go out and like Johnny Carson went to see Deep Throat. There's like famous people went to see the film Deep Throat in the theater.”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
East of Eden
John Steinbeck
“waking up in the morning and reading East of Eden and just like some of these great architects of Americana”— Marcus King
MediaReferenced
Rocksmith
Ubisoft
“It's like a training aid called Rocksmith, which is way it's you actually have a guitar and it's plugged into it”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Guitar Hero
Activision
“there's certain games where you can play guitar like Guitar Hero. That's not the [ __ ] same.”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Fortnite
Epic Games
“what's the big first person shooter that the kids play today, Jamie? I made Fortnite. Fortnite's been around forever.”— Joe Rogan
Big reveals from this episode
- Marcus describes the blackout night that finally made him quit drinking for good, when his wife left him on a friend's floor and drove off in the tour bus.
- Marcus reveals he is on the antidepressant Cymbalta and wants to get off it, fearing severe withdrawal.
- Marcus recounts feeling totally numb at his grandmother's funeral on early meds, then sobbing uncontrollably at dinner two weeks after stopping.
- Marcus admits to recurring intrusive suicidal thoughts, including noticing a punching-bag mount in his gym 'would probably hold my weight.'
- Joe asserts the serotonin 'chemical imbalance' theory of depression is not real and that doctors are financially incentivized to keep patients medicated.
- Marcus recalls touring with and then having to kick Mastodon's Brent Hinds off the tour shortly before Hinds died in September.
- Marcus tells the story of being handed ketamine instead of cocaine right after nearly drowning off a catamaran in the Cayman Islands.
Worth remembering
- They cite a claim that 77% of American kids can't pass the physical to get into the military.
- Joe says Ketone-IQ shots put you into ketosis temporarily; their inventor Patrick Arnold also created 'the clear' steroid used in the BALCO scandal.
- The 1970 Controlled Substances Act made psychedelics Schedule I, which Joe argues was aimed at the civil-rights and anti-war movements.
- A woman in a medically induced coma dreamed she raised triplets over seven years, then woke to learn the children never existed.
- Ari Shafir took a huge hit of salvia on a podcast and experienced living six months underwater with a whole community during a 10-minute trip.
- Marcus cites data that around 70% of artists struggle with some facet of mental health.
- Colonel Bruce Hampton's documentary 'Basically Frightened' is not streaming anywhere; Marcus buys DVD copies off eBay to give away.
- Joe argues you need suffering and 'evil vampires' in the music business to appreciate the good and to fuel great art.
- Joe describes Sandbox VR zombie game Deadwood Mansion, where he once held the #3 score in the country; pro tip: use the shotgun.
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