The guest
Chris Robinson: Singer and co-founder of The Black Crowes, lifelong record collector, DJ, and head of the Silver Arrow label.
What this episode covers
Joe Rogan sits down with Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson for a sprawling conversation about music and culture. Robinson traces his roots in 1980s Atlanta punk and new wave, his obsession with vinyl and record stores, and the band's early defiance against corporate sponsors and label executives. They range widely across travel (Sicily, Jamaica, Italy), the dangers of social media and TikTok, the loss of authentic rock rebellion, and the importance of craft over algorithm-driven content. The talk closes on artistic purity, adversity, and music's power to carry people through hardship.
Recommended on this episode
BookRecommendedISBN verified
Naples '44
Norman Lewis
“it's an unbelievable book; incredible stories... incredible survival and heroics and art and culture; a great great book unbelievable Unforgettable”
“have you ever seen a book called Naples 44... it's an unbelievable book that this guy writes and it's the sadness and the like tragedy of it”— Chris Robinson
BookRecommendedISBN verified
Wine and War
Don and Petie Kladstrup
“another amazing book; it's a great great book cuz it's so important over there”
“I just read another amazing book called wine and War and it's a history of like the wine business during the Nazi occupation during World War II”— Chris Robinson
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The Immortality Key
Brian Muraresku
“this incredible book about the use of psychedelics in ancient Greece”
“Brian Muraresku is a scholar who wrote this incredible book about the use of psychedelics in ancient Greece that's now been confirmed”— Joe Rogan
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Withnail and I
“is one of my favorite movies of all time”
“Richard E Grant... because of the film with nail and I is one of my favorite movies of all time”— Chris Robinson
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Rant in E-Minor
Bill Hicks
“I still put that on and it's just fantastic unbelievably funny; changed comedy made people wanted to become profound”
“what's that record called rant and C minor... I still put that on and it's just un fantastic unbelievably fun changed comedy”— Chris Robinson
MediaRecommended
Johnny Stecchino
Roberto Benigni
“you would love it yeah so fun; it's unbelievably funny movie it's insane”
“have you ever seen a funny movie called Johnny Stecchino with Roberto Benigni the Italian comedic actor... it's an unbelievably funny movie it's insane”— Chris Robinson
ProductRecommended
Ricard pastis
Ricard
“it's delicious”
“Marseille is famous for pastis... it's a high alcohol level a lot of sugar but it's delicious you put it in ice and dilute it with water”— Chris Robinson
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
MediaReferenced
Columbo
“Lieutenant Columbo he's always being like reprimanded for it... he was that was an interesting character right because he was kind of setting you up the whole time”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Quincy, M.E.
“the only one that I rarely remember is Quincy so Jack Klugman yelling at everyone all the... he's yelling about the sandwich”— Chris Robinson
MediaReferenced
Eraserhead
David Lynch
“probably the first time I saw eraser head or Rude Boy the movie about The Clash”— Chris Robinson
MediaReferenced
Rude Boy
“probably the first time I saw eraser head or Rude Boy the movie about The Clash”— Chris Robinson
MediaReferenced
The Decline of Western Civilization
Penelope Spheeris
“decliner Western Civilization Punk things and New Wave things and I always had an interest in the in stranger things”— Chris Robinson
MediaReferenced
Quest for Fire
“I describe it as like the movie Quest for Fire you know when they have to keep the fire burning in that little thing”— Chris Robinson
MediaReferenced
Gosford Park
Robert Altman
“he was with Richard E Grant they were making Gosford Park”— Chris Robinson
Big reveals from this episode
- The Black Crowes feuded with ZZ Top on tour over Miller Lite sponsorship, with Robinson telling crowds no beer company owned their music.
- On their second Saturday Night Live appearance Robinson insisted on playing the unknown 'Non-Fiction' over a hit single, defying the show's music director who later called them the worst people he ever dealt with.
- Rick Rubin allegedly suggested they spell the band 'Cobb County Crows' as 'KKK' to be controversial, which Robinson found unimaginably offensive.
- Robinson clarifies he and his brother were born in Atlanta, not Cobb County, and that it's been hard to correct on Wikipedia.
- Robinson recounts the Eleusinian Mysteries and how the rich made them exclusive before the Romans shut them down, paralleling the 1960s scheduling of psychedelics.
- The pandemic gave Robinson perspective that singing isn't all he can do; he wants to write books and pursue other artistic outlets.
Worth remembering
- The term 'Quincy punk' came from a Quincy episode about the LA punk scene; looking like the show's punks meant you were considered fake.
- Robinson has been buying records since age 12 and recently put 4,000 records into storage for lack of space.
- Robinson and his wife Camille DJ together under the name 'the captain and Camille.'
- The Black Crowes headlined the Memphis Blues Festival with John Lee Hooker going on before them, which Robinson felt was wrong.
- Robinson smoked a joint with director Robert Altman at a Donatella Versace party in London.
- On tour they played a Roman theater in Mérida, Spain that had been filled with trash until excavated in the 1950s.
- France lost about 25% of its men in World War I and another 25% in World War II.
- Robinson says the Rolling Stones play their songs in the same keys as decades ago, and that he keeps his own songs in their original keys too.
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