The guest
Zach Bryan: Country/folk singer-songwriter and former U.S. Navy aviation ordnanceman who went viral on Twitter while serving
What this episode covers
Zach Bryan, 27, joins Joe Rogan over Bud Lights and opens up about the strangeness of sudden fame and self-censorship in the social-media age. He recounts nine years in the Navy, training to become a SEAL, his mother's death, and how viral guitar videos eventually got him honorably discharged to make music. The pair range widely across exercise and alcohol's toll on the body, songwriting and the threat of AI-generated music, the Empire State Building's hard-driving builders, and the catastrophe of success. The conversation closes on extended riffs about UFO disclosure, alien biological entities, China's surveillance of students, and whether the universe itself is God.
Recommended on this episode
ProductRecommended
Bud Light
Anheuser-Busch
“it's such a great beer”
“I've drank but light so long and it's such a great beer and I can't even drink it”— Zach Bryan
ProductRecommended
Alpha Brain
Onnit
“I take like six I take six at a time”
“I think I take like six I take six at a time those Alpha brains cuz I like being”— Joe Rogan
BookRecommended
The Catastrophe of Success
Tennessee Williams
“you got to read this”
“I posted on my Instagram last week this thing called the catastrophe of success have you ever read that no by Tennessee Williams”— Zach Bryan
BookRecommended
Chaos
Tom O'Neill
“it's an amazing book”
“documented by this Guy Tom O'Neal in this book called chaos it's an amazing book that talks about the cia's LSD program”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
Black Mirror
“it's my favorite show it's great show”
“it's an amazing show it freaks you out it's my favorite show it's great show my wife won't watch it with me”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
I'm Alive
Johnny Thunder
“how good is this that's crazy so good”
“my friend Brian Simpson turned me onto this song and this song should have been a gigantic hit”— Zach Bryan
MediaRecommended
Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey
“it's a really good documentary I can't recommend it enough”
“did you ever see the documentary dirt bag it's about this famous climber who was uh kind just like this legendary climber”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
You Can Have the Crown
Sturgill Simpson
“I love that song”
“I think Sturgill Simpson said that about you can have the crown like that one song I love that song”— Zach Bryan
MediaRecommended
Dress Blues
Jason Isbell
“it's beautiful it's beautiful”
“you ever heard that song dress blues by Isel no you got it's beautiful it's beautiful”— Zach Bryan
MediaRecommended
Moment of Contact
James Fox
“did a great movie on”
“James Fox did a great movie on called the the moment of contact and the moment of contact is all about this one town in Brazil”— Joe Rogan
MediaRecommended
Father Stu
“you have to watch it it's so good”
“I forgot it's father stew father stew you have to watch it it's so good”— Zach Bryan
The guest's own work
MediaBy the guest
Tradesman
Zach Bryan
“I got a song on the new album called Tradesman sometimes I wish man that I was like just doing something that gave purpose”— Zach Bryan
MediaBy the guest
Something in the Orange
Zach Bryan
“I think about it all the time like something in the orange and it's out there and some homeless guy's wiping his ass with it”— Zach Bryan
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
ProductReferenced
Budweiser
Anheuser-Busch
“I just want to drink a Budweiser bro I was reading about this bar owner that stopped selling it”— Zach Bryan
ProductReferenced
Modelo
Modelo
“you just see medell cans everywhere bro you go to a show and there's medell everywhere”— Zach Bryan
ProductReferenced
Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens
“that's why I wear dog Martins cuz my grandfather wore him and he would put his spikes on”— Zach Bryan
ProductReferenced
ChatGPT
OpenAI
“they're already got chat GPT that can have conversations with you right and can diagnose illnesses and tell you how to fix your car”— Joe Rogan
BookReferencedISBN verified
Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
“I saw on here like two years ago sapiens that book yes uh I read it because of this podcast”— Zach Bryan
BookReferenced
McGoorty: A Pool Room Hustler
Robert Byrne
“a biography of this guy um I think his name was Danny mcgury I think it's called mcgury life of a pool Hustler”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Heavy Metal
“did you ever see Heavy Metal huh that's the one where the robots are chasing this lady”— Zach Bryan
MediaReferenced
The Alpinist
“did you ever see the alpinist yeah yeah sad sad but also I mean wild it's sad that his”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Fight Club
“like Fight Club said you know uh like I fear that if things were to happen would people have that American Spirit”— Zach Bryan
MediaReferenced
Voodoo Child (cover)
Stevie Ray Vaughan
“some covers are amazing St Von's cover of Voodoo Child come on some of the best songs of like ever were were covers”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Pineapple Express
“and then this reminds me of Pineapple Express while he was tripping balls was thinking that technology is going to kill all the people”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
Apocalypse Now
“they have the benefit of having seen you know Apocalypse Now and having listened to the White album”— Joe Rogan
MediaReferenced
The White Album
The Beatles
“they have the benefit of having seen you know Apocalypse Now and having listened to the White album”— Joe Rogan
Big reveals from this episode
- Zach got swept into the Bud Light culture war after defending his sister's transgender spouse on Twitter, drawing hundreds of haters.
- He trained two years to become a Navy SEAL, but his mother died the day his BUD/S package came back, and he stepped away.
- After going viral he was processed out of the Navy over eight months; he believes Elvis Presley was the last person honorably discharged to make music.
- Four notebooks containing roughly two years of his songs were stolen in a backpack in Times Square in November.
- To fight scalpers he personally restructured ticketing (registration, ID checks at venues, flat $150 tickets) and got blamed by angry fans.
- Joe recounts Dana White being down $600,000 playing blackjack in Vegas before winning it back.
Worth remembering
- The Empire State Building was built in one year and 45 days; roughly five workers died during construction.
- May West was arrested in 1927 over her play 'Sex,' charged with 'giving a performance not tending to advance the morals of the spectators.'
- Johnny Thunder, who sang 'I'm Alive,' had the real name Gil Hamilton.
- Dunbar's number suggests humans handle tiered relationships up to about 150 people, from five close confidants outward.
- Tom O'Neill's book 'Chaos' argues the Manson family may have tied into a CIA MK Ultra program, including Operation Midnight Climax.
- A Chinese primary school used headbands to monitor students' concentration via facial recognition, halting after public outcry.
- Early GPS units loaded maps from CD/DVD and could only hold the data for California.
- Anheuser-Busch reportedly lost tens of billions in market value amid the Bud Light boycott.
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