Say It So, Joe

(Variety photo)

Hearing about its growing popularity, I started listening to Joe Rogan's podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, four years ago.

I didn't have the time to tune in regularly. Joe's interviews were long--over two hours--and conversational. They were free of pyrotechnics---no throbbing music, no quick cuts, and no obvious agendas. It had the pace of a C-Span book review.

The guest list reflected the host's interests and was weighted to stand-up comedy, martial arts, and health. He was curious about a wide range of subjects--neuroscience, technology, anthropology, space travel, entertainment, economics, religion, politics--and would invite participants in their respective fields to talk about them. It reminded me of college b.s. sessions, where one could talk about anything and propose crazy, sacrilegious ideas free of negative consequences.

Just by knowing my birth year, Spotify assumed that I
liked these geezers. How presumptuous (and accurate).

Joe Rogan hit the big time when music-platform Spotify offered him $100 million at the end of 2020 for the exclusive right to stream his podcast. His new shows stopped being available on Apple's podcast app. I haven't been listening since January, 2021.

Joe Rogan's podcast became the center of attention when 76-year-old rocker Neil Young said that it was spreading misinformation about COVID-19:

Mr. Young published an open letter in which he cited a podcast episode that featured Dr. Robert Malone, a virologist who worked on research into several mRNA Covid-19 vaccines but who is now critical of them. Among the claims made in the episode was the suggestion that hospitals have been financially motivated to falsely diagnose deaths as having been caused by Covid-19.

Neil Young and a few other musicians (none A-list so far) demanded that Spotify not carry their music unless Joe Rogan was removed from the site. Although the initial reason for the ultimatum was COVID misinformation, a second controversy arose when several episodes that used the "n-word" were re-discovered. Joe Rogan and Spotify have apologized, and 113 episodes were taken down.

Back when I was listening to him in 2020, questions about COVID-19 were on everyone's mind. Treatments, preventative measures, which population groups were susceptible, masking and social distancing in some circumstances but not others---all were the subject of dispute.

His podcasts were filled with anecdotes about how individual guests, friends, and family fared. These stories about how people coped, and the many and varied outcomes, were interesting and comforting in the way group therapy is helpful. He talked about hydroxychloroquine as a treatment, Vitamin D as a protective measure, and various types of masks. Occasionally he had medical professionals on the show, and Joe would pepper them with questions. I never heard him tell listeners not to follow official guidelines, though some of his guests might have. Even if he did (remember I didn't catch his 2021 podcats), you'd be crazy to get your medical advice from a comedian, as Joe Rogan and Scott Adams like to say.

Though I had an aversion to adding more apps to the home screen, I downloaded the Spotify app to the iPhone, then subscribed to the Joe Rogan Experience.

I had never intended to sign up for Spotify, but the politicization of everything forces one to take sides, and I'm not on the side of the cancellers.

Note: Spotify, Facing Pushback Against Joe Rogan, Reports Jump in Users