Joe Rogan Experience #2575 – Sam Tallent

• 0:00 Brut, Sam’s hitman novel: the Random House two-book deal, the 30 pages that sold it, and a cover that looks like a punk album.
• 4:00 Male friendship, ritual cannibalism, and Red Dragon, the fake opium sold in Denver around 2006, plus William S. Burroughs, Hunter S. Thompson and Owl Farm.
• 16:00 Spite and envy, promo posts that feel hollow, New Haven pizza, bar shows outside Boston, papered rooms and building a market from 40 people in Omaha.
• 30:00 The Kill Tony at the O2 in London: fist fights, chants about Essex, the mute button and Tony Hinchcliffe’s birthday cake.
• 36:00 Being out in public with Shane Gillis and Will Smith, a Denis Johnson line about blame, echo chambers, gardening and the sky pumpkin.
• 49:00 45 weekends a year on the road, Joe’s handshake deal with his manager, Austin’s seven clubs, Ari Matti’s Estonian front row and the Royal Albert Hall book.
• 1:06:00 Bill Hicks in the podcast era, joke density, why a live special is scary, and ignoring both praise and hate.
• 1:20:00 The Brut screenplay, MFA programs and fiction for men: The Gray Man, Jack Carr, Rogue Male and Cormac McCarthy.
• 1:31:00 Shawn Ryan’s gift to Gavin Newsom, bowhunting elk, Sam’s 120-pound weight loss, simple strength work, yoga and The War of Art.
• 1:47:20 Richard Jeni’s four different hours, a home-club promotion ladder, being bad at 15-minute sets, and deleting social media.
• 2:01:00 Patrick Stewart and William Shatner, The Twilight Zone, an anarchist commune, AI as a digital god, AI agents that lie and cyber attacks on supermarkets.
• 2:30:00 Genetic testing in Israel, nuclear weapons, uploading consciousness, the gut microbiome, brain cells versus the universe, and why Brut has no E.

Brut (Sam Tallent) — Sam’s new hitman novel; Joe is on chapter 10 and calls it excellent. Amazon 0:00

Running the Light (Sam Tallent) — Sam’s first novel, about a road comic, reissued by Random House. Amazon 1:20

Junky (William S. Burroughs) — One of the Burroughs books Sam read as a teenager in Denver. Amazon 13:20

The Gray Man (Mark Greaney) — The first book in the assassin series Joe recommends. Amazon 1:24:40

The Terminal List (Jack Carr) — The Jack Carr thriller that became the Amazon Prime series. Amazon 1:27:20

Rogue Male (Geoffrey Household) — The forgotten novel about a hunter who tries to assassinate Hitler. Amazon 1:28:20

No Country for Old Men (Cormac McCarthy) — Joe’s pick for getting someone into reading. Amazon 1:29:40

Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy) — The McCarthy novel they say could only be adapted as a long animated film. Amazon 1:29:50

Bone Tomahawk (2015) — The western they bring up when talking about violence on screen. Amazon 1:30:20

The War of Art (Steven Pressfield) — The book on beating resistance that they both recommend. Amazon 1:46:40

The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series — The original show they say still holds up. Amazon 2:02:00

Owl Farm — Hunter S. Thompson’s home near Aspen, where a Denver writer got to finish his novel. Wikipedia 14:00

Kill Tony — The live podcast at the center of the O2 story and, Joe says, the cornerstone of his club. Wikipedia 30:00

Hindu push-up — Joe demonstrates the swooping push-up he recommends. Wikipedia 1:39:20

Universal basic income — Elon Musk’s idea of universal high income once AI does the work. Wikipedia 2:07:40

Gut microbiota — There are more bacteria in your gut than people who have ever lived. Wikipedia 2:35:00

Denver, Colorado — Where Sam started comedy in 2005 and found Red Dragon. Wikipedia 10:00

Funny Bone, Hartford — The Connecticut club Sam was headed to that weekend. Official site 20:20

New Haven, Connecticut — Yale, poverty three blocks away, and the best pizza on earth. Wikipedia 22:00

Cap City Comedy Club, Austin — Joe’s example of a club people trust no matter who is on. Official site 27:00

Omaha, Nebraska — Where Sam built his audience from 40 people to added shows. Wikipedia 28:00

The O2 Arena, London — Home of the Kill Tony that Sam calls the worst night of his career. Wikipedia 30:00

Bentonville, Arkansas — Home of Sam and his friend Raj’s Big Diamond Comedy Festival. Wikipedia 54:20

Comedy Mothership, Austin — Joe’s club and the hub of Austin’s seven-club comedy street. Official site 54:40

Madison Square Garden, New York — Where Joe saw people do their first-ever set. Wikipedia 1:01:00

Royal Albert Hall, London — Sam signed its performers’ book right under Roger Daltrey. Wikipedia 1:04:00

Catch a Rising Star, Cambridge — Where Joe paid to see Richard Jeni in 1988 and got roasted from the front row. Wikipedia 1:49:00

Comedy Works, Denver — Sam’s home club and its paid-host promotion ladder. Official site 1:52:40

Ithaca, New York — Where Sam stayed with a friend in an anarchist commune. Wikipedia 2:05:00

• DraftKings (18:40) — dkng.co/rogan · code ROGAN for new customers, plus NBA League Pass offer. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 21+.
• BetterHelp (55:30) — betterhelp.com/jre · 20% off your first month; in network with 125+ health plans.