Joe Rogan Experience #1874 - Dave Attell

Dave Attell and Joe Rogan reminisce about classic comedy clubs, the late-80s comedy boom and bust, and the current renaissance fueled by podcasters and Austin's scene. They wander through tangents on rats and crocodiles, giant Caucasian Shepherd dogs, Cameo, and the decay of New York and Portland. A long stretch covers the history of psychedelics, from the Eleusinian Mysteries and ergot poisoning to LSD, ibogaine, and cold-plunge therapy. The conversation closes on craft, work ethic, and comedy's value in chaotic times, punctuated by Dave getting a real on-mic leg cramp.

• Joe lays out John Marco Allegro's theory that Christianity grew from psychedelic mushroom rituals, tracing 'Jesus' to a Sumerian term.
  01:16:15
• Brian Murarescu's work suggests the ancient Greek Eleusinian Mysteries used ergot-spiked wine to induce psychedelic visions for ~2,000 years.
  01:19:23
• A 1950s French town suffered mass ergot poisoning, with people hallucinating visions of hell and several dying.
  01:20:55
• Ibogaine reportedly reverses opiate addiction by altering gene expression and resetting neuroreceptors to a pre-addiction state.
  01:28:42
• Wim Hof's feats: nearly 1 hour 52 minutes in an ice bath and summiting Everest in shorts and sandals.
  01:33:21
• Dave Attell gets a genuine, painful leg cramp live on the mic, prompting a Liquid I.V. and pinch-your-lip remedy bit.
  02:22:24
• The Segway company's owner died after riding one of his own scooters off a cliff.
  02:34:20

• Gilbert Gottfried would do 10 or more Cameos a day and was among the platform's biggest sellers.
  00:20:43
• Brian Baumgartner (Kevin from The Office) was the top Cameo earner, charging roughly $2,600 per video.
  00:23:22
• You can safely eat a rat if you cook it to 167 degrees to kill trichinosis.
  00:31:13
• A Mongolian couple died of bubonic plague in 2019 after eating raw marmot meat.
  00:31:43
• Vatican City is a sovereign nation with its own laws and money, and people can't be extradited out of it.
  01:14:43
• The Vatican's giant bronze pine cone is said to reference the pineal gland, the so-called third eye.
  01:15:45
• Pairing sauna with a cold plunge boosts mood; letting the body warm naturally afterward gives the most benefit.
  01:31:17
• People who go barefoot through jungles develop splayed, hand-like, heavily muscled feet.
  02:29:38

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