Brian Redban — Comedian, longtime JRE producer/engineer, and owner of the Sunset Strip Comedy Club in Austin, located next door to Joe's Comedy Mothership.
The gist
This is a loose, free-ranging conversation between Joe Rogan and Brian Redban centered on Austin becoming a comedy hub, with Redban promoting his new Sunset Strip Comedy Club. The two wander through phone wars (iPhone vs Android, Tesla's hated yoke steering wheel), Samsung's fake AI moon photos, and the Bud Light boycott. A long stretch covers food obsessions: Taco Casa as 1960s-era Taco Bell, smash burgers, New York delis, and why California water supposedly ruins pizza and bagels. The back half dives into AI deepfakes, voice-cloning scams, the metaverse versus VRChat, exotic serval cats, possums, and Redban's TRT routine, all in classic rambling JRE fashion.
Big reveals
- Joe claims Taco Casa is essentially Taco Bell's original 1960s-70s menu, kept by a franchisee who refused to change recipes when Pepsi bought Taco Bell.
- They discuss how Samsung Galaxy 'moon photos' aren't real photographs but AI fill-ins using a known image of the moon.
- Bud Light is said to be down around 21% after its boycott, with some bars refusing to sell it.
- Joe recounts failing his DMV eye test in Texas and being made to drive 30 minutes home for his glasses.
- Brian's yard toad nicknamed 'Jeff' was eaten alive by a possum, captured on his ring camera.
- Brian says that since starting testosterone therapy his recurring bloody hemorrhoid disappeared, joking it was really his 'man period.'
Things worth remembering
- Serval cats have a bite force of 172 Newtons versus about 56 for domestic cats, and are illegal to own in most US states.
- Amish and Mennonites have been separate groups within the anabaptist family since 1693.
- A New York chef made pasta from 95% shrimp using transglutaminase, or 'meat glue.'
- Imitation crab is made from Alaskan pollock bound with wheat and egg white.
- Title 42 derives its authority from a 1944 public health law allowing migration curbs to protect public health.
- The first karaoke machine was made in 1971, and a Filipino man patented the karaoke machine in the 1980s.
- A viral video shows an elevator counterweight failure launching the car up 30 floors in about 15 seconds.
- MSG was long demonized as toxic but is no longer considered harmful and simply makes food taste better.
Recommended in this episode
Books, products and media the guest or host genuinely endorsed here — with the buy link.
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Apple CarPlay
Apple
“people need that Apple carplay you can do anything that you need to do without ever touching the phone you don't have to touch anything it's the best” — Joe Rogan 00:03:44Find it on Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung
“the s23 ultra that's a good phone it's great yeah cameras are incredible it's so amazing that you could film a movie off a phone now” — Joe Rogan 02:13:09Find it on Amazon
Taran Tactical Pit Viper
Taran Tactical Innovations
“that's the pit viper that's the one that I have that is the smoothest flattest shooting gun that thing is so nice” — Joe Rogan 00:48:37Find it on Amazon
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Steven Spielberg (inferred)
“that's the recreation of the Close Encounters of the Third Kind scene which is amazing scene remember that scene this is such a good movie” — Joe Rogan 00:37:33Find it on Amazon
Avatar
James Cameron (inferred)
“I saw Avatar in the movie theater I took my kids we were on vacation and went to see it it was great yeah it's great” — Joe Rogan 00:49:39Find it on Amazon
Beef
Netflix (inferred)
“I watched that new Asian show with Margaret beef yeah that's amazing yeah it's great it's easy to watch the characters are all awesome” — Joe Rogan 00:50:10Find it on Amazon
Chimp Empire
Netflix (inferred)
“have you been watching chimp Empire it's really good man the footage is insane it's absolutely insane and these camera people are just accepted by these chimps” — Joe Rogan 01:19:33Find it on Amazon