Joe Rogan Experience #1990 - Bert Kreischer

Bert Kreischer and Joe Rogan open with a love letter to comedy friendship and the idea that the rising tide raises all boats. Bert is in promotion mode for his movie The Machine, which grew out of his Russian-mob story first told on JRE in 2011, and he repeatedly pleads with fans to support comedy by going to theaters. The pair drift through wild tangents: drinking-fueled run-ins with Israel Adesanya in New Zealand, the brutal economics of theatrical vs streaming releases, how culture has shifted around old comedies, and the danger-shaped psychology of people who grow up around gators, sharks, and rattlesnakes. They dig into war history (WWI truces, wolves, Vietnam), cancel culture and corporate compliance, and the n-word's unique place in comedy. The conversation closes on vulnerability, Bert's people-pleasing roots, and gratitude for the comedy community Joe helped build.

• Bert begs fans to see The Machine in theaters, explaining the movie grew from a story he only told on stage because Joe pushed him to.
  00:13:09
• Bert recounts going shirtless and challenging an entire New Zealand bar to fight alongside UFC champ Israel Adesanya at 3am.
  00:05:46
• Bert opens up about feeling 'not good enough,' tracing his oversharing and people-pleasing to a 'little hole' from his upbringing versus Tom Segura's.
  01:22:53
• Bert reveals he rewrote his opening movie scene the night before shooting after hearing Joe say comedies 'don't go hard anymore' on a podcast.
  01:53:58
• Bert breaks down movie-theater economics: a box-office hit triggers green-lights for Fat Astronauts (Monday) and Tim Dillon's project (Tuesday).
  02:38:37
• They reveal the Russian-mob 'Machine' story was first told on JRE around April 2011 and became the most popular thing to ever emerge from the podcast.
  02:35:58

• The WWI Christmas Truce of 1914 saw enemy soldiers sing carols and cease fire, enraging commanders who threatened to kill anyone fraternizing.
  00:55:18
• During WWI, Russian and German forces reportedly held a ceasefire because packs of wolves were attacking their wounded soldiers.
  00:57:55
• The term 'bigwig' comes from syphilitic French royalty wearing large wigs to cover hair loss as the disease progressed.
  02:21:25
• European diseases like smallpox killed roughly 90% of Native American populations, more than the massacres themselves.
  02:17:48
• 'Machina' means car/machine in Russian, the same word referenced in John Wick.
  00:29:16
• Florida State's Chief Osceola rides Renegade bareback and spikes a flaming spear at midfield, a tradition Bert experienced as an FSU freshman.
  02:11:35
• Bert describes a Vancouver pop-up 'drugs store' openly selling tested cocaine, heroin, and meth.
  01:07:20
• In film deals, a theatrical hit lets all parties recoup and earn back-end points, while streamers typically just break you even plus a little extra.
  02:39:07

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