Joe Rogan Experience #2484 - David Cross
In a Nutshell
Joe Rogan and David Cross reminisce about comedy legends like Art Bell, Phil Hendrie, Barry Crimmins, and Boston's '80s scene traps (local fame, golf, family mortgages stalling national careers), Cross's NewsRadio break, and personal histories from hippie SF to Ali's cultural impact. They pivot to modern perils: AI deepfakes, sentient AGI risks (Mythos exploits, nuclear war games), robot warfare detecting heartbeats miles away, and Middle East escalations without strategy. Cross plugs his new YouTube special *The End of the Beginning*, forged via stage-testing in Brooklyn, reaffirming standup as comedy's irreplaceable core amid pandemic hiatuses.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Joe Rogan and David Cross reunite after a long time, possibly post-News Radio. They hung out during News Radio appearances. Cross had more hair then; Rogan was fighting to keep his. Rogan is bald except for a failed hair transplant he jokes about: "having a hair transplant is like taking people that are healthy and moving them into a neighborhood where everyone's dying. Where did Bob go? He just flew off the face of the earth."
Cross accepts baldness: better than barbers' boring stories while held hostage with scissors. Rogan dislikes shaving, looks like a turtle without beard, keeps it for attractiveness since he "jerk[s] off to [himself] all the time." Goes to a barber nearby for quick service but endures chit-chat with one talkative guy using a straight razor, forcing politeness.
Beards convey distinction, experience, or homeless alcoholic vibe. Rogan's full white beard is a statement; Cross's is laziness—avoids shaving, gains weight in stomach and neck on thin frame. Lets it grow 6-7 weeks then shaves as hair grows out like a clown. Friend Asan (Indian comedian, ex-doorman at Comedy Store, from LA) shaves head but lets sides grow goofy for stage joke, embraces it despite bald top, still gets laid because funny.
Cross shows photo resembling Art Bell ("From the Kingdom of Night"). Rogan loved Coast to Coast AM, listened driving home from Hollywood Valley nights. Cross did bit on successor George Noory. In Prey video game (underrated, set on '90s reservation bar invaded by aliens), TV plays staticky Art Bell discussing aliens as character approaches—cool detail.
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