#1021 - Russell Brand

Joe Rogan (0:01)

Four, three, two, one.

I'm gonna do what you're doing, what are you doing over there, man? What is this?

Russell Brand (0:14)

Well, actually, I was thinking about making sure that I'm in a position mentally and spiritually to talk openly and clearly and connect.

Joe Rogan (0:23)

But you're doing it with fists, which I found interesting. It's like, you're gonna be, you're gonna talk openly, but you're gonna be strong about it. It's not like this, there's this thing that, the meditation thing, where you're just gently touching your fingers together.

Russell Brand (0:35)

Yeah, right, I suppose then I'm looking to be embodied as well.

Joe Rogan (0:39)

You're intense, you're doing it with, you're like a hybrid.

Russell Brand (0:43)

Yeah, that's right, that's what we've got to become these days.

Joe Rogan (0:45)

Yeah, a little bit of both. A little bit of spiritual, a little bit of warrior, the whole thing.

Russell Brand (0:49)

Yeah, we've got to survive in this world.

Joe Rogan (0:51)

Yeah.

Russell Brand (0:52)

You know.

Joe Rogan (0:53)

Yeah.

Russell Brand (0:54)

So you can't be all ethereal, it can't be, it can't all be in the consciousness.

Joe Rogan (1:00)

Yeah, otherwise you'll never get anything done. Right, you'll just be constantly dealing with other people's wants and wishes and, you know.

Russell Brand (1:09)

Unless you're going to make the decision to be one of those cave people, unless you, because sometimes I think about that, like let's put on robes, meditate, only that, only live in the consciousness. But given my extreme levels of attachment I've experienced over the years to physical things, I don't think that's my path. You know, I'm here, I'm in the world, I'm selling books, I'm having a baby, I'm caring about what people think about me, I'm wondering if I'm going to be in a film, I'm dealing with the world, being a man in the world, being the type of man I am. It's not like, I'll just life myself off in a cave.

Joe Rogan (1:42)

Well, there's a certain amount of attraction that I think we all have to this idea, like, hey man, I'm just going to get away from it all. But the problem is, it's going on, whether you like it or not, it's happening.

Even if you're not there, it's going on. So you should probably be there just to go, what is this?

Russell Brand (1:57)

What is this? Even in Christianity, Christ says, in the world, but not of it. So like trying not to be defined and determined by other people's opinions of you, the systems and structures that are set up around you, particularly if you question those systems and structures and think, well, I don't trust that system. I don't agree with that.

You don't want to be defined by that. But the fact is, we are here. And I think there are certain people, you know, that do have a monastic tendency that should be meditating, that aren't equipped for the material world. And one of the great things that makes me sad about our times is if you don't have economic and productive values, then you're a nobody, you know? And there are some people that don't know how to resource themselves. You found a way of turning yourself into an economy of creating a kingdom. I found my own way of like, oh right, I can make my mental illness work for me. People pay me money, it would be this crazy.

But not everyone gets those kind of breaks or has that kind of skill set.

Joe Rogan (2:53)

Yeah, I mean, obviously there's some people that really do thrive on that monastic lifestyle.

Have you ever seen this advice documentary on this guy? His name is Heinmo. He lives in, I believe it's the eastern part of Alaska.

He's in this Arctic region.

There's a vice piece called Heinmo's Arctic Adventure. That's it. Arctic Refuge, Heimo, H-E-I-M-O. Heimo Korth is his name. And this guy is a variant. He lives in the Elastic Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 100 miles from the nearest human. And he lives there with his wife, and he lives in this little log house that he's sort of built himself. And he thrives up there. It's very strange because we're attracted to these people like to just go, okay, what do you do all day, man? Like, what's your life like? And do you miss people? He has like a VCR and he plays old movies.

And it's a fascinating thing because I think when you watch someone like that, you'd always run it through your head. Like, could I live like that? Like, is this guy happier?