#1851 - Chris Williamson

Joe Rogan (0:04)

The Joe Rogan Experience.

Chris Williamson (0:13)

How are you doing?

Joe Rogan (0:14)

Very nice to meet you, man. I really enjoyed your stuff online.

Chris Williamson (0:16)

Thank you. I appreciate that.

Joe Rogan (0:18)

You're a very good listener. You are one of the best listeners. You're really good at that, because you're really good at knowing when to talk and when not to talk. That is a skill, and that is a rare sign of social intelligence. So I was looking forward to meeting you.

Chris Williamson (0:32)

Thank you. I appreciate that, man. You've been a big inspiration, so it's nice to hear that.

Joe Rogan (0:35)

Oh, thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that, too. We're talking about when someone's funny, and when they're funny, and not funny, and why, and I don't know. There's some people that I know that weren't funny for a long time, and then they became funny.

Like comics that were like, they're starting out, and they just, maybe they were kind of okay. I think maybe if you have a spark, like a little ha-ha, just a spark, you could turn that into a flame.

But if you don't have the spark, if there's nothing there, you're never funny, ever, you're fucked.

Chris Williamson (1:05)

But that's different to training, like we were saying.

Joe Rogan (1:07)

Yes, yes.

Chris Williamson (1:08)

You can be the skinniest or fattest guy or girl, the right training program, and some good macros, you're fixed.

Joe Rogan (1:13)

You will definitely get stronger. You will definitely get fitter.

Particularly like cardiovascular, cardiovascular fitness is 100% achievable. All you have to do, as long as you don't have like some sort of a problem physically, some sort of an ailment, you could definitely get better cardio.

Chris Williamson (1:30)

Is it true about comics needing a messed up childhood, or that's a performance enhancer, that they say the pain that they've gone through in the past is something that helps them to be funny when they grow up?

Joe Rogan (1:40)

There's something there. There's something there. I think it's being ignored.

I think when you're ignored as a child, kids figure out a way to get attention and so they act out. And then in acting out, if you act out in a particular way, you get laughs and then you lean towards that, you know? I didn't have a funny family. My family's not funny at all.

Like, no one's funny. Like, my mom's not funny. My dad's not, my stepdad's not funny. No one's funny, you know? It's like just, for me, it was, I guess it was just having a weird childhood. Moving around a lot, always having to make new friends. And so, just figured out what was funny about certain things.

Chris Williamson (2:20)

And you ended up managing to get it right?

Joe Rogan (2:22)

Yeah, but again, it's fucking lucky, man. Either you're funny or not. Like, I got into comedy because my friend Steve, who I'm still good friends with to this day, Steve Graham, told me I should do comedy. Because I would make him laugh. And I was like, dude, you are laughing because you like me.

Other people are just gonna think I'm an asshole. Like, this is not comedy, you know.

Chris Williamson (2:44)

I feel like it is a skill. I feel like it's a skill that people can develop. But yeah, if you've got the wrong spark. I mean, everyone's seen that comedian that's trying, really, really trying. And it's just something not there. And then it's the same, I guess, if you look at absolute elite athletes, the best of the best of the best, it's not just the hard work. It's not just the training. It's not just the skills that they've developed.

There's something else there as well.

Joe Rogan (3:03)

Yeah, but then you get someone who has all the things. And that's how you get a Michael Jordan. You get someone who has physical talent, genetic gifts, the mind for it, discipline, consistent work ethic, and then you get greatness. But also mental illness.

Michael Jordan, with all due respect, is considered absolutely one of the greatest, if not the greatest basketball player of all time, but is kind of mentally ill. He's obsessed with winning, to the point where he's an asshole. But that asshole, he'll tell you, you just don't want to win enough. And he's right. He's right.

He apparently, you beat him at a game of pool, he won't fucking talk to you for weeks.

He's just a nut. But that, I've met people like that before. They have to win at everything. They have to win at fucking playing fucking parcheesy. They have to win. They're just winners. They're just like, they're obsessed with that goal of winning.