"Left wing approved" Joe Rogan alternative

Comments on many threads here say Joe Rogan is an idiot and a place for pseudo intellectual trump supporters but personally I think he asks very good and - gasp - often intelligent questions and gives any of his guests a fair crack of the whip regardless of their politics. And he's a lefty himself.

Of course he does have some DMT / UFO style guests on, but even his chats with the likes of Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson are well worth listening to to see their viewpoints. And he has Jamie fact check all the time.

Just wondering who the "approved" version of Rogan is as I listen to a wide range of podcasts and haven't come across any general based one anywhere near as good as Rogan. Plenty of specialist ones out there.

Many of the leftist ones I've listened to are just a bunch of people agreeing with each other with zero fact checking. The world is burning,.which might be true but change the record. Straight white males are responsible for everything. Boring as hell. You know what they are going to say before they say it.

Tonesjones

Richard Boyd Barrett?

Does he have a podcast. Hes always going on about stuff , fluff, bluster and banter.

Rogan is involved in comedy shows and entertainment. Boyd Barrett is involved in the "Marxism Festival ". Yes you read that correctly

https://twitter.com/RebelNewsie/status/1587426980592500736?s=20&t=A9le2sZh-6UhQbFDwvahKA

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839862#Comment_119839862

Not sure if you are being serious here. Boyd Barrett is an awful idiot.

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058270642/left-wing-approved-joe-rogan-alternative

what "leftist ones" did you listen to?

Tonesjones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839872#Comment_119839872

I'm being serious. Is he not a left wing version? He's also going to speak at the Marxism 2022 fest "calling time on capitalism " in late November.

https://twitter.com/RebelNewsie/status/1582023083715887104?s=20&t=2_2AGEs3Mo_cVlm3NNgwkw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839893#Comment_119839893

I can't remember now, I just listened to a few that my podcast app displayed. One was two American women who had some good points but was turned off when they spent 20 minutes talking about how being fat was healthy. Plus they just agreed with each other on everything.

NiceFella

Lex Friedman's podcast tends to be a lot more balanced than Rogans and he has alot more academics (people who generally know what they are talking about) which is way more informative than the kind of stuff Rogan puts out. I've heard alot inaccurate information on Rogans podcast particular when he does episodes with his mates.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839912#Comment_119839912

That's fair and I like Lex's podcast but he's best buds with Joe Rogan. Likewise Michael Shermer is excellent and both "platform" guests that would never get on a left wing show unless to be ridiculed like Andrew Doyle, Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson for example.

Silentcorner

What people need to understand is how influential Rogan is, even if he is not your cup of tea....he had a spat with CNN around this time last year, CNN tried to claim he was a rascist, (he isn't), CNN is a Global Media Brand, a household name for decades, it was an Elephant v a mouse, only the mouse was CNN...his audience dwarfs CNNs, his following grew after the affair, he is more influential to a generation of young people across the English speaking world, CNN has become a complete joke!!

ancapailldorcha

Jesus, do people never get tired of being offended on behalf of people who haven't been cancelled?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839948#Comment_119839948

Not sure what you mean - this isn't what I'm getting at at all. I just would like to know if Joe Rogan and his guests are such morons and for midwits, who should I be listening to for true intelligent and entertaining conversation?

I do like David McWilliams so I guess that counts.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839955#Comment_119839955

Whoever you like. Be nice if people could drop the silly pretence that the biggest name in podcasting is somehow banned.

Silentcorner

You can't go wrong with Sam Harris....there's a man who is talented at making it seem like he's smart, a rare gift that!!

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839955#Comment_119839955

My advice would be to listen to things you enjoy listening to.

How much money are the anti-capitalists charging?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839961#Comment_119839961

But he isn't banned? He has 100m deal with Spotify. He's too big to ban.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839968#Comment_119839968

I do. But I like intelligent conversation and argument. I fear I'm missing out on some brilliant content since so many on here say it's low IQ rubbish. I haven't found anything on mainstream TV, apart from maybe a few BBC shows, the newspapers are all tabloids now, so was just wondering what these alternatives are.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839963#Comment_119839963

Not sure what to make of him, he seems intelligent enough but he always had a huge blind spot for Israel and he went off the reservation during COVID. But yeah he can be worth a listen for sure.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839961#Comment_119839961

Nobody has made any such claim. You're making things up now.

Actually Tim Ferris is pretty good. Not sure if he passes the purity test though

I guess if people are telling you who you shouldn't listen to then surely they also can tell you who you should listen to.

Penn

Who has said you shouldn't listen to Joe Rogan?

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839994#Comment_119839994

Personally I use podcasts for entertainment in my down time.

Joe rogan might not be the brightest guy in the world but I enjoy listening to guests I like on it. Especially bill burr, self proclaimed idiot. So me an idiot listening to two idiots. Bliss.

I wouldn't be taking it to heart.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840025#Comment_119840025

Nobody has made that claim either.

The OP is merely asking for a left-wing alternative to Joe Rogan.

Of the ones that do exist, they just parrot each other's points, quote Chomsky, and talk about the merits of how capitalism sucks - all the while sipping champagne and building their own business around the podcast, enriching themselves to become members of the 1% whilst simultaneously condemning the 1%.

Bland beyond belief.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058270642/left-wing-approved-joe-rogan-alternative

I listened to Rich Roll for a good bit. Definitely "left-wing", strong on the trans issue (too stong imo). He tends to focus on sports but has other very interesting guests as well. If you're into running the Killian Jornet interview is a must. I only listened for about a year or so and lost interest afterwards.

When you strip away the politics etc. (eye-roll, everytime cancel culture gets mentioned) Joe is a very good listener. He does let his interviewees speak for the most part and doesn't always go for a gotcha or a clickbait clip. I preferred when he was on youtube because I feel the comments were a good part of the show.

Tonesjones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839948#Comment_119839948

Rogan >cancel culture. They tried and tried again but all that happened was Rogans influence and follower numbers got bigger.

Richard Boyd Barrett though

But to answer the OP, Russell Brand might fit the bill.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839912#Comment_119839912

I don't think these shows should be held to the standard of "accurate information" all the time. It would tend to stifle the conversation if they were. We should be mature enough to be able to listen to a conversation with the idea that some of the stuff this middle-age men are saying maybe BS and discern for ourselves.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839963#Comment_119839963

Couldn't agree more. I don't agree with him on everything but he is a pleasure to listen and has a great use of the English language. Considered by some on the left to be a "useful idiot" for the right and has had his brushes with cancel culture though. I think anyone who is interesting has... it should be badge of honour rather than something people whinge about.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840065#Comment_119840065

Sam Harris is good.

The problem I have is that he talks so slow, so monotonously, so one-dimensionally, that I get very bored, very quickly - even if I agree with everything he says.

Slow motion droning for an hour and a half. Ideal for the chronic insomniac, though.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840014#Comment_119840014

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840038#Comment_119840038

He implied it in the post above mine. That he's asking for recommendations on who to listen to, because if people are saying you shouldn't listen to (like Joe Rogan who is specifically named in the thread title and opening post), they should be able to tell you who you should listen to.

Tonesjones

What about "the group chat" podcast. Journalists Gavin Reilly, Zara King and Richard Chambers.

I had a listen a few times. It's very PC and "liberal " .

Would that tick whatever boxes you are looking for?

NiceFella

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840054#Comment_119840054

Most intelligent people when speaking, do often qualify what they are saying as either a opinion or a fact.

My point was that I've heard alot of throwaway stuff on Rogan (mainly in his earlier podcasts) that was just misinformed, but they didn't let that get in the way of the conversation. Of you're spouting nonsense as fact, that's harmful.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840043#Comment_119840043

Except this isn't true. There's no such thing as cancel culture.

Tonesjones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840139#Comment_119840139

Sure. No problems.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840139#Comment_119840139

Oh that old chestnut.

Andrew Doyle tore asunder that particular canard many months ago.

Andrew Doyle is left-wing by the way OP. I can recommend listening to him for some semblance of balance and honesty.

https://twitter.com/GBNEWS/status/1508155965375496197

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840145#Comment_119840145

Exactly!

NiceFella

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119839934#Comment_119839934

Yes they're friends but their podcasts are very very different. Lex is a very bright guy, who has a great ability to interview smart people in an interesting way. He is very versed in science and comes from that background.(His dad is a plasma physicist).

Joe on the other hand is more of an all rounder, can hold a conversation, but would generally not be versed enough in the discussion to ask telling questions.

Personally I hate the whole left right dichotomy. Its completely meaningless these days. Just not very helpful in understanding what people actually believe in.

It's mad that Joe Rogan is now seen as right wing. I used to listen to him all the time. I've bought multiple books directly from the guests he's had on but he lost the plot once covid started. He was always in conspiracies (used to think the moon landing was faked) but it reached another level when it moved on from harmless fun. He's a 55 year old man who refused the vaccine in favour of exercise and diet. Then when he got covid he "threw the kitchen sink at it" with a cocktail of medications from the industry that created the vaccine. What a fcuking moron. He had guest after guest pushing fringe theories in the guise of "just asking questions". For "balance" he had that CNN anchor on, which was basically throwing meat to the wolves. There was no balance there at all. He eventually had Michael Osterholm on again and it really was sad to see how Rogan was ingrained in his beliefs (constantly using anecdotes about his friends in the face of larger scale data) when talking to someone who actually knew what they were talking about. If I was Neil Young, I'd also be taking my music off Spotify to draw attention to the casual misinformation he's spreading.

Lex Friedman is a good alternative but he's not very entertaining unfortunately. Sam Harris is great but mostly because I agree with everything he says.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840204#Comment_119840204

The conspiracy theory industry is enormous.

Just look at how wealthy Alex Jones and David Icke have gotten over the past decade, to name a few. Even Russell Brand hints at popular conspiracy theories on his show. It's what encourages likes and shares because there's an enormous market of incredulity out there who lack the capacity for self-awareness and honest engagement with a subject. Conspiracy theories and oven-ready worked out easy solutions to complex problems are prime meat for these mindless sheep. This is made easier if the host or video has a veneer of truth or respectability.

Ultimately it's a business he's running. And so the bottom line will always determine his actions, not the other way around.

The same thing that happened with Dr John Campbell. What started out with good intentions became a business model, and now Campbell hints at conspiracy theories in his videos under the guise of "...just asking questions".

It's worth emphasizing that none of these preachers of the truth believe a word of these conspiracy theories. They act as if they do, as part of their performance. They're smart, and they know where the sheep are and where the money lies. Rogan had Jones on many times, but Rogan must know that Jones is effectively a charismatic actor that doesn't believe a word of it, yet Rogan never challenged Jones on that basis.

As I say, they all know what they are doing, and they do it very well.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840046#Comment_119840046

I've listened to him, he's not bad but he's a bit of a nutjob at times.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840288#Comment_119840288

In fairness, that's a prerequisite for any left-wing commentator.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840039#Comment_119840039

Thanks I'll give him a go.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840089#Comment_119840089

I'll give that a go too. Thanks. Wasn't aware of that one.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840117#Comment_119840117

I don't see it as very much different than a conversation down at the pub. It's a give that what anyone says is their own opinion... you don't need to bring a fact-checker along, just your brain and a healthy amount of scepticism (depending on who's speaking).

Talking about Rogan's earlier youtube stuff that clearly wasn't meant to be "now here is the definitive wikipedia take on X". A lot of the time they were drunk or stoned or just buzzing. They talk as if it's a fact that it's their opinion, not that it's a fact that it's a fact. There's a difference.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840204#Comment_119840204

He was the only large platform where any questions whatsoever around the vaccines, lockdowns and mandates were aired at the time. Therefore was seen (wrongly IMO) as some sort of anti vaxer apologist. Whatever your opinions on this - and I'm fully vaxed and boosted - there was active suppression of any dissent. He recently said the face mask outside and party unmasked inside - is the Democrat MAGA hat and he was spot on there.

And anyone who has listened to Russell Brand will know he is far more extreme on the vaccine stuff.

Russell Brand is even worse these days. Totally embraced the paranoid conspiracies. He claims that all MSM is lies and he is the only arbiter of truth yet every source he cites on his deranged rants are from MSM sources. Have a look at the title of his videos for an idea at the kind of demograph he's trying to appeal to. It's just click bait outrage. I also used to be a big fan of his. Seen him live more than once. Really sad to see what he's become. I do wonder who writes his videos as its much more obvious that he's following the numbers and grifting as opposed to Rogan.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840373#Comment_119840373

I agree with you here.

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840288#Comment_119840288

Tbf Rogan has his moments too.

Everlong1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840231#Comment_119840231

Deeply depressing. It would appear that we're regressing as a species rather than advancing.