Joe Rogan: Elon Musk is a super genius January 21, 2019 Joe Rogan marvels at how Elon Musk's mind works — the relentless drive, the sheer number of hard problems he takes on at once, and why Rogan calls him a genuine super genius.
Joe Rogan marvels at how Elon Musk's mind works — the relentless drive, the sheer number of hard problems he takes on at once, and why Rogan calls him a genuine super genius.
Transcript Joe Rogan
Now's the time we break out the Elon Musk weed.
Speaker B
Oh, my God, that was crazy. I watched every minute of that.
Joe Rogan
Well, nothing. We drank whiskey for two hours first.
Speaker B
When I say crazy, I mean like an amazing get. Like, journalistically. It was awesome.
Joe Rogan
No, it was really cool. And I have to thank some of his friends that I'm friends with that convinced him to do that. Yeah, that was a fascinating conversation. I thought it was nothing. I thought so. We smoked a little pot. I literally didn't think anything of it.
Speaker B
Anything he does is fascinating to people. That's.
Joe Rogan
Well, what I really wanted to talk to him about was his thought process. Like, what's going on? I know something different is going on in his head.
Joe Rogan
You know, you ever talk to someone where. You know, because I have children and I do like to think of people as babies that become, you know, what they are. I see them in front of me right now and this constant state of evolution. But sometimes I'll run into someone that's depressingly stupid. Where I realized, like, God damn, this guy's got a 9 volt brain. They just do. Some people just do. And no one wants to admit that. And we're not talking about mental retardation or any sort of a disease, down syndrome or something like that. We're talking about people that are just toxically stupid. And they do exist. Just like some people have big noses, some people have little noses.
Speaker B
So when you were talking to Elon Musk, did you get the sense that you were talking to, like, a genius? What did it feel like?
Joe Rogan
Like I'm a chimp. I'm a chimp.
Speaker B
Like you're that person.
Joe Rogan
Yeah, I'm that. That's exactly what I was gonna say. Yeah, I am that toxically stupid person. Talking to this guy really wants to create gigantic power stations in Australia to fix their grid and wants to shoot fucking rockets into space. And they literally let him drill under L. A. They're like, go ahead, what are you gonna do? You gonna drill holes? Go ahead.
Speaker B
I think people are completely fascinated by him. And they would have watched you. They would have watched like a silent movie with you and him for two hours. And millions of people would have watched that.
Joe Rogan
I don't know about that. No, I didn't want to hear him talk. For sure.
Speaker B
Yeah, they want to hear him talk. But I'm saying, like, anything he does is completely fascinating to people.
Joe Rogan
Well, he's a legitimate super genius. Legitimate. He's not full of shit. That is. His thought process is extraordinary. But one of the things that was really clear from talking to him was that it's uncomfortable. That his whole life it's been this tornado of ideas. I watched it beating against his head, and he's like, you wouldn't want to be me. I was like, oh, Jesus. I'm like, what do you mean, man? He's like, it never shuts off. And I'm like, oh. But he wasn't. You know, he wasn't. Woe is me. He was being factual, and he was probably. It's probably like, you know, some people have a ringing in their ears. They have tinnitus. Rock concerts. Too many. I think he's got a ring of ideas. So while you and I are having this conversation, I don't have a fucking thing else going on in my head. There's nothing. There's nothing else back there. It's just you and I talking. There's no fucking grand plans. I think he's, like, remapping civilization and trying to make a better yacht. You know?
Speaker B
I'm thinking, I want a burger. That's what I'm thinking. Right?
Joe Rogan
Yeah, he's. He's just. You know, just like Shaquille O' Neal is 8ft tall, and some people are 4ft tall. You know, Some people just have a brain. I mean, there's no. There's no level playing field when it comes to anything, whether it's athletic performance or. Or mental performance or.