Joe Rogan: Burn the Boats

What a let down. I don't think Joe Rogan is an actual stand up comedian (anynmore? Was he ever any good?) as the entire 'special' was unfunny. I was awaiting this special since announcement as I thought it would at least deliver some good laughs. In sum: It didin't.

The material seemed recycled, lacking fresh perspectives or originality. Overall, it didn't deliver the laughs expected from Rogan. Fans might find a few moments to enjoy, but it's not his best work. This 'special' felt more like Joe Rogan going through the motions rather than actually delivering am emergetic and funny comedy special.

The title should be 'Burn the Bridges' as I doubt he'll be making any more stand-up specials anytime soon after this bomb.

Being a listener of his podcast I refused to believe he was still capable of writing and performing comedy. He's a completely and utterly humorless person whose entire concept of comedy is based on screaming, whenever a guest makes a joke in a normal tone of voice it goes over his head and he thinks they're being serious.

He has no understanding of sarcasm, irony, or absurdism except for probably the mental images of men wearing dresses that come from the all-caps Facebook memes he relies on for his source of science, news, and information.

I believed there was no way he was capable of writing and performing anything even remotely funny, therefore other people must have been writing his material for him. Turns out I was half right.

Joe Rogan was on a show once. He was ok.

Joe Rogan also hosted the show that thought beer and women jumping on trampolines was comedy. It isn't.

When that gig failed, he took over the hosting duties on a show that challenged contestants to eat maggots and donkey semen. Gold.

So I'm not sure what I expected from this "special" (it's special all right; just not the way he wanted it).

It's his podcast. But stay with me. The hook is: HE SHOUTS EVERYTHING.

I guess he watched a lot of Sam Kinison while he was writing this material (another comedian that's almost unwatchable today-he'd be labeled a hack).

This is dreck. Plain and simple. How addicted to right wing conspiracy theories does one have to be to pay for a show that's unfunny and is just regurgitated opinions from the podcast which is free?

The audience doesn't even laugh. And Joe just keeps getting louder and sweatier.

Also, who's your stylist, Joe? Adam Sandler?

What seems obvious to me is that Joe doesn't have any real friends left in his circle and is surrounded instead by sycophants who are too afraid to tell him that his jokes just aren't funny. I guess it doesn't help that he's mega rich and has a ton of influence in the scene.

The special was bottom of the barrel material that is dated, out of touch, and repetitive. The constant yelling, the bulging eyes, and other overexaggerated facial expressions certainly didn't help make his jokes any funnier.

Also, if you watch some of the reviews on YouTube, you'll find that he actually stole a couple of jokes and even reused a few from some of his older specials.

I don't think anyone can doubt that he's a great podcaster and MMA announcer, but comedy just isn't his thing. If he didn't constantly go on and on about him 'honing his craft and making his jokes fat-free and tight' or constantly mentioning himself among the greats like Louis, Burr, Chappelle, etc., I'd spare him this 1 star review, but the guy obviously thinks very highly of himself. He is clearly delusional about his comedy.

If you want a good laugh, look up Nick Mullen's free special on YouTube.

I like Joe Rogan's podcast. He often gets very interesting guests, seems genuinely interested in them, asks interesting questions and let's them talk at length. He's perhaps a bit 'conspiracy theory'-heavy for my taste but whatever - I enjoy his podcasts. So, I also wanted to enjoy this show and I'm not here as part of a "review bomb."

In short, Joe Rogan just isn't funny. He doesn't have "funny bones" or natural wit and he can't improvise. If a joke tanks (and many do in this show) he can't pivot to a fallback as even very-average comics learn to do. If he does come out with a smart gag, he will kill it with his delivery. He has weapons-grade confidence, but that won't save any set he does.

He's got a huge following but so did Dane Cook. There's a phenomenon where unfunny people can, by sheer force of will, generate a following. As someone who admires Rogan for his thoughtful, insightful podcasts, he really, really needs to stop doing stand-up.