Shane Smith

Date: 2015-01-13 | Duration: 2h 49m

Episode Overview

Shane Smith, co-founder and CEO of VICE Media, joins Joe for a nearly three-hour drunken, inspired conversation about global journalism, existential risk, and radical first-person reporting. Smith — whose North Korea documentary was one of the first things to make Joe seriously investigate the country — discusses sneaking through fake North Korean restaurants, his recent expedition to Antarctica and the South Pole, texting from Bulgaria on communist cell systems, and how mining companies are rushing into newly accessible Arctic terrain. They debate Islamist extremism and Western funding of extremist infrastructure, the disconnect between Western audiences and African suffering, and why VICE's model terrifies established media. It ends with both men agreeing to ban mutual compliments next time — unable to stop complimenting each other.

About Shane Smith

Shane Smith is a prominent journalist and co-founder of Vice Media, a groundbreaking media company known for its edgy and immersive storytelling. Under his leadership, Vice has expanded its reach globally, winning numerous awards, including multiple Emmys for its innovative documentaries and news coverage. Smith is particularly renowned for his fearless approach to journalism, often diving into controversial and underreported issues, making him a compelling voice in contemporary media. His candid insights and unique perspectives on culture, politics, and the evolving landscape of media make his conversations not just informative, but captivating, as showcased in his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience.

Key Moments

– North Korea Documentary and Propaganda Tours
– Antarctica and South Pole Expedition
– VICE Media and First-Person Journalism
– Arctic Mining Rush and Climate Change
– Western Funding of Extremist Infrastructure
0:00:00 – Shane Smith just back from Antarctica — new HD studio
0:01:12 – North Korea special — fake restaurants and propaganda tours
0:20:11 – Mining companies rushing into newly opened Arctic land
1:34:11 – African fatigue — racism and 2000 dead in Boko Haram
2:45:45 – No complimenting each other next time — they absolutely cannot stop

Transcript Excerpt

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is our whole new setup. We're in HD now. You're gonna look beautiful. I don't need... I need not HD. I need like cheesecloth. I need Vaseline. Joe Rogan. Experience. Train by day. Joe Rogan podcast by night. All day. No, we're all in HD. We got multicolored. Look at the colors. Different colors for the buttons now. I like it. That's huge. When you get lit up colors, that's what I thought the future was going to look like when there was computers in, like, 2015. Starting point is 00:00:31 I thought it would be, like, the inside of, like, a spaceship. Because that was Star Trek then. Yeah, like multicolored. That's Hal. All of our buttons are the same color. That is Hal, right? That's the TriCaster. So we're in HD now. Starting point is 00:00:43 You're beautiful, baby. You're beautiful. Look at you. You're beautiful baby you're beautiful look at you you're beautiful oh i need hair where's my hair and makeup what's going on man you savage world traveler you're the most savage world traveler i know you're the dude i'll get a text message from you and you're in bulgaria or some you're in north korea on some wacky cell system the communists use you You're all over the world. I didn't text you from North Korea because they won't let me. But, yeah, I was just in Antarctica in the South Pole. Starting point is 00:01:12 That's hard to get to, very hard to get to. Your special was one of the first things that I ever saw on North Korea that made me, like, really start to investigate it. Like, I knew that they had, there was a lot of human rights violations and this horrible things that they're doing to people in prisons, but you going to those fake restaurants and having these people take you around Starting point is 00:01:37 and trying to present you with this image of what North Korea is like, like, oh, it's just like everywhere else. Come here. And you were really talking about it pretty openly on camera while you were there and that made me ...

More Episodes

Frequently asked about this episode

Who was the guest on Joe Rogan Experience #599?

Shane Smith was the guest on JRE #599. This page includes the episode overview, topics discussed, and related resources.

What topics were discussed on JRE #599?

On Joe Rogan Experience #599 with Shane Smith, topics include North Korea Documentary and Propaganda Tours, Antarctica and South Pole Expedition, VICE Media and First-Person Journalism, and Arctic Mining Rush and Climate Change.

Where can I read the transcript for JRE #599?

The full searchable transcript for Joe Rogan Experience #599 with Shane Smith is available on this page, along with key topics and timestamps.