Trust me, Donald Trump, Howard Stern, and Vince McMahon have nothing on Joe Rogan when it comes to rich, savvy guys peddling raw and (often) reckless entertainment to ordinary people. And, notwithstanding giving performer Neil Young top billing, I used to like propagandist Joe Rogan.
Granted, my affinity stems from his relatively wholesome days hosting Fear Factor. But you need only watch his June 2020 podcast episode with former bodybuilding champion Ronnie Coleman to see why he was so likable. It featured Rogan offering to hook Coleman up with a practitioner of alternative therapies to help relieve chronic pain from 13 surgeries related to weightlifting (and no doubt his excessive use of steroids). Rogan could not have been more empathetic and endearing.
This is why it is ironic that, only one year later, Rogan was reveling in notoriety for peddling misinformation about Covid vaccines to his 10 million podcast listeners – misinformation that could kill them. This included telling his enthralled audience of millions of young, healthy people that, despite medical advice and government mandates, he saw no reason for them to get vaccinated. I stopped liking him.
But Rogan betrayed his pigheadedness when Twitter banned users for peddling the kind of Covid misinformation he was peddling. Because he reacted by leading a Pied-Piper parade of MAGA supporters over to GETTR.
Podcast titan Joe Rogan opened a GETTR account Sunday and encouraged 7.8 million Twitter followers to join him on the alternative social media app. ‘Just in case sh-t over at Twitter gets even dumber, I’m here now as well,’ Rogan wrote on GETTR. ‘Rejoice!’
‘GETTR’ trended on Twitter throughout Sunday afternoon as users reacted to Rogan’s tweet about GETTR, with many apparently taking his advice and opening an account.
(Fox News, January 3, 2022)
I commented at Fox News on that report in real time as follows:
Join GETTR, because you should be able not just to spread lies and propagate conspiracies but profit off them too. Apropos of which, I trust it will not surprise any of you if Rogan has a financial stake in GETTR. And let’s face it, joining GETTR is one thing; quitting Twitter is another. Talk to me when this Rogan shyster does the latter.
He still has his Twitter account; you know, just in case sh-t over at GETTR stinks.
Clearly Jack Dorsey at Twitter had just cause to ban Rogan long before Neil Young got fed up and demanded Daniel Ek at Spotify either ban Rogan or remove his music. And everyone thought Young’s demand was tantamount to a proverbial Daniel vs. Goliath challenge.
It certainly seemed that way when Spotify summarily obliged by bidding adieu to the “Old Man.” But then, perhaps hoping to avoid looking like a “Piece of Crap,” Spotify made a public show of telling Young you’re welcome back if you “Change Your Mind.”
But a funny thing happened on the way to Young’s presumed penury and oblivion. Joni Mitchell said it’s me or Rogan too. Then Nils Lofgren said the same thing. And, with rumors running wild about other performers preparing to say the same, Spotify’s stock price plummeted.
Spotify’s market value dropped more than $2 billion in the last few days after Neil Young pulled his music over Joe Rogan’s podcast. Shares have tumbled around 12% from where it closed last week.
Young had pulled his songs from the music platform on Wednesday because, he said, Spotify had become ‘a very damaging force’ in spreading misinformation about COVID. Young referred to an open letter from medical professionals earlier this month that urged Spotify to crack down on COVID misinformation on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast.
(The Wrap, January 29, 2022)
Of course, apropos of making a show, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan wanted the world to know that they expressed their “worries and concerns” to Spotify. But the proper, principled thing to do is disassociate from Spotify (like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Nils Lofgren have done) to put meaning behind their words.
Instead they are keeping their $25 million ghost-worker contract, highlighting what regal hypocrites they are. To be fair, though, the world is also waiting for performers like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Drake to do the right thing…
In the meantime, just imagine the writing on the wall Spotify and Rogan had to see to compel Rogan to spend NFL Conference Championship Sunday crafting and publishing this:
Podcaster Joe Rogan has apologized to Spotify, while also addressing the controversy around his podcast. Musicians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell recently boycotted the service for continuing to host ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ which has been accused by medical professionals of spreading Covid misinformation. Both musicians have since pulled their music libraries from Spotify.
‘I want to thank Spotify for being so supportive during this time and I’m very sorry that this is happening to them and that they’re taking so much heat from it,’ Rogan said Sunday. He also apologized to Young and Mitchell.
(CNBC, January 31, 2022)
And Rogan’s listeners thought that “old geezer” Young was a joke for challenging Spotify. Well. who’s groveling now…? Hell, Rogan not only apologized and promised to “research” his wacko guests before putting them on air (imagine that), but also made fools of his “woke” listeners by saying he’s actually a big Young fan.
By the way, Spotify’s Ek is now aping Facebook’s Zuckerberg by promising to clean up his platform too. But, Ek’s promises are so patently hollow, they are not worthy of comment.
Let’s hope the lesson is that this is what happens when you reject a performer like Young for a propagandist like Rogan. I mean, imagine how Spotify feels losing $2 billion in value with investors to save a $100 million contract with Rogan.
That said, he may have learned his lesson; but Rogan should beware that any self-respecting performer will still see him as that skunk at the garden party…
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Covid misinformation…