Joe Rogan - The Impact of Clickbait Journalism

Yeah, wait, so you because you were telling me this and I was like he was about to tell me before you came in I was like this sounds like this could be pretty good Don't tell me save it for the podcast that because he's done This is the most press Sean's done for a film that he's put out that did you go under they were like Let's give you some advice on media Yeah, well first of all, I'm terrible at it So there's that because I don't do this is the thing when you direct a movie Especially movies like the kind of movies that I make comedies and you know big broad comedies People don't really care who directed those movies and I'm good with that like I'm totally good with that But what usually happens is the studio the director usually wants to be kind of a part of the campaign So the studio will find they'll sort of throw bones that you have like press that you can do and I always tell him look If I can be helpful in any way, let me know I'll do whatever you need me to do but don't throw many bones because I don't care right I don't need I don't need to do that to kind of just pump up the ego of the director that Certain directors just really want to be the next Quentin Terry. Yeah. Yeah, I can't can imagine there's some directors They really have to do it for well, I mean I get it They don't want you to feel left out or whatever but my first couple movies I thought oh I have to do this stuff and then I realized I actually had this experience where I was in this red carpet Thing and they brought me up to this reporter and they said this is Sean Anders He directed the movie and she had this big look on her face and then she went like oh It's just and I was like no no. It's cool. You don't Know so disappointed And that's when it sunk in to me where I was just like oh they don't care they don't give you so that's that's fine with Me I'm good there. Well, there's such fame whores and those they are those red carpet things. They're so weird Yeah, those things are so weird and some people that is the highlight of their life walking that carpet. Yeah Over here Tom Your pose down, right Look It's a really weird thing Also paparazzi at the airport you have that where I've seen them where I'm at baggage and they're looking around and then they're like Hey Tom, and they'll ask me like one thing and they're like, they're obviously not there for me But they're like they're like we got time till fucking whatever Seth Rogen gets off the plane So let me ask you something and then they're like, all right. Never mind. Here's everybody Just blow you off Only one time because this obviously doesn't happen to me Yeah, I was flying into LAX and I was getting off a redeye and I was so just tired I looked like shit and that and this guy these two guys come up and they just were so nice They were like, hey, you're Shawn Anders, right? And I was like, yeah, yes I am John Anderson nobody ever you know And so it takes me a second to realize and I thought it was so weird because they were I was right after it Was shortly after daddy's home and that was like the biggest hit Yeah And they were asking me about horrible bosses too and I was like, why are they asking me about of all things? Or and I thought oh cuz Jennifer Aniston's in it So they want me to say something about Jennifer Aniston and just see if they can catch me saying something crazy And right here we looking for a soundbite slip or something. Yeah, that's all they try to do. Yeah, it was so it's weird And my wife is like, what was that? I'm like, I it took me like an hour to sort of like trying to make you clickbait It's not. Yeah. Well, what's interesting too is it's like sort of an impromptu Interview that you have to do right like if someone said hey, this is guys names Mike He lives in Studio City. He wants you to go to his house and he's gonna film you. He's gonna ask you wacky questions You're like, no. Yeah, but if Mike just shows up Yeah baggage claim and puts that camera in your face. Hey, Shawn, Jennifer Aniston, man, what's up with the Botox? Yeah, fuck right I mean that's how they get you like you wouldn't do an interview with them under any other circumstances which is one of the one of the weird things that happened during the Roseanne Barr things Roseanne Barr when Her show was canceled and all the controversy was going on She was supposed to do the podcast and it became a big news thing But because she put it on her her Twitter that I'm gonna do it and we talked about it And then they tried to show up at the podcast studio So they had all these news people standing outside the podcast studio with their microphones we're out out in front of where Joe Rogan does his podcast and They thought for some reason just because they're there people have to talk to them, right? I'm here Yeah, talk to me like that. They're made out of milk. They're barely human They the way they talk is the most boring version of an interview you'd ever get ever It's a tiny quick little sound bite, but they feel it because they're there like the cameras on I've got the microphone Come on. Yeah do it if they said hey, you know KW fuck yourself wants you to come in and and sit down for an interview. You'd be like, no I don't want to talk to them. I don't I don't have anything to say I go I'll do all my talking on the podcast. Yeah, well, but and also if you're I mean, I'm in the business But again, I'm not somebody that does a tremendous amount of press or at least not until a couple of weeks ago And if you're not accustomed to that, it's terrifying It's weird because somebody puts a camera in your face because immediately you're thinking like well if I just go you know what man Fuck you. Like I don't have time for that be worse. Yeah, then you're gonna so you just walk away from you So you're just like you're all of a sudden somebody throw a cage over you and they're not even Asking you can I do this? They're doing it. They're just hey Sean. Yeah, let me ask you a question Sean, you know, it's forced. It's forced on you. Yeah, it's not a clue. It puts you in a weird spot It's like all of a sudden you're in you're you're on you on your heels Yeah, cuz your instinct is to be defensive if someone could so you're you know I mean your instinct is not gonna be I'll give the most thoughtful Answer to this because it's it's it's in the moment. Someone just dropped it on you So now you're like, okay And your your emotions might be kind of all over the place and you're not you're not stopping to like like having a conversation You're just sort of trying to figure your way out of it And how many people have ruined their careers or lives on those things just said just fucked up and said one They're just trying to be funny or just that's the thing cuz they'll miss quote you Retated and then they get you and then they put it up and you're like fuck Why didn't I think through that? I was just I was coming home from the airport. I was tired I was jet-lagged Bourdain got a shitload of death threats because he said they asked him if you had a serve dinner to Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, what would you serve? He said hemlock Was trying to be funny. Yeah, and then you all these manga fucking morons Protesters were they were all sending these tweets like POTUS, you know, he's threatening POTUS and all it was so strange Yeah, like where where is the and you know, where's the Secret Service? They should lock this motherfucker up and like you guys are crazy That's joke and that's the thing right there is that clickbait articles are they all make it It'll say like so-and-so said this and they make it sound like somebody like called a press conference to say something ridiculous And really it was like you like you said it'll be some off-hand remark and then people out there that are judging They they never have anybody walk up and put a camera in their face and they just think well I would never say anything like that. It's like you don't know what you would say. You're never in that situation. It's bizarre It's very bizarre. Yeah, it's super bizarre So how many of these things did you have to do to promote this film because it because of this film is based in In a lot of a large part of it on your actual life experiences of adopting these kids how many of these things did you have to wind up doing a lot because I Did we did our press junket in New York and I've done junkets and usually I do like, you know Six or seven or fifteen or whatever I did in two days. I did like 90 95 So do the same questions keep coming out over and over again and you start developing these canned Responses well, that's the thing you have to and this is a mistake and this gets back to what you were yeah And before is that when I would do press on my movies in the past I'd go to the junket and people would come in and they'd ask you more or less the same questions And I always felt weird because I just felt like no, I just want to have a conversation with you I don't want to be like this disingenuous guy and then I would be sort of changing up my answers and trying to kind of and it just Essentially just made it boring and I wasn't really making any kind of a point whatsoever. So On this one they were like look you've got a message with this movie. You've got things you want to get out with this movie You've got to learn how to do this So I went I went to like a day of media training and it was And it was and the worst part was I've done interviews and I've been fine before But I got this guy sitting across from me who's who's interviewing me doing this mock interview And then I've got the publicist and my writing partner and they're just staring at me and now all of a sudden I can't do it right the pressure is there. Yeah, who's teaching you who's teaching this media training? Here's where they right away like you kind of suck at this. Yeah Absolutely. I mean they were really nice about it. They were like, okay. All right. Well, there's some there's some room for proof Oh my god, really? Oh, yeah, it was the worst. You seem like a natural. I mean, there's what what is there to teach you? Well, no what this this is the thing is I'm really comfortable with this Yeah with with us just hanging out here talking sure But this is what I do is I yammer when I'm a nervous talker So you ask me a question if I'm nervous. I just kind of go and go and go and people like Jesus, you know So the thing is I got this guy sitting across me really nice guy and he's the guy who's coaching me But I know I'm gonna give you like fake interviews Well, you know how they coach you first he gave me he gave me a lot of really good insights And the funny thing is every rule that he's saying as he's saying it I'm going. Oh, yeah, I do that Oh, yeah, like everything he's saying that I shouldn't be doing I'm like, oh, yeah, that's I always do Was saying you shouldn't be doing I mean that the main thing it's kind of like what we were getting at before that when somebody's Setting a trap for you because so much of right now media training is just about don't go out and get yourself into trouble By going in and just talking about some ridiculous area that because that's what people that's what everybody's trying to do now Like just as a for example, I did a Time magazine interview About adoption about a year before we even made the movie really Yeah And it was just because I was in the process of working on the movie and anyway So I the whole thing was just about adoption in my family and whatever and it was right when the Harvey Weinstein stuff was blowing up so Ladies really nice interview and then at the end she says hey, you know since I'm talking to a Hollywood director I'd be remiss if I didn't ask did you know about that Harvey Weinstein stuff? And I was like not and I mean it and I didn't even think about my answer because I don't you know I didn't know the guy was never around any of it That's sort of like more like fancy movies and I was like, yeah, I know I don't I don't know I never met the guy whatever I didn't think anything of it I got off the phone and then I thought oh she didn't say what do you think about this stuff? She said did you know about that stuff? And it was like and yeah, I knew but I kept this And I just thought right away yeah, I just you know Yeah, it's it's sneaky. That's a sneaky way of asking so sneaky at the way to get you to yeah, no Yeah, yeah, did you know well if you don't enters kept his you know, yeah, so So, you know a lot of it is just just to kind of teach you how to just sort of stay on point so that you Don't get dragged down these weird roads into these things that just that people are looking to get you in on clickbait So did you bring up that instance when you went through the training? Oh, yeah, did you say what should I have said? Did I think and really what they what they teach you it was funny because believe it or not He said I'm gonna show you some clips of you know, sort of doing it right and doing it wrong Oh, they have disaster clips. They say they do and one of them File that you sent to Jamie before the show you guys will probably all know this one They showed me a clip of Quentin Tarantino sort of like getting really angry with this remember that reporter. Is that the violent thing? Yeah, yeah Kick some guy's ass that lady was like your films are disgusting and violent and he was like, yeah They're fucking movies dummy like he gets really upset about it. Where was this actually? It's the same one cuz the one that I saw was a guy oh I saw with a lady But that was via sad like okay. This is a different one then there was one with a guy who's threatening to kick the guy's Ass I don't the one that I saw didn't go that far But what I actually kind of likes what he said cuz he was like no, I'm not playing that game with you I'm not doing he got off but I was sort of like, yeah, you know, I Like that he does that yeah I mean I like the one with the lady the lady is like your movies are so violent and awful and he's like a movie a Make-believe thing. It's not real violence. Like he really sasses her. It's funny as shit and then I also she where was she it was like She was doing you know She was she was like good morning Pittsburgh like the entertainment reporter And then he was actually probably doing like satellite stuff everywhere and he was just like you're dumb. So But I also saw there's that guy he's a gotcha guy to did a Robert Downey jr It was like promoting a movie to I don't know if they show Right and the guy's like yeah now your drug addiction he was like wait what it was totally to try to get him Yeah, you know in a moment and Robert Downey jr. Is not having it. He's like not having it. I'm here to promote a movie Yeah, this is nothing to do with that Totally. Yeah, what he said, but let's let's get into your drug addiction. Yeah, he was like during your darkest times Like what are you talking about man? Iron Man's out. I'm not here for that Well, it's just like he ends it too. They're so selfish like that thing is so doing shit like that is so selfish It's such a sneaky little thing to do. Yeah, they know what did they teach you though? Like in that moment of like Quentin, they're just like don't don't get emotional Well, it's like don't take the bait and and more than anything for me because I look I'm from Wisconsin And I still have that kind of everybody's nice. Everybody has good intentions kind of vibe, you know So and I had this experience on my very first movie where I talked to this reporter because it was a movie about It was a road trip, you know It's just a silly road trip comedy, you know And I talked to this reporter and he says and he was just being he was being really cool We were just kind of hanging out after this thing talking and he's like so and gas prices were really high and he goes So yeah, you know, he's like you feel weird about making a road trip movie when gas prices are so high And I said like yeah, I don't know You know maybe if the movie tanks I can just blame it on that knowing could afford to go to the theater because the prices were so high and I don't think and then this article comes out that just the guy literally said I was swarthy looking and it just He just painted me like an absolute piece of shit Wow, and I was like that guy was so cool Like he was so nice. Yeah, okay, and then he destroyed me. I've been there. Yeah, I'm sure you guys have Yeah, it's all new to me. I remember one too that like who did it to me Like when I was just doing phone like a phone interview for press Before I was selling any tickets and the guy was like just like a really nice guy and totally Twisted things and made it seem like just like he knows what I was saying and he purposely Twisted things around and then it had real no no impact but I remember reading that and being like oh fuck this guy and and be careful when you talk to these people because He totally He knows what I was trying to say and I read this article. I was like he misrepresented everything. Yeah Well, that's the only way they can have fun Yeah That's the only I mean if you're just a normal guy and you give you know Normal answers and you're thoughtful and consider it that that's not as good for them, right? It's boring to them Yeah, so they'll twist it around. Well, it's not just it's not as profitable, right? It's more profitable I mean especially if it's an online thing with an online thing you need a clickbait title You need a bunch of people clicking on that thing because otherwise you're not gonna get any ad revenue for it Yes, it's a very bizarre model where it's encouraging people to be deceptive and to make these things Inflammatory and I gotta say I mean look I did like I said I did 90 95 interviews and the suck in the course of two days and Virtually everybody was really cool really asking really thoughtful interesting questions So I don't want to make it sound like I'm ripping on the whole press over this But yeah, there are these people and that's the thing is that if it was every single person that came along It would almost be easier because you could just kind of be like, okay, here we go But you but you get like 30 really good, you know Reporters with integrity and good people and then somebody jumps in and you're like Oh, you and then then then they catch you not looking because you're not looking for that guy. They also get super jaded Yeah, you know, it's almost like cops that have arrested too many people. Everyone's a crook Like they just think that everybody they're interviewing is a piece of shit and it's also like you they're interviewing these Hollywood people They're thinking of you. You got a big mansion driving a Mercedes. You know this money fuck this guy It's like this instant take on it. Oh, oh you a director. Yeah, great. How's your casting couch? Yeah shit Yeah, that's true. It's true and it becomes the game. I think two for them The game is like, let's see if I can get one and we should be real clear This is not most people the most people are nice. Yeah Yeah, but it's just like one even if it's only one out of ten you run into that one you're like fuck these things I don't want to do these things anymore No, it's terrifying because you think about your family your friends like anybody who's gonna because now there there is this in I don't know you guys talk about this a lot There is this culture out there where people are Completely reduced to like one moment or one statement or whatever it is And that's all you are is that whatever that thing that happened in that one moment and and you know You see it happening to people all the time and you think about so so when you're there and you feel like you're just a regular Guy you don't feel like you know that it's really scary because you think about your kids and you think you know It's so it's a it's a scary situation. Yeah Yeah, well, it's a weird time for these publications to miss nothing taking consideration. No one's really buying Magazines and newspapers. Yeah, like they used to it's not hard to sell And so they're reduced to these online publications and they have to compete with a bunch of these clickbaity Bullshit things and that's where the money is I mean even in New York Times man, the New York Times is resulting to a lot of clickbaity shit now and you're like wow Well, do you guys have that feeling like when you're online that you're on like a clickbait diet where you see things where you're like Oh, man, I totally want to eat that right now. I'm not I'm not gonna do that Let me let me ingredients So sweet Learn to navigate it now. Yeah, you read that title and you're like, I know this will have no substance. Yes