What Actually Happens at Klan Meetings w/Daryl Davis | Joe Rogan

So like I said, we carried on with the conversation, had a good time, nobody got hurt, everybody laughed. And I thanked them, shook their hands, and they told me to keep in touch. I'm thinking keep in touch. You guys are homies now. Yeah, yeah. But I did, you know. I called them and said, hey man, I'm playing in your county, come out and see me. How long did you guys talk that day? Oh, maybe, I don't know, two and a half hours, something like that. At the end, after the ice, did everything sort of loosen up? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. So the laughter, and then did the conversation loosen then? The conversation loosened then. I mean, you know, it wasn't like, you know, we all hug each other. Did you offer any counter to the things he was saying, like your Charles Murray stuff? Absolutely, absolutely. How did he respond to that? He said, well, you know, I don't know about that. You know, I know that these guys are doctors and da da da da, you know. So he looks to authority. Of course. But of course, if you find authority in the other direction, well, something's wrong with them, you know. So you take a narrative, you know, that fits your narrative. So like for example, he did bring up that the Bible preaches racial separation, and I gave him the Bible. I said, show me where? So I forgot now the exact chapter in verse, but I think it's in Leviticus. I'm going to paraphrase. He pointed to this verse, and I read it, and it said something to the effect of, a lamb should not lay with a wolf. I said, well- If it wants to live. Yeah. What the fuck does that have to do with people? So I said, what does that mean, Mr. Kelly? He says, well, it means that two different species should not lay together. I said, hold on. I said, blacks and whites are not two different species. We are the same species, two different colors. Oh, no, no, no, no. You know, we're different species. So he takes what he wants and twists it to fit the narrative. Okay. So he, I can say, I thanked him. I began calling him. He called to my gigs. He'd bring the Nighthawk. I'd invite him down to my house. He came down to my house with the Nighthawk. Wow. Nighthawk would sit on my couch next to him. Sometimes Nighthawk would get bored, right, and pull out his gun and twirl it on his fingers. Oh, Jesus Christ. Yeah, I'm serious. What the fuck? I felt very comfortable with them after time. And so at that point, I would begin inviting over some of my black friends, some of my Jewish friends, some of my other white friends. Did you like let them know in advance? Sometimes. Sometimes not? Sometimes not, yeah. Wow. What did they say when they come over and they see a grand wizard and a Nighthawk? Or a dragon? Is he a dragon or a wizard? You know, he was still a dragon at that point. Okay. And sometimes they freak out. And my band, oh my God, my band. You know, I have a band van, so they're all short in my house, get in the van, we all ride the gig together, especially if it's far away. And sometimes I want to stop at some Klan rally on my way to a gig. And so my guys say, Darryl, I'll do it. I'll just meet you there. You know, I'm not going to ride with you. Jesus Christ. Oh, that's... So this became a full-time project. Yeah, it did. It did. How quickly did it escalate? So it went from this, you obviously had some... You were compelled, almost obsessed, to meet this guy and get to the bottom of this thing that had been bothering you since you were 10 years old. And because my relationship with him was really growing, it was turning into a friendship. I mean, you know, I'm not going to lie. I genuinely liked this guy. And I could see him beginning to like me a lot. I did not like his ideology. But I saw the humanity in him. And he was seeing the same thing in me. We both want the same things, all right? And I began interviewing a lot of other Klan people from different areas, up north, down south, Midwest, etc. Some would talk to me. Some would not talk to me. Some want to fight me. You know, I ran the whole gamut. And I put it all in my book. Now I was seeing for, you know, like two years. He come out of my house, or we go out and have lunch or dinner together. Darrell Bock Wow. Darrell Bock Yeah. And but during those two years, and by the end of two years, he was coming to my house by himself. He trusted me that much. No night hawk. You drive on down, right? And by the end of two years, he had not invited me to his house, you know? After two years, he got promoted from our grand dragon state leader to imperial wizard, national leader. At that point, he began inviting me to his house. Darrell Bock Wow. Darrell Bock But now he was the man in charge, right? So I go to his house. I would see his Klan den, where he'd have his Klan meetings. Darrell Bock They have a den at the house? Darrell Bock Well, yeah, they call it a den. You know, it's a room. You know, it's all set up with a Klan altar and chairs. Darrell Bock What's a Klan altar look like? Darrell Bock It's a table that has a Klan flag across it. It has that big red circle with the white cross and blood drop. And they have candles, things like that, and a cross. And the cross has either candles on it, so it's like a flame or light bulbs. So anyway, and a sword, then across the table. I take pictures, take some notes, and then he began inviting me to Klan rallies. Darrell Bock Oh. Darrell Bock Yeah, yeah. And so I'd go to these Klan rallies, and they'd have this big wooden cross. The wooden cross is wrapped in burlap. The burlap has been soaked in what they call Klan cologne, which is actually diesel fuel, or kerosene. And the Klansmen and Klanswomen are all in their robes and hoods, and they have these torches. And the torches are lit, and they walk in a big wide circle around this cross, which is in the center. And then either the Imperial Wizard or the Grand Dragon will shout, you know, Klansmen halt, and they'll all stop in place. Klansmen face the cross, and they'll all turn in and face the inner circle. And then he'll say, For my God, and they all repeat, For my God, and bow. For my race, for my race. For my country, for my country. For my Klan, for my Klan. White power, white power. Klansmen approach the cross, and they all close in, and now they're all right there at the base of the cross. Klansmen light the cross, and they drop their torches at the foot of the cross, and whoosh, this thing is a flame. And they stand there and admire this burning cross, and then they give some speeches from the podium, and then they have hot dogs and hamburgers, and the rally is over. You know? And I'm sitting there watching this. I'm taking pictures, taking notes. And... How weird did it feel to be there watching all this? It's definitely so different. But you know, I knew what to expect pretty much, because I read all these books. Yeah. So, you know, I mean, I know that's what they do at Klan rallies, they burn crosses. Now, let me explain something to you that I learned. There are two times, two occasions upon which they set the cross aflame, as they put it. They have a cross burning and a cross lighting. The difference being, a cross burning is when they take a five or ten foot cross, wrapping that burlap soaked in kerosene, and put it in your lawn. Because you're an interracial couple, you're gay, you're Jewish in a white neighborhood, whatever the deal is. That is meant as intimidation. It's a warning. We know who you are. Cease and desist, move out. If you don't, next time we come, we mean business. In other words, you're going to bomb your house or something. Okay? When they do that, that's called a cross burning. All right? A cross lighting is when they do a 30 or 20 or 30 foot cross at a ceremony, and they parade around it and give a lecture. That's called a cross lighting. And that's what you want too. I wanted a cross lighting. How often do they do those things? As often as they want. Several times a year. What do they talk about, like when they have meetings? The future of the white race and what they want, and what the Constitution guarantees them. This is a white man's land. This land was built by white people. The Constitution was signed by white men. This is their country. Immigration, whatever the issues are, that the browning of America is a big topic. Or white genocide, same thing. When they say white genocide, they mean their race is getting smaller through miscegenation. So these are the topics that they cover. It's pretty interesting.