Joe Rogan: Live (2006)

TV. Joe Rogan does not travel in my preferred media circles (NPR, PBS, MSNBC) so I was vaguely aware that he hosts Fear Factor (which I do not watch). His 48-minute standup routine impressed me, though, because despite his pessimistic assessment of humanity ("We're here to f--- s--- up"), he can't believe people still watch Fear Factor. In fact, he seems to be all against human stupidity and all for being smarter than the next guy. Joe's comedic delivery is very physical, vocal, and, yes, raunchy -- but smarter than the average bear (say, Carlos Mencia, who clearly lifts Joe's style). Enron is what's scary for Joe: "These guys were ripping off accountants!" He admits men are stupid for women ("pussywhipped") while women are ten steps ahead of men on everything. He's cogent about the intellectual entropy we find ourselves in and the possible ramifications. His populist rants are not as glib as Dennis Miller but they begin to make sense as much as any Dilbertian societal analysis. 4 stars.