Baldness, Beards, and Grooming
They trade jokes about going bald, hair transplants, and why shaving or keeping a beard changes how you look and feel. They also talk about barbershop small talk and wanting low-friction grooming.
#2484 - David Cross
Source description
David Cross is a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and host of “Senses Working Overtime.” His latest special, “The End of the Beginning of the End,” is streaming on YouTube.https://youtu.be/xucCFqTboewwww.youtube.com/@OfficialDavidCrosswww.officialdavidcross.com …
David Cross is a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and host of “Senses Working Overtime.” His latest special, “The End of the Beginning of the End,” is streaming on YouTube.https://youtu.be/xucCFqTboewwww.youtube.com/@OfficialDavidCrosswww.officialdavidcross.com Perplexity: Download the app or ask Perplexity anything at https://pplx.ai/rogan. Get a free welcome kit with your first subscription of AG1 at drinkag1.com/joerogan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Key Topics
- Baldness, Beards, and Grooming
- Art Bell and Late-Night Radio
- Art Bell in Video Games
- Time Traveler and Oddball Call-Ins
- Phil Hendrie’s Call-In Characters
- The Pizza Hut Call Prank
- Improv at the Highest Level
- Ranting as a Performance Skill
- Right-Wing Talk Radio Curiosity
- Wally George and Tabloid TV Energy
- Marriage, Divorce, and Repeated Vows
- Divorce and Children
- Growing Up Across the US
- Vietnam War Childhood Perspective
- Muhammad Ali as Cultural Force
- Black Israelite Street Preaching
- Early Career Breaks and Boston Comedy
- Moving to LA and Landing NewsRadio
- How Sitcom Production Really Works
- NewsRadio’s Creative Environment
- Boston Comedy’s Wild Cash Era
- Barry Crimmins and Standards in Comedy
- Traps of Staying Local and Repeating Material
- Writers Rooms as a Velvet Prison
- Streaming-Era TV and ‘Analytics’ Decisions
- Mr. Show Craft and Transitions
- Creative Burnout and Taking Breaks
- Video Game Addiction: Doom and Quake
- Kids Online Safety and Predators
- AI, Deepfakes, and Loss of Trust
- Privacy, Encryption, and Data Exposure Fears
- Brain-Computer Interfaces and Thought Communication
- AGI and ‘Digital God’ Anxiety
- Robots in War and Autonomous Surrenders
- Quantum Sensors and Tracking People
- Geopolitics and Escalation Worries
- Stand-Up as the Core Craft
- Post-Pandemic Return to Comedy
Art Bell and Late-Night Radio
They reminisce about Coast to Coast AM and Art Bell’s respectful style with even the wildest callers. They highlight how he created space for weird ideas without mocking guests.
Art Bell in Video Games
Cross describes a memorable moment in the game Prey where Art Bell audio fades in as you approach a TV. They treat it as a smart homage to alien lore and late-night radio culture.
Time Traveler and Oddball Call-Ins
They laugh about Art Bell’s dedicated “time traveler” line and how any claim could get airtime. The point is how entertaining the format was when handled with curiosity.
Phil Hendrie’s Call-In Characters
They praise Phil Hendrie’s technical skill doing multiple live voices and fooling callers. Cross describes watching him juggle mics like a magic act and controlling breaths to switch characters.
The Pizza Hut Call Prank
They recount a Phil Hendrie bit where a mistaken caller thinks he reached Pizza Hut and gets led through absurd “automated” ordering. The comedy comes from realism, escalation, and the caller’s confusion.
Improv at the Highest Level
They spotlight TJ and Dave as elite improvisers who build full stories from nothing. Cross explains how hard it is to sustain details and characters without planning.
Ranting as a Performance Skill
They talk about solo ranters and talk radio hosts who can generate material for hours. Tim Dillon is cited as an example of developing that “content muscle” over time.
Right-Wing Talk Radio Curiosity
Cross says he listened to angry political talk radio to understand a mindset he did not encounter growing up. They mention the era’s big radio personalities and how dominant that format was.
Wally George and Tabloid TV Energy
They discuss Wally George’s confrontational show style and how guests and audiences played into it. They connect it to the broader lineage of shouty, low-budget outrage television.
Marriage, Divorce, and Repeated Vows
They debate why people marry multiple times and what it signals about belief, denial, and incentives. They agree marriage feels different when children are not involved.
Divorce and Children
They discuss how divorce can affect kids and why some people work harder at a marriage when children are in the picture. Cross shares his own family background and remarriage stability.
Growing Up Across the US
Cross describes moving from New Jersey to San Francisco, then Florida, then Boston. He contrasts cultures and recalls learning racial slurs in Florida after not hearing them in 1970s San Francisco.
Vietnam War Childhood Perspective
Cross recalls thinking the end of Vietnam meant people had learned war was bad and would stop doing it. They frame it as a naive but sincere childhood belief shaped by draft-era fear.
Muhammad Ali as Cultural Force
They discuss Ali as a civil rights symbol whose anti-war stance influenced even people who disliked violence. They praise documentaries and emphasize Ali’s uniqueness beyond sports.
Black Israelite Street Preaching
Cross recounts talking with street preachers who claimed historical figures were Black Israelites and told him he was “not white” because he is Italian. They treat it as a strange but memorable subculture encounter.
Early Career Breaks and Boston Comedy
Cross explains how a chance guest spot led to meeting his longtime manager and eventually moving to New York. He describes driving limos as a job that also helped him think up material.
Moving to LA and Landing NewsRadio
He recounts coming to LA for a failed pilot, staying due to a lease, then getting opportunities that led to NewsRadio. They note Ray Romano was briefly involved in the pilot casting changes.
How Sitcom Production Really Works
They describe multi-camera sitcoms as structured and often easier than outsiders assume. Cross argues instinct matters more than acting coaching for sitcom line delivery.
NewsRadio’s Creative Environment
Cross describes NewsRadio as unusually collaborative, with Paul Sims and Dave Foley shaping scenes and jokes on set. He calls it rare to have executives and producers allow that much freedom.
Boston Comedy’s Wild Cash Era
They recall Nick’s Comedy Stop culture, mob vibes, cash under the table, and heavy cocaine use. Cross shares an intimidating payment story involving an office safe, cash, and a gun.
Barry Crimmins and Standards in Comedy
They discuss Crimmins as a respected Boston figure who enforced anti-hack standards and later became a major advocate against child exploitation. They mention his AOL-era activism and speaking publicly about abuse.
Traps of Staying Local and Repeating Material
They describe comics who never left Boston, relied on local references, and repeated the same act for decades. They frame it as a “velvet prison” that trades growth for comfort and steady money.
Writers Rooms as a Velvet Prison
They argue steady TV writing can stall a stand-up career by reducing road time and audience building. Owen Smith is mentioned as a brilliant comic who became a showrunner and got pulled away from touring.
Streaming-Era TV and ‘Analytics’ Decisions
Cross describes selling a limited series pitch and writing scripts, then losing the project because marketing and analytics “couldn’t figure it out.” They criticize executives who wield power without strong creative instincts.
Mr. Show Craft and Transitions
They discuss the work behind Mr. Show’s seamless transitions and how it required intense argument and iteration. Cross credits HBO for pushing them to be unconventional and not overly topical.
Creative Burnout and Taking Breaks
They talk about diminishing returns in writer’s rooms and the value of walking to reset the brain. Rogan notes ideas often appear while moving rather than staring at a screen.
Video Game Addiction: Doom and Quake
They recount late-night Quake sessions tied to NewsRadio writers and early online play. Rogan describes installing an expensive T1 line to host servers and reduce latency in the 1990s.
Kids Online Safety and Predators
They discuss risks in Roblox chat, Snapchat location sharing, and how predators exploit social platforms. Cross shares a specific incident where his daughter was asked for login details and the family disabled chat.
AI, Deepfakes, and Loss of Trust
They worry that AI video and synthetic actors will make reality hard to verify. They cite people sharing game footage as real war video and predict escalating confusion as tools improve.
Privacy, Encryption, and Data Exposure Fears
They react to claims that future AI could crack passwords and expose cloud-stored data. They discuss practical advice like local storage and owning your data as trust in platforms erodes.
Brain-Computer Interfaces and Thought Communication
They watch and react to a demo of a wearable interface that captures subvocal signals and can translate silently. They focus on the social and psychological risks of thought-to-text technologies.
AGI and ‘Digital God’ Anxiety
They speculate about artificial general intelligence becoming autonomous, self-improving, and uncontrollable. The conversation frames it as a near-term civilizational shift that may force humans to integrate with tech.
Robots in War and Autonomous Surrenders
They discuss reports of robots being used to take positions and compel surrender, imagining a future of robot-on-robot conflict. They compare it to sci-fi scenarios where machines remove human limits like fear and fatigue.
Quantum Sensors and Tracking People
They debate claims about detecting a specific heartbeat from long range and whether it is propaganda or real science. The idea leads to broader fears about surveillance and hiding becoming impossible.
Geopolitics and Escalation Worries
They react to conflict involving Iran, Israel, and broader global powers, emphasizing unpredictability and lack of clear plans. Cross frames it as another example of humans failing to learn from past wars.
Stand-Up as the Core Craft
Cross says stand-up is the one thing he must keep doing, even if acting and writing fell away. He explains his process of building new material on stage through repeated small shows and sequencing.
Post-Pandemic Return to Comedy
They describe how emotionally intense it felt to perform again after long shutdowns. Cross says outdoor shows were not the same and the first indoor set back nearly made him tear up.