Podcast of the Week: The Joe Rogan Experience w/guest Dane Cook

Joe Rogan is known as a martial artist, as Joe Garrelli, and as a UFC commentator and fan, and as the guy who interrupted Carlos Mencia's act to accuse him (convincingly) of stealing jokes, and as an advocate of legalized marijuana, and as a host of The Man Show, and as host of Fear Factor, and as a proponent of vision quests induced by DMT and isolation tanks, and as a stand-up comedian. He's got the energy of a riptide.

On August 3 he chatted with Dane Cook for an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. Dane Cook has been on what seems a bit like a redemption tour, perhaps starting back in November of 2009 when he did Howard Stern's show, which went well. He visited both Marc Maron's and Greg Fitzsimmons's podcasts in June. The latter was a bit smoother. The chemistry was better, the conversation more relaxed, with no undercurrent throwing Cook off-balance. There were some moments on Maron's show when Cook didn't roll so easily with the nudges and jabs that Maron sometimes throws.

Rogan's interviews are typically friendly and comfortable, tho he is known for speaking his mind. On this episode, he and Cook get along well, speak easily, and stay away from accusations and heavy controversy. No fireworks or blowouts, but it sustains 150 minutes of conversation on getting famous, being famous, working the Boston circuit, leaving the Boston circuit, getting rich, dropping 7K on a pool cue, 250K on a car, and looking up to superstars and unknown giants.

Cook might be doing these shows at the perfect time. He's past his peak of popularity; the controversy surrounding him is dying down; his act is moving (just perceptibly) away from the manic physical performances that got him his early attentions; his early self-promotion online is now so standard in the industry that he really can't be accused of anything but being way ahead of the game when he vaulted using MySpace; and even if he's still not your favorite comic, his longevity is more and more an indication of his respect for stand-up.

Some horrible difficulties with finances (the story is about an $11 million loss) and family (his step-brother burned the money; both Cook's parents died in a short period of time) have given him the scars and texture that can go far in comedy.

But most importantly, comedy has a new whipping boy. Cook probably suffered some for his palpably optimistic persona, coming across as a disingenuous crowd-pleaser. But the Tony-Robbins-style approach of Kyle Cease's bootcamp, combined with many accusations focusing on the bootcamp price-tag, have made Cease the new Guy Smiley that no-one wants to trust and everybody wants to see fail.

If the backlash against Cook lets-up enough, this might be his chance to reset his role in comedy. Whatever you say about his jokes, you can't say he hasn't worked at it.

Subscribe to The Joe Rogan Experience on iTunes.