While I haven’t listened to a new Neil Young record for a decade or more, this news has upped my long-standing affection for the old curmudgeon no end. While I’ve never heard Joe Rogan (and on this evidence never will) I imagine that as far as Spotify is concerned he might be ever so slightly more important than the HOG hitmaker.
A quick check this morning shows that Shakey is still fully available on said streaming service. But good on him. Let’s see how this one works out.
Yes good on ya Shakey.
Given he sold half his rights to a company called Hipgnosis earlier this month, he might not have the final say.
I wondered about that. Did he sell his publishing only, or publishing plus masters? Each one of these sales is slightly different. Rock continues it’s closing down sale.
It was reported as publishing. Which would suggest it’s as much down to Hipgnosis as Young as to whether content could get pulled, unless he was wise enough to include some kind of right of control going forward. Seems to me it was Hipgnosis he should have sent his letter to.
Given Shakey’s obsession with sound quality, I’m surprised he’s on Spotify in the first place.
Probably because the only thing that trumps his obsession with sound quality is his obsession with money, however nugatory the amount Spotify pays
I must say I can’t recall reading anything to justify your accusation of Young’s lucrophilia, do please share some evidence, before the lawyers get in touch.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge NY fan (as many past posts here will testify), but he does have considerable past form in taking advantage of members of the NY Massive.
Two especially egregious examples off the top of my head…
1) His insistence on releasing full price versions of standalone unreleased live and studio albums before then including them as part of expensive Archive box sets (as he did with three of the 10 CDs on NYAV1 and a further three of the 10 CDs on NYAV2)
2) The absurdly over-priced deluxe vinyl reissue of ATG – US$99 for a fancy box whose only extras of note are a seven-inch single containing two versions of Wanderin’.
If further proof were needed, simply check out his planned release schedule for 2022 (taken from NY’s official website in case you are interested)
Early in 2022:
Freedom (vinyl LP)
Ragged Glory / Smell The Horse (Vinyl LP)
Weld (Vinyl LP)
Arc (vinyl LP)
ORS Box Set # 4: Hawks and Doves, Re-Ac-Tor, This Note’s For You, Eldorado
Later in 2022:
Harvest 50th Anniversary Deluxe
Eldorado
ORS Box Set # 6: Harvest Moon, Unplugged, Sleeps With Angels, Mirror Ball
Without a specific date:
Dume (vinyl LP)
Odeon Budokon (Vinyl LP)
Road of Plenty
Timeless Orpheum
Early Daze
Chrome Dreams
Alchemy
NYA Vol. III
Capricious old curmudgeon that he is, NY is free to release what he wants.
As a fan, I am equally free to choose whether or not to buy them (or indeed listen to them at a far more reasonable price via the Archives website).
I am, of course, equally free to criticize our Neil for his avarice/acquisitiveness/avidity/cupidity/rapaciousness.
In the unlikely event, Neil is reading this and first off an angry cease and desist letter to his attorneys, I suppose I will just have to sell off some of my vast collection of NY records and CDs
Apart from Kraftwerk he’s the only major artist I can think of who actively suppressed some of his records – I’m thinking of Time Fades Away and On The Beach. You can get them now of course but for many years he sat on them in terms of keeping them in print or reissuing them.
Clearly he’s changed in recent years.
And there’s that funny Dylan album if course. What’s it called? ….oh yeah…”Dylan”
Has Time Fades Away ever had an official CD release? I have a bootleg copy but wasn’t aware that Reprise had ever put it out on CD.
It’s in some box set, isn’t it?
I’m not an NY fan, I only have (counts) 15 of his albums.
“I’m not an NY fan, I only have (counts) 15 of his albums.” – AW t-shirt slogan.
15 NY albums? Fucking lightweight
This is a reference to my old Civilians thread from years ago, where I recounted a meat-world incident of talking to some friends about music and encountering a chasm of understanding:
Me: I’m not a big Frank Zappa fan…. I only have about 23 of his albums.
Others: (Gales of laughter)
Me: ……What?…..
yes I have it in this one:
I don’t think so. The 2015 remaster was 24-bit Flac or vinyl only.
Buyer’s remorse. It’s an awful thing.
No remorse at my end. I keep the single CDs in the car (not a Linc Volt) for playing on the in-car player (not a Pono)
The bastard, releasing all these great archive albums. I think it was unnecessary to include previously released albums on Archives but we knew he was going to do it after the first one. Apparently Archives 3 wil be all Blu-ray tough in his typically obtuse fashion
though not tough.
* tough if you don’t have a Blu-ray player I suppose
Well that’s the plan this week.
Let’s see where Neil’s head is at a couple of months from now
I sold my vinyl copy of Weld which enable me to buy the Rust Bucket box for approximately the same money. Happy days.
Yeah but apart from that …..
Where does he find the time? I don’t have enough bandwidth to listen to it all once.
What’s that? A hamper, you say?
Nugatory? They’re paying him in sweets? Lucky sod.
Heart of Whispa Gold
My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue Riband)
Hey Hey My My (Into the Black Magic)
Mars Barn.
….held our broken Aero
Bonnie Tyler was holding out for an Aero
After the Golden Nugget Rush
Cinnamon hot chocolate Girl
Expecting to Fry’s Chocolate Delight
Like A Chocolate Hurricane
A Man Needs A Merry Maid
Sugared almond Mountain
Looks like NY has got his way and he’s disappeared. So Spotify’s 100 million investment in Joe Rogan has won out (surprise, surprise). Does raise some interesting questions on Spotify as a platform. Facebook/instagram/twitter get all the flack for spreading disinformation. But anyone can load whatever podcast nonsense they want to Spotify it seems. Even the mosthigh profile who Spotify are paying serious money to.
@Guiri
Anyone except Harry and Meghan it seems..
Having produced little or nothing to justify the megabucks deal they signed a year ago, Preach and Leach have now had to hand back control of their long overdue witterings to their Spotify paymasters.
Much as I dislike the royal family, I struggle to understand the free pass these two get, given they seem to represent the epitome of holier than thou celebrity (and wealth). Less likely to listen to their wittering than I am Joe Rogan.
Funny thing is today I fancy hearing some Neil Young. But given my CD player has packed in, meaning there’s about 40 albums of his I own I can no longer listen to, now I can’t even even do so on Spotify! Bollocks.
You can (could?) buy a CD player in a supermarket for the price of a couple of months of Spotify premium.
Still fancy some Neil Young, you say? I have two options for you. The best of Neil covered by other artists (and if you haven’t heard Sylvester’s cover of Southern Man, you’re in for a treat).
Or how about a compilation of NY-like splenetic guitar jams? There are 45 songs in the Shakey style here …
Wow! That first playlist is a very enjoyable listen. Don’t suppose you have an accompanying “Dylan: but palatable” playlist @Martin-Horsfield?
This actually made the none-more-civilian ITV News tonight. The songs were Rockin In The Free World (electric) and Harvest Moon. So now we know what’s cued up for when Shakey stops shakin’.
BBC News website described him as “The Harvest Moon singer”.
HMS from now on.
Whatever floats your boat, @Boneshaker
In true AW style, i’m going with HMHM
Interesting footnote from the man himself
Before I told my friends at Warner Bros about my desire to leave the SPOTIFY platform, I was reminded by my own legal forces that contractually I did not have the control of my music to do that. I announced I was leaving anyway, because I knew I was. I was prepared to do all I could and more just to make sure that happened.
I want to thank my truly great and supportive record company Warner Brothers – Reprise Records, for standing with me in my decision to pull all my music from Spotify. Thank You
I’m a bit confused, because prior to the NY drama I recently read an article somewhere about this Rogan nut and Spotify paying millions for his podcast, but in that article they said that Spotify had taken down several podcasts of his for spreading false information on several topics. Not true?
(Not a fan of Spotify, Neil Young or what I’ve heard about the Rogan guy, so don’t really care about this story personally…)
No not true Lo. They claim to have taken down podcasts that spread false information but none by Rogan. They paid him a considerable sum for exclusivity and as we all know money doesn’t talk it swears. What does make me laugh is Neil Young is trending on Tidal in the wake of this debacle. I think some people have realised you can subscribe to Tidal listen to Neil Young in lossless for the same money and ensure that more of your subscription goes to the rights owners who hopefully will pass on more of a share to the musicians.
Re my earlier criticisms re Neil’s breadhead (man!) tendencies.
In fairness to the HMHM, some 60% of streaming revenue on his/Hipgnosis’ songs comes from Spotify with his top 10 songs on rhe platform generating US$1,800,000; around US$873K of it from HOG alone.
I see Lloyd Cole has joined the HOGH in requesting his music be removed. This will be a) a huge loss for me b) probably not much of a financial loss for him (I somehow doubt he’s bringing in the figures quoted by Jaygee in the post above) and c) probably not a big deal for Spotify. But if more and more (and bigger) artists do it…?
FWIW I love Spotify, it’s a dream come true. But I do wish it paid people better, particularly the ones I listen to and that the 15 Euros I spend a month went to them rather than into a big pot to be shared out unequally. (This month Lawrence from Felt would have got the lot basically, but he’s probably received 1p at best.)
Don’t use streaming services myself, but many users claim Bandcamp is a lot fairer than S in divvying up and distributing its payments to artists
Does Bandcamp do streaming? Excuse my ignorance.
No it’s primarily a platform for selling music, not streaming it. Apple, Tidal and Amazon are the most likely alternatives. Bit like choosing your favourite Nazi.
Yes it does. In my experience, most things on Bandcamp are available to stream. It does seem to be intended as a try before you buy service but they’re full length tracks.
Increasingly, and understandably, artists are becoming more averse to putting tracks up for listening purposes, given there are ways of stripping ’em out into mp3s. Other than by the preferred method of purchase.
Just move to a different streaming service. There is free software available that will move all your playlists if that’s stopping you. Apart from anything else the sound quality from Spotify is nothing to write home about. Tidal offer a HiFi payment tier for the same price. Everything in CD lossless quality plus access to better metadata and videos if you want them. They also pay artists more. The people I listen to get more of my money. In recent months that would be Snowpoet, Agnus Obel and Laura Viers.
Must admit I don’t have a set-up that makes much difference to the sound quality I receive. But any clues as to the software required to transfer playlists? My daughters use the family subscription (more than I do in fact) and I’d hate them to lose their lovingly curated playlists. Particularly as tomorrow my eldest has her 18th with a collaborative playlist amongst all her friends. (Safe to say I won’t cancel my subscription til Sunday at least…)
Tidal let you move them painlessly from within their app. It’s called Tune My Music. You just click on that and select the service you want to move them to Tidal from. Obviously the song must be available on Tidal but as the catalogue of music on Tidal is vast it’s unlikely that much would go missing. I’ve never used it myself as I don’t make playlists of songs and I left Spotify as a music service some years ago but I’m reliably informed that it works very well. I still use the free version of Spotify solely to listen to the magnificent Backlisted podcast. Tidal also offer a family plan I believe.
Please wish your daughter a very happy birthday from me. Eat lots of cake!
Thing is, in the vast majority of cases Spotify aren’t paying artists. They are paying record companies / publishers, and it’s the latter that are paying artists. Spotty have paid vast amounts in royalties, but most of it seems to evaporate before it reaches the artist. That’s how Young’s decision was cost free for him. The boycott has cost him nothing. He’s been good enough to point that out.
As far as I can see the only way you can be sure you are putting money in an artists pocket is by buying a CD from them at a gig. Otherwise whether its a stream or a cd on an 8 track, they could be getting nothing (recouping advances, paying off recording costs, no royalty rate agreed) or it could be a lot – the latter typically only being reached when the label need the artist more than the artist needs them.
True. The rights owners get paid by the streaming platforms. The rights owners then pay the artist according to the contract the artist has made with them.
The big three record companies are coining it. Same as it ever was.
Spotify owner is also investing his billions in the arms trade apparently
@dai
Having cornered the market in records by Heads, Hands and Feet I suppose it was only to be expected
Shitheads gotta shithead!
Lloyd Cole…. the PSHM?
Barry Manilow now…
https://twitter.com/Amy_Siskind/status/1487061294733840389?s=20&t=yQTo59IJHiu6gA4Bb0VlYQ
I like Barry Manilow. As a person. Obviously his music his rubbish, almost as bad as the Black and White Minstrel Show….BOKKO!
I do wish we would stop calling Spotify “evil”. In the broadest possible terms it’s us, the General Public, what is evil. Napster came along and zillions of people thought “Wow, it’s free and even though the downloads take roughly three weeks, it’s free!”. Soon the Music Industry realised they couldn’t sell CDs or vinly anymore to anyone but sad old men populating blogs on the furthest extreme of the internet (Hi guys, howya doin’?).
On the 265th floor of a Chicago skyscraper the moguls all met. “Damn, we can’t charge 100 dollars for a limited édition reissue of ‘Jethro Tull, The Early Days’ anymore (except to some some sad old guys at the edge…) so what to do? How much will Mr and Mrs Average pay for every piece of music ever recorded? Let’s try 9.99 a month.”
I see Joni Mitchell has also asked for her music to be removed. That said, looking at Spotify’s most streamed and followed artists, I can’t see they are ultimately going to be that bothered at the loss of Young, Mitchell or Lloyd Cole. If the Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, Drake or Lil Nas was to pull out, then things might be different.
There could be a domino effect going on. Might get interesting
Until there’s some evidence of it costing Spotify some subscribers – particularly paid ones – all it’s doing is save Spotty a few bob.
Of course. Some will have cancelled already, I am planning a defection after discussing with my daughter. Many will be doing the same
What, Clapton as well?
(Unfunny response to dai’s “domino effect” comment above)
The younger folk are, sadly, more likely to be pro-bellend.
Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran for example seem decent, thoughtful sorts so one could imagine them joining if this becomes a trend and their absence would *really* hurt.
I wonder will some of the bigger acts who position themselves as socially aware join in…I’m thinking of Bruce, U2, Coldplay…
In Spotify league table terms, only Coldplay trouble the scorers.
It’s being suggested that both Mitchell and Young feel strongly about this because they both had polio before the Salk vaccine was invented. If so good for them – genuine principles derived from personal experience.
I happened to walk past the public library off Leicester Square yesterday. I could hear some serioulsy deranged shouting, and as I got closer I saw it was a group of anti-vaxxers, led by Corbyn. Why they were shouting at a library, I don’t know, but there were security guards outside, presumably to stop them getting in.
Without the gloss that TV cameras give to anything, how shoddy they looked and isolated. Their argument was that the vaccines are a load of bollocks that you can shove up your arse, which seems a bit anatomically confused.
@David-Kendal
The old arse-elbow conundrum rides again
Great post, David ..
The issue they have with that library is that it has science books available to borrow.
And now James Blunt in typical style is threatening to put *more* music on Spotify if they don’t remove Rogan!
I can’t help thinking that this whole thing only ends up with more people listening to Joe Rogan, no matter how many musicians pile on.
@Bingo-Little
His Stealers Wheel stuff was pretty infectious. Not heard much of his solo work
Is there a reason why there hasn’t been a reunion?
Some say that Stealers Wheel stuff was written by the Chinese government, and that it’s no more infectious than the flu. I’m not saying it believe it, but I do find it interesting.
Well, calling a song Star was a bit of a giveaway – but they were wise to change Stuck in the Guangdong With You.
Yeah, I wonder what Barbra Streisand thinks of this?
I think you’re right. Before this furore, I’d never heard of Joe Rogan.
well Ive decided to trial Apple music this week. Been fed up with Spotifys dodgy dealings for a while (arms investing, Rogen, Low Quality streams, low payments etc.)
First thing ive noticed is the music quality is a LOT better.
@Arch-Stanton
But how’s your tastes of sense and smell?
I understand this Joe Rogan pod is exclusive to Spotify because of a deal but I’m guessing there’s other objectionable content which is available on all streaming services if you chose to look for it, also Facebook, Twitter and Afterword favourite Youtube. Rogan’s no doubt happy with the publicity anyway. Who went off Neil when he flirted with Reagan? Reagan/Rogan.
I’ve no dog in this fight – I know little about Rogan but don’t like what little I’ve heard; hold no particular brief for NY – but it feels a bit odd that people are lauding Young over this and ignoring his rich past of anti-science conspiracism over biotech. Is anti-science conspiracism good, or bad? Depends, apparently.
The right tribe happen to be correct this time around: vaccines are amazing, misinformation about them ought not to be encouraged by enormous media platforms (though I’m leery of them being censored too). But where are all this lot when it comes to nuclear power, or GMOs, which are really the only solutions in town* to the climate crisis or world hunger, but which people like Neil and the wider tribe of “progressive” politics are only too happy to trash on the basis of pure tinfoil hat hokum?
The Rogan thing seems like pure team sports to me. Not that I care: I’m an Apple Music subscriber.
(*well, not quite: there’s always the “human extinction is good actually” solutions, which a few of the same crowd seem to quite like)
It all seems quite poorly thought through.
“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
Rogan’s listenership is generally understood to have been reduced by the exclusive Spotify deal (as you’d probably expect).
Kick him off the platform and he pockets the $100m and goes back to being a freely available podcast, albeit with the added bonus of a shedload of free publicity and a load of curious people showing up to find out what he actually said to get cancelled. Lots more ears for the anti-vax bullshit. Laughing all the way to the bank.
We still haven’t learned from the Trump years that you can do stuff that will get you social media clout/dinner party backslaps while still making things even worse than they already are.
I’m also finding myself increasingly inclined to want to violently disagree with anyone who uses the dread phrase “I stand in solidarity with…”. Ugh. Well done you.
Couple of further thoughts. Seems likely that this will disproportionately affect paying subscribers who I imagine are those they will most want to keep. Speculating wildly but seems probable that the teens who stream tik tok inspired hits by the billion aren’t paying customers (and if they are as part of a family subscription they won’t control). So if those paying numbers start dropping significantly Spotify might really start getting worried.
Also, have Spotify actually said anything? Considering this has crossed over into real world news their apparent silence seems odd. Another big name or two this weekend could really blow this up.
James Blunt has joined in now.
He’s threatening to release more music unless Joe Rogan is taken down
I believe that’s what’s known as “doubling down” on a threat he made earlier (at 11.53 am to be exact)
Nils Lofgren has slung his hook.
@pencilsqueezer
That’s Spotify fucked then.
They still have Ted Nugent 😉
Harry and Meghan are considering removing all their albums too. Shit just got real.
@allium-sativum
Nice to see Ginge and Whinge putting their money where their mouths are and returning the US$18,000,000 Spotify paid them for the one podcast they have delivered in just over a year!
Except they’re not. Nor are they dipping into the US$18,00,000 to pay for security if/when they come to the UK for Brenda’s Platinum Jubilee.
Never quite understand why, if the great British public loves them so much, the likes of Prick Andrew and Preach and Leach require humongous security details to keep their admirers at a safe distance.
Perhaps they’re like Nina Simone, whose bodyguards were famously hired to keep the fans safe from her.
Notable that the world’s most egalitarian members of a dynastic monarchy do not appear to have raised any similar concerns, as yet, with Netflix, with whom they enjoy an even more outsized financial arrangement, and whose platform still hosts Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Goop Lab”. Famously, a show which (along with its parent brand) pretty much exists to spread hokey new age medical misinformation, and whose titular star was last year politely asked to stop talking bollocks by the medical director of NHS England after she suggested that long Covid could be treated with “intuitive fasting”, herbal cocktails and regular visits to an “infrared sauna”.
As hedgepig says above; team sports.
Loves them so much? Dunno if you’ve heard the latest on Andrew?
Irony…
My whooshometer packed up yesterday. Gotcha 👍
Shakey says the way forward is with Amazon
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/neil-young-amazon-music-spotify-1235083814/
Don’t rush to cash in on the 4 months free offer. It seems not to work in the UK as far as I can see.
Ah yes. Amazon. The choice of the ethics-savvy listener.
@hedgepig
Indeed.
A far from taxing decision.
Ah well, if we can’t avail ourselves of the free music offer, perhaps we could look at Kindle Unlimited membership, with its offer of free downloads. I see that you can get a copy of Joe Rogan’s How to Win at Life, or perhaps The Curious Ape: The 25 Most Powerful Ideas from the Joe Rogan Podcast.
Strewth. Wonder what will happen when Neil finds out ?
Trying to figure out how to ask this question in a way that doesn’t sound politically loaded (because it isn’t intended to be)…
I had never heard about the below until this week.
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/01/31/neil-young-public-health-comments/
Was this common knowledge and, if so, is it true he hasn’t apologised for it?
It’s certainly had plenty of air time this week from team Rogan, and I can see why. I recall it being mentioned in an article I read years back about homophobia in music which I think centered on The Beastie Boys first album, and their apology some years later.
There’s been no apology that I’ve seen referenced anywhere but there is there is a story that he donated his royalties from his song on the soundtrack to Jonathan Demme’s “Philadelphia” to a gay men’s health charity.
Cheers, fortuneight – that’s what I was looking for.
Difficult week to find reliable information on this, and I assumed he couldn’t have just said it and done nothing at all to make amends (albeit an apology probably wouldn’t hurt either – it’s pretty rank).
Would imagine there must be someone (Colin H? maybe) who’s a Rocks Back Pages subscriber and can check if the interview is available on their site
I think this is the interview, from Melody Maker, Sept 1985
https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/neil-young-legend-of-a-loner-part-1
There’s no mention on his Wiki page, although it is referenced in the “Talk” section.
Nils Lofgren has pulled his music from Spotify. This could be a gamechanger 😉
To withdraw one’s music from Spotify once looks like a protest. To remove it for a second time makes one look rather like Gerry Rafferty
Oops
Still no word from Stephen Foster as to how he plans to react ?
Mr. Foster’s representative, Derek Acora was unavailable for comment last night.
And now Graham Nash has withdrawn his work, so shaking the platform’s “Our House” to its very foundations, and putting those in charge on the “Marrakesh Express” to financial ruin.
Nonsense, it’s sure to Carry On.
His (former) bandmates David and Stephen have joined him both collectively and solo
Has anyone listened to any of Joe Rogan’s interviews? Just wondering.
I listened to 3 or 4 of them a few years back (pre-Spotify).
As far as I can tell – and per Rob’s comment below – the concept is that he approaches interesting areas of debate with an inquisitive mind, and conducts long form interviews with relevant people from all ends of the spectrum.
I have to admit, though I liked the concept, I found the Podcast wasn’t for me; too often he seemed to allow guests to talk absolute nonsense (my own particular tipping point was Alex Jones spinning a ludicrous alien conspiracy theory) without what I would consider to be sufficiently robust challenge.
He’s obviously determined to keep an open mind, which is laudable in the current climate, but I do think you can take that idea too far. He’s also not (in my view) tremendously bright, and his own politics are clearly centre-right, which I suspect is what the real issue is here – if he was behaving in exactly the same way from the centre-left, he’d almost certainly get the benefit of the doubt. As hedgepig said above; team sports.
I wouldn’t listen to the podcast any more than I already have, and I haven’t heard the episodes re: vaccines, but I gather he invited on appropriately credentialed (albeit in some instances controversial) guests from either side of the discussion, allowed them to speak freely and occasionally nodded along as he tried to learn something from them. That’s pretty much what he does.
I have listened to his apology video, and I found it relatively sensible and of a piece with the podcasts I heard, and which I describe above. I also think the adjustments he’s offering to make sound sensible and proportionate.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/video/2022/jan/31/joe-rogan-responds-spotify-misinformation-backlash-video
Long way of saying; he’s not for me, I don’t enjoy his podcast and I don’t agree with his politics, but if you can get cancelled now for hosting an open forum in a clumsy fashion then that strikes me as the thin end of a very thick wedge. I also suspect there are a lot of people turning in their Spotify accounts “because Joe Rogan” who couldn’t even tell you what’s been said on the podcasts. You would think he’d been pumping out dedicated anti-vax propaganda round the clock, given some of the reaction.
While I think certain episodes of Rogan’s podcast are regrettable, I’m afraid this is an occasion where free speech has to win out, in my view. I don’t agree with Rogan, but – hey – “defend to the death your right to say it”, and all that jazz. For me, this falls short of the “shouting fire in a crowded theatre” test.
I recognise that Neil Young is also exercising his right to free speech, but I don’t agree with him either. I suspect he’s using this issue as cover for his actual longstanding gripes about Spotify’s sound quality (which has caused him to remove his music once before) and business model. I also found some of his comms to be unbearably pompous, particularly given the aforementioned suspicion.
Ultimately, you will not end vaccine hesitancy by attempting to kill debate; the internet makes that impossible, it’s whack a mole, and the more you censor the more you convince people that your own arguments must be built on sand. I would suggest that Rogan’s podcast is an opportunity to reach these people where they live; get smart, persuasive people on there and win the debate, instead of trying to silence it.
Good post Bingo. I must say that if one listens to more of his output, which is very wide ranging in terms of subject matter, Joe Rogan is by far more of an old Lib/Left than Right. I believe the confusion comes due to the current polarisation I mentioned which has blurred those very definitions. I now have an appointment with some tea and shortbread. Goodnight all.
I guess if he was considered left wing then the likes of Ted Nugent would be removing their music?
Yes, quite a few, depending on if I’m interested in the guest. His podcast has a very wide array of guests/subject matter and it takes the format of free open discussion. I find it very refreshing as it has no agenda other than the exchanging of ideas, and he’s not one to shy from challenging or being open to considering new perspectives. The narrative that it’s an extremist platform is utter nonsense, and I’m pretty sure that most in the media who jump on that bandwagon have never even bothered tuning in. It seems that genuine free speech and thought is not very welcome in the mainstream if it veers from the accepted and approved narrative.
Yes this is my experience. I do feel that a lot of people dismiss him on no real basis whatsoever. Seems like a media pile on to me. The particular interviews in question were with experts in the area of vaccines who differ from the accepted wisdom in some of their opinions. Rogan himself is not against vaccines, indeed has been vaccinated himself, but there is a huge range of subjects covered and it’s a bit surprising that someone like Neil Young has fallen for it. They do tend to be very long discussions so not easy to pigeonhole the whole thing as ‘misinformation’.
Spot on, Jay. It doesn’t help that it’s all become so needlessly and intensely polarised now that it stifles informative discussion and the sharing of different opinions. That is far from healthy for society as we are currently seeing.
You will also have probably noticed how the phrase ‘conspiracy theory’ has been truly weaponised to the point where it simply means ‘total bullshit’.
Ah yes. The term was coined in the 60s by the good old CIA as a means to blanket rubbish by media any narrative it disapproved of. Funny how many ‘conspiracy theories’ end up becoming accepted by stealth. Nothing to see here…move along please…. 😉
[Hi CIA guys, hope you haven’t nicked my login?]
Frintonamo here we come. I insist on rocking a saffron jumpsuit. It’ll match my bead bag.