Joe Rogan Experience #2484 - David Cross

TL;DR

Joe Rogan and David Cross reconnect after years apart, swapping stories about comedy, radio legends, Boston's club scene, and life experiences.

Key Points

• 1.David Cross got a hair transplant he regrets. He jokes it's like 'moving healthy people into a neighborhood where everyone's dying,' and has since fully embraced being bald.
• 2.Both Rogan and Cross are devoted fans of Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM. Rogan listened driving home through the valley at night; they praise Bell's respectful treatment of even the wildest callers, including a dedicated time traveler hotline.
• 3.Phil Hendrie is described as a genius for doing multiple radio characters simultaneously. Cross watched him live at Aspen Comedy Festival operating two mics and a phone mic, switching voices mid-sentence without missing a beat.
• 4.Cross met Hendrie alongside Bob Odenkirk, Doug Stanhope, and Adam Carolla at what was likely the Montreal Comedy Festival, discussing the struggle of getting a TV pilot made.
• 5.Wally George originated the angry confrontational talk show format before Morton Downey Jr. and is revealed to be actress Rebecca De Mornay's father, having been married a possible 10 times with at least six children.
• 6.TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are praised as the greatest improvisers Cross has ever seen. Cross has seen them 30-40 times; Tim Meadows called performing with them 'the most terrifying thing he's ever done.'
• 7.Cross grew up in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury during the 1970s counterculture era. Moving to Florida at age 11 was a culture shock — it was the first time he heard a racial slur, a word he'd never encountered in San Francisco.
• 8.Cross's stepfather was an architect-in-training, explaining the family's constant relocations from New Jersey to San Francisco, Florida, Gainesville, and finally Boston, where Cross began standup in 1988.
• 9.Cross's parents, hippies who opposed Vietnam, became boxing fans solely because of Muhammad Ali's anti-war stance. They watched the Ali vs. Leon Spinks rematch despite normally opposing anything violent.
• 10.Cross was discovered by manager Jeff Susman almost by accident. Susman came to Boston scouting talent after losing his main client Bob Nelson, who found Jesus and handed management to a prayer partner.
• 11.Cross landed News Radio by replacing a replacement — Ray Romano was fired from the pilot first, then another actor replaced Romano and was also fired, opening the spot Cross ultimately filled despite having zero acting experience.
• 12.Cross moved to LA in 1994 reluctantly, only staying because he had signed a year-long lease. He had initially come for a failed Fox baseball sitcom called Hardball with Jim Breuer, which he describes as terrible.
• 13.Nick's Comedy Stop in Boston was a mob-adjacent, cocaine-fueled environment. Cross ate it all week opening for Kevin Knox, then was paid from a safe sitting open with cash and a gun, and never returned.
• 14.Greg Fitzsimmons got revenge on Bill Downs for an $1,800 debt by stealing his Rolex watch during a New Hampshire show, then holding it hostage until Downs paid the full amount at a public diner meeting.
• 15.Both Rogan and Cross agree they would never remarry if their current marriages ended. Cross has been married 17 years; Rogan says fatherhood is the main reason he'd stay committed to working through a marriage.