Latest / The Joe Rogan Recap / Mike Judge (2022) - Idiocracy, Crocs and Beavis & Butthead

Transcript

Mike Judge (2022) - Idiocracy, Crocs and Beavis & Butthead · The Joe Rogan Recap

• 0:00
  Welcome to the Joe Rogan recap. Today we're diving deep into a
• 0:03
  fascinating conversation between Joe Rogan and Mike Judge, the
• 0:07
  creative mind behind Idiocracy and Beavis and Butt Head.
• 0:11
  That's right, our mission is to really unpack their discussion,
• 0:15
  pull out the most insightful bits, the entertaining Nuggets.
• 0:18
  And the other hilarious moments too.
• 0:20
  We'll get into why Idiocracy feels so well now.
• 0:23
  And the whole Crocs thing, the evolution of MTV, it's quite a
• 0:27
  ride. So some pretty wild tangents.
• 0:30
  Prairie dog hunting anyone? Yeah, that was unexpected, but
• 0:33
  starting with Idiocracy, it was interesting hearing Judge react
• 0:36
  to Rogan. Watching it again recently.
• 0:38
  Oh yeah, Rogan was like, dude fucking holds up.
• 0:40
  Very emphatic. And Jeff seemed genuinely
• 0:42
  surprised himself, didn't he, at how much of it feels like it
• 0:45
  predicted today. He did.
• 0:46
  He mentioned the one big thing they missed was social media,
• 0:49
  which is huge obviously. It is huge.
• 0:51
  But you could argue, couldn't you, that social media is almost
• 0:55
  like the Idiocracy? Low attention span thing cranked
• 0:58
  up to 11. That constant chase for viral
• 1:00
  stuff. That's a really good point.
• 1:01
  It's not a direct prediction maybe, but it definitely taps
• 1:04
  into that same cultural vibe they were satirizing.
• 1:08
  Exactly. And Judge said the original
• 1:10
  spark for the movie back in 2001 wasn't some sci-fi vision.
• 1:14
  It was seeing 2001 A Space Odyssey again.
• 1:18
  Right. And thinking the future might
• 1:19
  look more like Walmarts and Jerry Springer everywhere.
• 1:23
  Yeah, he pictured this graph. You know, crassness going up,
• 1:26
  intelligence going down. A simple kind of bleak idea.
• 1:31
  And the actual making of the film sounded just as chaotic
• 1:34
  filming in Austin. During a supposed drought.
• 1:37
  But then it rained constantly. They were literally fighting the
• 1:40
  weather to make it look dry and dusty.
• 1:42
  And then post production budget cuts after a test screening
• 1:44
  didn't go well, just hurdle after hurdle.
• 1:46
  It really makes you think about how these cult classics
• 1:49
  sometimes have such a rough birth.
• 1:50
  Totally Speaking of unexpected things, the Crocs.
• 1:56
  I just can't make this stuff. Out Oh, the Crocs story is
• 1:58
  perfect. So the costume designer, right?
• 2:00
  She's on a tight budget back in like 2004 and she picks Crocs
• 2:04
  for basically everyone thinking these are cheap ugly plastic
• 2:08
  fuse no one will ever actually wear.
• 2:10
  The ultimate irony because, well, look around now.
• 2:13
  Exactly. Rogan was telling him about Post
• 2:16
  Malone, Justin Bieber, everyone wearing them, customizing them.
• 2:19
  Using them as camp shoes, that kind of thing.
• 2:21
  Casual comfort. But then. $600.00 fashion Crocs.
• 2:25
  That's pure Idiocracy territory right there.
• 2:27
  It really is, Judge choked. It could be a sequel just based
• 2:30
  on that. Yeah.
• 2:30
  It's amazing how trend cycle isn't it?
• 2:33
  Use it. One minute is suddenly high
• 2:34
  fashion. Blurs that line between satire
• 2:37
  and reality completely. OK, so shifting gears a bit,
• 2:40
  Beavis and Butt Head, another Judge classic.
• 2:43
  Right. And it started small, didn't it
• 2:44
  was like his fourth animated short or something?
• 2:46
  Yeah, just these little shorts he made and they got picked up
• 2:49
  by MTV's Liquid Television. Liquid Television.
• 2:54
  That show was so important for animation back then, really
• 2:57
  experimental stuff. Definitely a launching pad and
• 2:59
  the story of how MTV actually got Beavis and Butthead.
• 3:03
  Wow, Yeah, he described these really long, kind of messy
• 3:06
  negotiations, first with the production company, then MTV
• 3:10
  directly. And he sold the rights for what,
• 3:12
  $18,000? 18 grand.
• 3:15
  He called it his admission fee to show business.
• 3:18
  Kind of funny, kind of painful. You know it.
• 3:20
  Really shows how different things were for creators back
• 3:22
  then. Wildly different.
• 3:24
  And Mt VS initial idea was just to use them as like little
• 3:28
  station IDs between videos, little bumpers but.
• 3:31
  Then they saw the potential wanted 65 episodes.
• 3:34
  Which judge apparently had some doubts about committing to that
• 3:37
  much? Understandable, and there were
• 3:39
  contract issues too, but he eventually got a much better
• 3:41
  deal like 5050 ownership which is.
• 3:43
  Huge shows you got to fight for your creations value.
• 3:46
  Absolutely. And look, they're still going.
• 3:47
  New movie coming out. Beavis and Butthead do the
• 3:50
  universe on Paramount Plus. And new episodes too, right?
• 3:53
  Yeah, with older Beavis and Butthead watching Tik Toks and
• 3:55
  stuff. Yeah, premiering in August.
• 3:58
  I think watching Tik Toks and modern music videos, it's kind
• 4:01
  of brilliant. Keeps the whole commentary
• 4:02
  fresh. Which brings us to MTV itself,
• 4:05
  then and now. Judge had some early interesting
• 4:09
  experiences there too. Oh yeah, like the MTV half hour
• 4:12
  comedy hour and a pilot deal that offer him basically
• 4:15
  nothing. Like $500.00 for a pilot script
• 4:18
  with an exclusivity clause? That's insane.
• 4:21
  Totally exploitative, really. They mentioned Dan Cortez too.
• 4:24
  Maybe similar kinds of deals back then.
• 4:25
  It was a different world. It really was.
• 4:27
  And just think about what MTV was Wall to wall music videos,
• 4:31
  the cultural impact. Oh, absolutely.
• 4:32
  Like a Michael Jackson thriller premiere, That was an event.
• 4:35
  Everyone watched it. No, it's, well, it's mostly
• 4:38
  reality shows like Rob Durdick's stuff dominates the schedule, A
• 4:41
  huge shift. It underlines that move away
• 4:44
  from, you know, a shared monoculture, everyone watching
• 4:47
  the same thing. Yeah, viewership for big network
• 4:50
  shows now is nothing compared to Seinfeld or Friends back in the
• 4:53
  day. It's all fragmented.
• 4:54
  Very fragmented, so OK. They also got into the creative
• 4:57
  process itself, like what happens after you finish a big
• 5:00
  project. Right Judge described it as this
• 5:03
  strange mixed feeling, almost icky, like something's missing.
• 5:08
  Yeah, like a void. You live inside this thing for
• 5:10
  so long, making it, tweaking it. And then it's just done.
• 5:14
  Stepping back into the real world feels weird.
• 5:17
  A bit of withdrawal maybe? Definitely.
• 5:19
  And he talked about losing objectivity, especially with
• 5:22
  comedy. How can you tell if it's still
• 5:24
  funny when you've heard the dialogue a million times,
• 5:27
  fiddled with every pause? You just can't really.
• 5:29
  You're too close to it. Need those fresh eyes?
• 5:32
  Which makes the later success feel even better I guess, like
• 5:37
  with Idiocracy after it's tough start.
• 5:40
  Or Office Space. Remember, that wasn't a hit in
• 5:42
  theaters either. Not at.
• 5:43
  All found his audience on video later.
• 5:46
  It's proof that you know a project's worth isn't just about
• 5:49
  opening weekend. Sometimes things take time to
• 5:51
  connect. For sure.
• 5:51
  OK, now for some of those tangents they got on to Stephen
• 5:54
  Root. Oh man, yes Judge just raved
• 5:57
  about his talent, how he completely disappears into
• 5:59
  characters. And Milton and Office Space,
• 6:01
  obviously Jimmy James and News Radio.
• 6:04
  And the story about Ben Stiller watching Office Space and not
• 6:07
  even when recognizing Rude is Milton?
• 6:09
  That's incredible acting. Total transformation.
• 6:12
  And Speaking of News Radio, that tidbit about Ray Romano?
• 6:15
  Oh yeah. Originally cast in the role
• 6:18
  Judge ended up playing. Got hired, then fired, then
• 6:21
  another actor didn't work out, then judge got the part.
• 6:24
  So much chance involved. Wild worked out for Romano in
• 6:28
  the end, though Everybody Loves Raymond wasn't far behind.
• 6:31
  True. Judge also told that funny story
• 6:34
  about Root reading Tri Aikman's part for a Kung of the Hill
• 6:38
  table read. Apparently nailing the
• 6:40
  awkwardness of a non actor athlete reading lines.
• 6:42
  Hilarious. These behind the scenes glimpses
• 6:45
  are always great. They also mentioned the Coen
• 6:47
  brothers, Buster Scruggs. Which had Root and Tim Blake,
• 6:50
  Nelson and Nelson's Western Old Henry.
• 6:53
  But then Pharrell hogs. OK.
• 6:55
  Yeah, that came out of left field.
• 6:57
  It was fascinating. Domestic pigs going wild.
• 7:00
  And physically changing so fast. Growing tusks, thicker fur.
• 7:03
  Their faces even change shape. It's like they revert back.
• 7:06
  They mentioned that book Termination Shock.
• 7:08
  And how feral Hogman isn't good for bacon.
• 7:10
  It's too lean, too dark. Right.
• 7:12
  Turns out bacon comes from basically obese pigs bred for
• 7:16
  fat. Then the curing process does the
• 7:19
  rest. They name drop Daidu in Austin
• 7:21
  too. That wild game restaurant.
• 7:23
  Which led to talking about invasive species, generally cane
• 7:27
  toads in Australia. New Zealand's problems, Yeah,
• 7:30
  messing with ecosystems has consequences.
• 7:32
  Always. And then we got to Prairie dog
• 7:34
  hunting, which is a thing, a very intense thing.
• 7:37
  Apparently mentioning Brock Lesnar doing it using huge
• 7:41
  rifles like .50. Cals OK the story about the .50
• 7:45
  Cal missing a deer but the shockwave killing it and.
• 7:48
  Sucking its eyes out. That's graphic and just bizarre.
• 7:52
  Really shows the power of those weapons.
• 7:53
  Seriously. From there, somehow they got to
• 7:56
  UFC judges early interest. And Dana White asking him to
• 7:59
  commentate once. Yeah.
• 8:01
  And they touched on an upcoming fight card.
• 8:03
  Then back to Idiocracy, casting Terry Crews as President
• 8:07
  Camacho. Perfect casting, but they
• 8:09
  considered Benicio del Toro first.
• 8:11
  Hard. To imagine anyone but Cruz now,
• 8:13
  his physique, the comedy, the whole package was just spot on.
• 8:17
  Judge mentioned Tank Abbott had a good audition for another role
• 8:20
  too. Talked about Tank wearing gloves
• 8:21
  early in UFC when they were optional.
• 8:23
  Little bits of history. It really shows how casting can
• 8:26
  be, this mix of planning and happy accidents.
• 8:29
  Cruz was Camacho. Absolutely.
• 8:32
  So wrapping this all up, what does it all mean for you
• 8:35
  listening? Well, hopefully this deep dive
• 8:37
  gave you some fresh perspectives on Idiocracy's prescience.
• 8:42
  Beavis and butt Heads journey. The weirdness of filmmaking.
• 8:45
  And feral hogs and Prairie dogs. Can't forget those.
• 8:49
  Definitely can't forget those, but here's maybe the really
• 8:52
  interesting thing to chew on. Go on.
• 8:54
  Think about that line between satire and reality when you look
• 8:58
  around How close are we getting to the world Judge satirized?
• 9:02
  It's a scary thought sometimes. What seems ridiculous today?
• 9:05
  Could be totally normal tomorrow.
• 9:06
  It makes you wonder, doesn't? It it really does.
• 9:08
  Well, thanks for taking this deep dive with us.
• 9:10
  We definitely encourage you to rewatch Idiocracy.
• 9:12
  Check out the new Beavis and Butt Head stuff.
• 9:14
  And maybe, just maybe, ponder the strange physics of exploding
• 9:19
  Prairie dogs.