I'm all into OSR RPGs, but I think Monster Man [0] may have a general appeal. It's a gentle deconstruction of the monsters from Dungeons and Dragons, with a lot of the history and mythical underpinnings thrown in. Short (usually Also G.Lo.P. [1] Curmudgeonly looks at current events in the culture, with lots of stories from old Hollywood movies/TV. When they dip into politics, it's conservative Happy Warrior stuff, nothing to be afraid of.
It seems to be a combination of his academic credibility and interest generated from multiple appearances on JRE, which was also likely sparked in part of he and Rogan's mutual interest in BJJ and MMA. This was previously discussed on HN[0]. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31777328
I have no idea what any of those TLAs mean.
Joe Rogan Experience, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts.
As an aside, I really wish Lex Fridman would make his interviews shorter and edit them a bit. Plus, I'm not trying to diss him but genuinely asking - he's not a particularly remarkable or interesting or entertaining interviewer (he's okay, and smart, but nothing out of the ordinary), how did he become such a prominent podcaster?
Huh, it's interesting to see someone else's perspective here! Personally, I think Lex is a particularly remarkable/interesting/entertaining interviewer! He's one of the few where I don't feel like I'm wasting my time listening to his work. I can't speak for everyone, but I feel that his rise to prominence comes from his exceptional skill in navigating difficult conversations with esoteric or difficult people.
His guests can definitely be really interesting, but I feel like it isn't so much because of him "navigating difficult conversations" and more of "not making them have difficult conversations". He gives them a platform to voice sometimes very questionable viewpoints for hours mostly unchallenged.
As an aside, I really wish Lex Fridman would make his interviews shorter and edit them a bit. Plus, I'm not trying to diss him but genuinely asking - he's not a particularly remarkable or interesting or entertaining interviewer (he's okay, and smart, but nothing out of the ordinary), how did he become such a prominent podcaster?
I enjoy his show but have never listened in podcast form. Rather, I just consume it via (some of) the clips he puts out on YouTube. You may enjoy it the same way.