447 Joe Rogan Experience Review of Bono

Summary

Joe Rogan Experience Review Podcast – Episode 447: Bono

Release Date: June 5, 2025

---

Introduction

In Episode 447 of the Joe Rogan Experience Review podcast, hosts Adam Thorne and Pete delve into Bono's recent appearance on Joe Rogan's show. This episode offers a comprehensive analysis of Bono's activism, public image, and the effectiveness of his charitable efforts. The hosts engage in a candid discussion, balancing admiration with critical insights, providing listeners with a nuanced perspective on one of music’s most influential figures.

---

Bono's Appearance on Joe Rogan Experience

[02:03 – 05:18]

Adam Thorne opens the discussion by expressing his surprise at Bono being a guest on Joe Rogan’s podcast. He notes Bono’s stature in the music industry and the unexpectedness of his appearance to some listeners.

Adam Thorne [02:42]: "I was like, oh, this seems like a no brainer for them. And I didn't realize there was like Bono hate out there."

Pete adds his own perspective, labeling Bono as a quintessential "virtue signaler," highlighting Bono’s relentless activism.

Pete [03:11]: "He's pretty much the original virtue signaler guy. He’s like the Pope of outreach for rock stars."

---

Bono's Activism and Live Aid

[05:07 – 09:07]

The conversation shifts to Bono’s long-standing activism, particularly his role in Live Aid and efforts in Africa. Pete recounts Bono’s extensive involvement and the controversies surrounding it.

Pete [05:32]: "He seems like very corporate sellout almost."

Adam reflects on Bono’s ability to attract high-profile figures, mentioning anecdotes shared during the podcast.

Adam Thorne [08:01]: "There was this one point where Bono kind of made the comparison that they were as big as the Beatles."

They discuss Bono’s collaboration with renowned musicians, emphasizing his influence and the distinctive sound he fosters within his band.

Adam Thorne [08:43]: "He just kind of makes a riff and they're like, right, we build the song around this kind of chorus."

---

Charity Effectiveness and Misallocation Concerns

[12:00 – 20:56]

A significant portion of the episode critiques the effectiveness of Bono’s charitable endeavors. The hosts debate whether the funds raised through initiatives like Live Aid genuinely reach those in need or get siphoned off by corrupt entities.

Pete [16:39]: "They made $100 million, I think, and it all went to African warlords. It never got to. It never bought one meal for anybody."

Adam challenges the notion of virtue signaling, questioning the tangible outcomes of Bono’s fundraising efforts.

Adam Thorne [17:57]: "It's about intention and... if you're bashing on others, it's... I don't know, dude."

They further explore the broader implications of charity mismanagement, citing personal anecdotes and historical examples of failed aid projects.

Adam Thorne [20:26]: "I saw a playground in Sri Lanka that was rusty and dangerous because the company that built it didn't maintain it."

---

Discussion on US Foreign Aid Policies

[21:25 – 31:17]

The hosts transition to a critical analysis of US foreign aid, particularly focusing on USAID. They argue that while intentions might be noble, the execution often leads to unintended negative consequences.

Adam Thorne [23:18]: "But it's exactly what Joe said. They threw the baby out of the bathwater."

Pete introduces a theory linking USAID to clandestine activities, including potential funding for reverse-engineering alien technology.

Pete [24:53]: "I have a theory that they were funding maybe some reverse engineering alien spacecraft stuff."

Adam adds a humorous twist, juxtaposing serious conspiracies with mainstream corporate interests.

Adam Thorne [24:58]: "I'm all about reverse engineering alien technology if we get it. Let's take a look at it."

The discussion highlights the complexity and opacity surrounding international aid and the organizations involved, suggesting a need for greater transparency and accountability.

---

Bono's Personal Life and Public Image

[29:47 – 30:35]

Briefly touching on Bono’s personal life, the hosts commend his long-standing marriage and stable family life, contrasting it with his public persona.

Pete [29:51]: "He's been married to Ali Hewson since 1982. They got four kids."

Adam respects Bono’s commitment, noting his family values amidst his high-profile activism.

Adam Thorne [30:03]: "Good for him. I respect that."

---

Conclusion

[40:39 – 41:35]

As the episode wraps up, Adam and Pete reflect on Bono's multifaceted legacy. They acknowledge the dichotomy between his philanthropic efforts and the criticisms they face, urging listeners to consider both the positive impacts and the areas needing scrutiny.

Adam Thorne [41:01]: "I was surprised how many people I talked to that were just like, I'm not doing that one. That guy's annoying. He just was never on my radar for being annoying."

The hosts encourage fans and critics alike to engage with Bono’s work thoughtfully, recognizing his contributions to music and activism while remaining vigilant about the efficacy and integrity of charitable endeavors.

Adam Thorne [41:35]: "Anyway, check it out. Appreciate it. Appreciate you, Pete. And we'll speak to you guys next time. Cheers."

---

Notable Quotes

• Adam Thorne [02:42]: "I didn't realize there was like Bono hate out there."
• Pete [03:11]: "He's pretty much the original virtue signaler guy."
• Pete [16:39]: "They made $100 million, and it all went to African warlords."
• Adam Thorne [23:18]: "They threw the baby out of the bathwater."
• Pete [29:51]: "He's been married to Ali Hewson since 1982."

---

Final Thoughts

Episode 447 offers a balanced exploration of Bono's influence both as a musician and an activist. Through insightful dialogue, Adam Thorne and Pete dissect the complexities of celebrity-driven philanthropy, encouraging listeners to critically assess the impact of high-profile charitable efforts. Whether you're a fan of Bono or skeptical of his motives, this episode provides valuable perspectives that foster a deeper understanding of the interplay between fame, activism, and genuine humanitarianism.

Transcript

[Zoe Saldana]

Hi, Zoe Saldana. Welcome to T Mobile. Here's your new iPhone 16 Pro on us.

[Unknown]

Thanks. And here's my old phone to trade in.

[Zoe Saldana]

You don't need to trade in. When you switch to T Mobile, we'll give you a new iPhone 16 Pro. Plus we'll help you pay off your old phone. Up to 800 bucks and you still get to keep it.

[Unknown]

There's always a trade in.

[Zoe Saldana]

Not right now. At T Mobile.

[Unknown]

I feel like I have to give you something in return for karma.

[Zoe Saldana]

That's okay.

[Unknown]

I don't really have much in my purse. Oh, let's see. Hand sanitizer. It's lavender.

[Zoe Saldana]

I'm good. Seriously.

[Unknown]

Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints.

[Zoe Saldana]

Really, I'm fine.

[Unknown]

Oh, I have raisins. I'm a mom. Wait, wait one sec. I've got cupcakes in the car.

[T Mobile Representative]

It's our best iPhone offer ever. Switch to T Mobile. Get a new iPhone 16 Pro with Apple intelligence on us. No trade in needed. We'll even pay off your phone up.

[T Mobile Voiceover]

To 800 bucks with 24 monthly bill credits. New line $100 plus a month on experience beyond finance agreement $999.99 and qualifying ported for well qualified plus tax and $10 connection charge. Pay off via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days credits end and balance due. If you pay off earlier, Cancel.

[Ford Representative]

With over 200 million drivers, you've done more than make Ford America's all time best selling auto brand. Your purchases have enabled Ford and Ford dealers to donate billions to communities. This June, celebrate Ford and Ford dealers commitment of an important additional donation to Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross and Team Rubicon Ford Motor Company from America for America.

[Automotive News Voiceover]

Based on Automotive News Almanac, historical data and industry reported sales data from 1909 through 2024 CYC.

[Podcast Host]

You are listening to the Joe Rogan Experience Review podcast. We find little nuggets, treasures, valuable pieces of gold in the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast and pass them on to you. Perhaps expand a little bit. We are not associated with Joe Rogan in any way. Think of us as the talking dead to Joe's walking Dead.

[Adam Thorne]

You're listening to the Joe Rogan Experience Review. What a bizarre thing we've created. Now with your host Adam Thorne.

[Pete]

This might either be the worst podcast.

[Adam Thorne]

Or the best one of all time. One go.

[Podcast Host]

Enjoy the show.

[Adam Thorne]

Hey guys, and welcome to another episode of the JRE Review. We are reviewing good old Bono today. Bono on Rogan. I mean, I can't say I'm surprised, you know he can definitely get those types of guests, but yeah, that's a. That's a big one in the world of music. Joined with me today is good old Pete. Pete's back and he's live in the studio.

[Pete]

Howdy, Adam.

[Adam Thorne]

How you doing, bud?

[Pete]

Doing great.

[Adam Thorne]

Nice.

[Pete]

Glad to be here.

[Adam Thorne]

I know. What do you think so far? Good old Montana.

[Pete]

It's nice.

[Adam Thorne]

Sunny.

[Pete]

It's sunny today.

[Adam Thorne]

Yep. Won't last long. Be snow real soon.

[Pete]

Okay. I got a lot of coats. I'm ready for it.

[Adam Thorne]

Hang in there.

[Pete]

All right?

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. So, like, generally, what is your feel of Bono? And you too? Because I will preface this as. I asked a bunch of people that I know that are into music, really enjoy it, different genres, all the rest of it. And I was like, oh, this seems like a no brainer for them. And I didn't realize there was like Bono hate out there.

[Pete]

Yeah, he's pretty much the original virtue, like, original virtue signal, signaler guy. Is that it traveled Africa getting people's business. What? He's like. He's like. What is he, the. The Pope of. The Pope of outreach.

[Adam Thorne]

Really?

[Pete]

For the rock stars.

[Adam Thorne]

Okay.

[Pete]

With his lavender tinted shades.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, I didn't re. You know, I'm. He's been a bit of an activist type guy, you know, and there was a big push in the 80s, especially in England with like Live Aid and helping different countries. Like, I wasn't against any of that stuff. I thought that seemed nice.

[Pete]

Seems you should do. We should be happy for people.

[Adam Thorne]

Get right.

[Pete]

Get in there.

[Adam Thorne]

But I wasn't. I just wasn't aware that people had these strong feelings about it. It's not like you two shows up on my playlist all that much. I think that. I think Bloody Sunday's on there somewhere within the range of. You know, I usually have one or two songs from a band that I really enjoy listening to because I just like to mix it up. But that's as far as my feelings about you two ever went. I was like, they seem pretty good. You know, I'd probably go to a concert, especially if someone gave me free tickets.

[Pete]

Yeah, if there's any free tickets out there, send them our way.

[Adam Thorne]

Mm.

[Pete]

I liked what somebody said on the Jimmy Dore show about how he had. And back in the day he had IRA members, like on stage and stuff. So he's pretty controversial at times.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, Yeah. I mean, he's Irish, so he's going to be pro taking care of the Irish separatist. So I get some of that.

[Pete]

Was this song Sunday Bloody Sunday.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah.

[Pete]

That's about bombings, isn't it?

[Adam Thorne]

You know, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it was about something nasty that happened to, like, a stadium somewhere. It was pretty fucked up stuff.

[Pete]

Yeah, there was some terrible bombings in the. The Troubles, as they called.

[Adam Thorne]

The Troubles. Mm. So, yeah, I mean, he's been in the mix, right. But he's had a life.

[Pete]

Oh, yeah.

[Adam Thorne]

You know, famous. A long time. That band has been like wildly famous.

[Pete]

Remember when you just got your first iPhone and automatically his. His album was. His new album was on there.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. That didn't do a lot for you, too.

[Pete]

I don't think that's kind of how I. How I came to be like, well, what's this about? Like who. What's he shilling? He's kind of a. Seems like very corporate sellout almost.

[Adam Thorne]

That seems like a very in your face thing, you know, it was impossible to delete. It was one thing to join up to MySpace and have. Who was the MySpace guy?

[Pete]

Todd? Tom.

[Adam Thorne]

Tom, yeah. Everyone was friends with Tom.

[Pete]

Right.

[Adam Thorne]

And that was. But it wasn't like Tom was being annoying. It was just his face looking back at. Yeah, it wasn't like, you know, also his. Tom's update for the day. It wasn't really like that.

[Pete]

No.

[Adam Thorne]

But, yeah, to get a phone with an album on it is.

[Pete]

It's a bold move.

[Adam Thorne]

Well, it's kind of saying that, like, oh, that it's such a good album, everyone will like it and if it isn't that album, then it's going to get hammered. And I don't even know which one of their albums it was. Honestly, I think I have an iPhone.

[Pete]

I tried to listen to it a few times and I tried to delete it a few times, but it kept coming back.

[Adam Thorne]

Is that what it did?

[Pete]

It just kept coming back with the new updates and all that would just show right back up.

[Adam Thorne]

So what was the conclusion of that ultimately? Did they remove it? People must have been.

[Pete]

No, I think that it just didn't really work for itunes. Partnership with, you know, backfired. It was like, no thanks to you, too.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. You can't push songs down people's throats. Did they ever address it?

[Pete]

I've never heard it being addressed.

[Adam Thorne]

Okay. Yeah. So there's some ego for sure. And I saw him. I don't know what it was. It was. It was like one of those kind of like unplugged deals, but mostly an interview. So it had the whole band there, small room, and it was maybe like 100 people. Big YouTube fans and they're just talking about their experiences, what they got up to, what's going on. And there was this one point where Bono kind of made the comparison that they were as big as the Beatles and even the audience was like, ooh, easy. I mean when. When your most bought in, fans can't be on board with something. You got to take a step back.

[Pete]

It's. He clearly didn't read the room.

[Adam Thorne]

But look, I don't want to take anything away from. I mean, some of his anecdotes. Hanging out with Frank Sinatra, frickin Johnny Cash. I mean there's just been some incredible stories that are undeniable.

[Pete]

I'm sure he's met everybody, right? Elton John, it seems like people like.

[Adam Thorne]

Him, Pavarotti, they were talking about a bunch. Opera, opera, Opera guy.

[Pete]

I wonder if he still wore the sunglasses when he met those guys. Always just got to wear those off color shades.

[Adam Thorne]

You think he was like just hiding.

[Pete]

That he was stoned all the time, Massively high.

[Adam Thorne]

Probably makes sense.

[Pete]

What's his guitar player? The guy with the beanie all the time?

[Adam Thorne]

Oh, Edge.

[Pete]

The Edge, yeah. He's actually pretty, pretty respectable guitar player, honestly.

[Adam Thorne]

Oh, he's solid, dude. He's. He's kind of. I mean, Bono talked about it, he's kind of like the. That's where they get the musical ideas from really. He just kind of makes a riff and they're like, right. We build the song around this kind of chorus or whatever. Because he has a very distinctive sound and he has. For that music, it works, it works well.

[Pete]

A big sound, especially later on there, later in their career as the sound kind of grew a lot more synth. A lot of big sounds, right? Like a lot of reverb.

[Adam Thorne]

It is interesting how certain guitar players, I mean Jimi Hendrix is one for sure, you know, just have their own sound. It's like everybody's playing the same instrument, but somebody just rocks out. And you're like, that's Jimmy.

[Pete]

Yeah, Jimmy turned it upside down, played with his other hand and just blew everybody's mind, right?

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, lsd, dude. Even Eric Clapton saw him once and was like, I'm quitting the guitar, I'm gonna quit.

[Pete]

It was like an extension of his body. He's so good.

[Adam Thorne]

Wild dude, wild. But yeah, the Edge is very, very good. And you know, they got kind of like real puppy around like the 2000s. They did have some big hits, you know that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Pete]

Sing along now if you know the words, dude.

[Adam Thorne]

The south park that made fun of that was absolutely incredible.

[Pete]

I love how they portray you two in South Park.

[Adam Thorne]

So good. So good. Just. Yeah, they definitely make him seem very pompous. Huh?

[Pete]

He just gets into everything. He's always in over there in Africa, which we should be.

[Adam Thorne]

Wasn't the south park episode about the biggest poop? It was the biggest poop, but he was number two.

[Pete]

Yeah. He actually just lit. Literally is a poo.

[Adam Thorne]

He is a poo.

[Pete]

He used to be the biggest.

[Adam Thorne]

So good. I'll put a link in the bio for you folks listening that have not seen that episode.

[Pete]

Classic South Park.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, I mean, look, everyone's on the chopping block for them potentially. So you do any goofy shit, they're gonna get you. They come up for you.

[Pete]

They like. They like people that realize themselves and not take themselves too, too seriously.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, I think so. I think so. For sure. Bono, you know, he talked about the whole idea of what America was and how it kind of stands for, you know, this message. It's more of an idea than a place. It's like in the works. It's building. It helps other countries, it brings a lot of aid to other countries. All those things I agree with. I think that that's great. I think that this podcast is brought to you by hims. If ED is getting you down, you need HIMS to help get your confidence and other things back up. HIMS provides access to treatment that can help you stay hard and last longer so you can be ready whenever the mood strikes. Feeling a little stalled out in the bedroom? Through hims, you can get some gas back in the tank with personalized ED treatment options that are accessible without ever stepping foot into a doctor's office. HIMS provides access to a range of doctor trusted ED treatments like chewable tablets, Viagra and Cialis and their generics for up to 95% less. No insurance is needed and one low price covers everything from treatment to ongoing care. Start your free online Visit [e-mail] jrer that's H I M S.com jrer for your personalized ED treatment options. Himss.com jre the featured product includes compounded products which are not approved nor verified for safety, effectiveness or quality by the fda. Prescription required. See website for details, restrictions and and important safety information. Price varies based on product and subscription plan. You know, it's easy for different countries to give the US a hard time and just say, oh, you know, fuck those guys and all the rest of it. But realistically, they bring a lot of aid to places a lot of safety to places. Nothing's perfect, obviously, but there's something special that can happen also, with just the money that this country has, it's easy for America to just lean in and be like, what's the problem? There we go.

[Pete]

Right?

[Adam Thorne]

That we can pay for it. Yeah, right. And you know, you have to say, when another country is, like, complaining about that, like, you didn't do enough. Well, how much did you do?

[Pete]

Right.

[Adam Thorne]

Like, relax, cowboy. However, with the Doge stuff. And I guess what he was saying. What? Locking up food in places. And he was talking about, like, all these people dying. That seemed like a big statement to make. 300,000 deaths.

[Pete]

Yeah.

[Adam Thorne]

Where are children?

[Pete]

Where are the receipts for that real quick? You know?

[Adam Thorne]

Well, it's not good to stop aid, that's for sure. I would say.

[Pete]

I definitely don't think that the, like, as he mentioned, like, the rotting of all those millions of pounds or thousands of pounds of food. Yeah, right. They're going to kick the door down and get in there. It's not. Why do we have to have a facility manned by government employees when we could just open it up and let the civilians come and take it?

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, I didn't really get the whole they lost the codes thing or whatever.

[Pete]

Yeah, that seemed like a. They lost the codes. Come on, that's Africa. They know how to bust into stuff.

[Adam Thorne]

Well, it just sounds like the type of talking points where they've read something. He's in a massive echo chamber. It's all bad. That's the narrative. And, you know, throw. Throw like a big number of deaths on there. They did this with COVID dude. They were like, how dare you even not get vaccinated? You'll kill people. It's almost like one of. I'm very suspicious when I hear that type of argument. I don't want anyone to die, too, believe me. But I'm also suspicious of, like, how are you sure then, buddy? How are you sure?

[Pete]

The appeal to compassion is always number one for a certain demographic of people, and it's a leverage tool. Oh, it's so compassionate.

[Adam Thorne]

Well, it's hugely manipulative emotional manipulation.

[Pete]

Right.

[Adam Thorne]

And it will make you feel bad. I mean, unless you realize, oh, wait, I think you are manipulating me with this.

[Pete]

Unless you discover the truth.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. And there could be. There could be truth to it as well. I don't want to say that there isn't and not be, you know, not feel bad for those that suffered on this end, but it's exactly what Joe said. They threw the baby out of the bathwater it's like this fraud in here. We have to put the brakes on everywhere to find the fraud. But I think what. What a lot of people have been feeling is, well, put the brakes on the fraud, but let the rest of it go. I don't know if it's possible to do that, though. You either allow the fraud to continue and whatever aid or good is getting there, or you stop it, and then you really do some accounting, and then you're like, okay, this is working. This isn't working. That's a flag. This is, okay, let's keep everything going.

[Pete]

And I think Bono should know that as good as anybody. He was in the Live Aid for Africa, right?

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. But he wasn't, like, dishing out the meals.

[Pete]

They made $100 million, I think, and it all went to African warlords. It never got to. It never bought one meal for anybody.

[Adam Thorne]

Is that true?

[Pete]

It's true. It was intercepted. It all never went to the people that needed it.

[Adam Thorne]

And this is the thing. It's like, then, technically, aren't you just virtue signaling? Right. Even if it's accidental, it's like, hey, I made all this money and I gave it to those people, and they said that they would do good with it, and they didn't. And now you just walk away going, yeah, we raised this money. This is great. But, like, if it didn't do any of the things that you were trying to do, then, yeah, not good. And careful, criticizing others. It's like, relax, dude. Trying to make sure it gets there. I do worry about that with a lot of the charities that we hear about, because they're paying their CEOs, CFOs, billion or millions, Just lots of money. And it's like, how much of this is getting to where it needs to go?

[Pete]

What was that? Joe actually exposed some of that stuff recently when he was showing the graph of it. Yeah, like, 2% of the cancer association went to the kids. Something like that.

[Adam Thorne]

That's really shocking.

[Pete]

That's shocking.

[Adam Thorne]

Well, so this podcast works with a charity called Fight for the Forgotten that Joe is always talking about. Justin ran, great guy. And they do, like, housing for people in Africa and the Pygmies and getting them wells and. But they have two sides of the way that the business is set up, which is great. They have donors that cover all the administrative costs, and then you can give to the side where it just gets to the people. So 100% of it goes. So it's almost like they. And I think that's beautiful.

[Pete]

Brilliant.

[Adam Thorne]

It's a beautiful structure.

[Pete]

Get it right to them.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. And you know what? Even if then some people working for them are getting paid a lot of money, I want to believe that those people are worth it and really exceptionally good at their job. And it's not coming out. It's not being pulled from the people giving to that charity.

[Pete]

Those guys deserve to have a good salary also. I can imagine it's pretty hard to set up a construction project in Africa.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. It's pretty complicated as hell.

[Pete]

You gotta have some people that know some people.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah.

[Pete]

And they deserve to make some money.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. And what's really sad is when charities come in, they do this whole money grab thing. They build like a playground and some other stuff because it looks good on paper. They can put it on their brochures to get more money, but then they run out of it, and then all of a sudden they're just left with these buildings and playground areas that need to be kind of reinvested in. Because stuff slowly breaks down. You gotta maintain it, and then it becomes kind of dangerous. And I saw that when I was teaching English in Sri Lanka, there was this playground that the company that brought us out there with it was called Travelers. They've gone. I think they were sued and they went bus. Now, they were pretty shitty company, honestly, but they brought us out there, and on their brochures, they were like, look at this beautiful playground. Well, I was teaching a class at the school with that playground, and I was like, oh, cool. So I finished the teaching and I was like, yeah, where's the playground? They were like, we don't go on it. I'm like, what do you mean? Because it, like, all rusted out.

[Pete]

Just jagged pipes.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. It's like rusty bits of metal that have, like, snapped. There's no maintenance for it. And kids were getting injured on there, and they didn't have good, like, decent medical services.

[Pete]

Small clinic, probably.

[Adam Thorne]

And I'm like, that's. That's not how we should do things like that really shocked me while I was doing that program.

[Pete]

Eye opening for a young man.

[Adam Thorne]

Oh, dude. It was sad. That's when I realized it was a lot of this is a money grab.

[Pete]

Yeah. Compassion backfires, and it can happen in a big way.

[Adam Thorne]

Yep.

[Pete]

He was really throwing a lot of numbers out there on this. In this one with pretty easily refutable by Joe.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, it didn't take Joe a lot. I mean, he was like 50,000 tons of food eroding in warehouses. I'm just like, what? You've been weighing food Bro, before you got here.

[Pete]

That's a lot of food. I hope it's not. I also heard this other thing where the people can grow food there. They definitely can. We are dumping our surplus food on them, which is probably not the best kind. Full of, you know, the glyphosate and these dishes.

[Podcast Host]

If you know your party's Extension, press or say 1. To leave a message in our company mailbox, press or say 2. Spoiler alert.

[Zoe Saldana]

It will be full representative.

[Podcast Host]

Would you speak to your mother in that tone?

[Adam Thorne]

Speak to a real human being.

[Unknown]

You shouldn't need to shout into the void to get your health insurance questions answered.

[Adam Thorne]

Pacific Source Health Plans. This is a real person. How can I help you?

[Unknown]

Human service, not automated phone trees.

[Pete]

Pacific Source Health Plans.

[J]

Hi, I'm Chris Gethard and I'm very excited to tell you about Beautiful Anonymous, a podcast where I talk to random people on the phone. I tweet out a phone number. Thousands of people try to call. You talk to one of them. They stay anonymous. I can't hang up. That's all the rules. I never know what's gonna happen. We get serious ones. I've talked with meth dealers on their way to prison. I've talked to people who survived mass shootings, crazy funny ones. I talk to a guy with a goose laugh, somebody who dresses up as a pirate on the weekends. I never know what's going to happen. It's a great show. Subscribe today. Beautiful Anonymous.

[Pete]

Dehydrating chemicals for harvesting. And so they get these random crops they don't even eat generally. Now they have this. Then they develop issues like we do. They start developing obesity and heart disease and stuff, but they don't need it.

[Adam Thorne]

But it isn't a lot of that, like the old story of teach a man to fish. It's like, yeah, just giving them aid is just, I mean, obviously do it right away, right? You got to set up their infrastructure and their ability to like grow and do things. And maybe some of this is happening in both ways, but it, you know, it does seem like we kind of pat ourselves on the back more by just handing it out, right? And it's not really empowering them at all.

[Pete]

Oftentimes local, local strongmen get these lump sum disbursements and then sell it. There's another thing like, well, the U.S. uSAID gives people aid to war torn regions, destabilized populations. But guess who did that? The other part of USAID that destabilized their government with the international initiative, I think it's called It's a part of it.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. It's like the stuff the CIA wouldn't do.

[Pete]

Yeah, they would deep stabilize them and then give them food.

[Adam Thorne]

It's like, that's dirty stuff. And they did not want to talk about that much in the media. They really held on to trying to make US aid seem like the greatest thing ever. And all it does is save lives. And the, the CIA have written about it. There's documents of them basically saying, hey, if we can't take this mission because we have to go in front of Congress, USA can do it. And it's like, that's a big conversation. Dude, is that really fucking happening? Holy shit.

[Pete]

Yeah. And so they pay a shadowy person, this may or may not be totally affiliated with our government that has no oversight. Then a billion dollars goes in that country. To who? We don't know. Also, I have a theory that they were funding maybe some, maybe some reverse engineering alien spacecraft stuff.

[Adam Thorne]

Oh, you think USAID is doing that?

[Pete]

That's how they got their money. Potentially.

[Adam Thorne]

So they're not all bad then. That's what you're saying, Doing some good stuff.

[Pete]

Exactly.

[Adam Thorne]

I'm all about reverse engineering alien technology if we get it. Let's take a look at it.

[Pete]

Let's figure it out.

[Adam Thorne]

Let's be like, what's going on here?

[Pete]

Throw billion billions of dollars at it. Let's figure this out.

[Adam Thorne]

I mean, it's taken a long time to get. What is it? GTA 6 out. Let's speed that up.

[Pete]

Throw a billion at that. Why not?

[Adam Thorne]

Throw a billion. They literally did that game cost like.

[Pete]

That much, I guess it's going to be great. You're going to play it better be good.

[Adam Thorne]

No, honestly, I've never played any of them, but I like how much people like it. Yeah, it turned and it also sounds insanely savage. It's not like teaching us how to be a good person. No, it's like beat a hooker, run your car through a building, get as.

[Pete]

Many police on you as possible, and then try to kill them all.

[Adam Thorne]

That's.

[Pete]

Yeah, don't do that, kids. Don't do that.

[Adam Thorne]

No, don't do that. But you know, in the game, if you win, then it's the game, so you got to win.

[Pete]

Well, good on you then, I guess.

[Adam Thorne]

So what is the point of that game? I don't want to sound like the only loser in the world that doesn't know what GTA is. You just like wreck this open world collecting stuff or stealing cops.

[Pete]

You could play it by the books and you Can. You're probably a criminal that goes on criminal missions. And then maybe at some point you turned good. Or. Or you could probably. If you. It's like a pick and choose. Your. Your adventure.

[Adam Thorne]

Ah, they're actually. You could be, like, arresting people if you wanted to.

[Pete]

You know, I haven't played this one. I don't really know anything about it.

[Adam Thorne]

With a. We're the worst to you. To break this.

[Pete]

It's also called Grand Theft Auto. I think it's all criminally oriented.

[Adam Thorne]

It seems like it would be. It's not called politely, put the car back where you found it.

[Pete]

It's like, it helps the old lady cross. Help the old lady cross the road.

[Adam Thorne]

7. 7. It'll be pretty nice.

[Pete]

Get that Bob O scarf into the. Into her car.

[Adam Thorne]

I like it. I like it. All right, so Bono basically has come out with this new documentary. You gonna watch it? Be honest.

[Pete]

No.

[Adam Thorne]

Don't lie on my podcast.

[Pete]

I might.

[Adam Thorne]

I won't probably.

[Pete]

I don't like getting preached to. I feel like it's gonna be preachy.

[Adam Thorne]

He said it was funny. Maybe it's funny. Joe liked it.

[Pete]

Oh, maybe it was good. Maybe I'll give it a watch. I'll give it 15 minutes.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah.

[Pete]

If it's free.

[Adam Thorne]

If it's free. How much? If it's five bucks, I won't.

[Pete]

I won't see that.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, so he's done that and, you know, we'll see where this goes.

[Pete]

Has he. Has he ever had, like. Do you know who he dated or was married to? Was he, like, a big. A big player back in the day?

[Adam Thorne]

Probably hot, Smoking hot smoke shows. I mean, he's the front man of YouTuber. They've had number one hits for, like, five decades or something. Maybe not that long. Close. I don't know. Social media had some backlash after he came on. People were getting. I don't know, they were, like, skipping the episode. There was a comment. What was a good comment? Oh, the first time I look forward to commercials. That was the best comment I saw. The first time I look forward to commercials. I mean, you know, I think recently, especially after the last one we did with the Egyptian guy, like, people are kind of looking to hate on some of these episodes.

[Pete]

I. You know, Joe got called out by Douglas Murray about, like, not putting two sides on, you know, or giving one side more.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, yeah.

[Pete]

Maybe that this is his attempt to put other, you know, the other side on. Not that they're on opposite sides.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. They weren't, like, bickering.

[Pete]

No.

[Adam Thorne]

I don't think Bono walked away from that going, I mean, look, look, maybe he walks away and some people highlight some of the online backlash to him, and then he's like, oh, okay, maybe I won't go on there again. But just their interactions on this show, I'm like, these guys like each other. They're cool.

[Pete]

They probably. They probably party or they at least as much as Joe does. The. What was I gonna say? The. Oh, yeah. So is he the only guest recently that has been almost pro usaid.

[Adam Thorne]

That I know of?

[Pete]

Yeah, I think that's. That's giving credit credence to the fact that Joe's probably trying to honor that. Maybe he did say, oh, well, I have. I should put more people on that have completely opposite views from these other people.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. Oh, 100%. That's possible.

[Pete]

I'm glad that he did that.

[Adam Thorne]

And also, you know, it's coming from a musician, so it's not like some usiaid.

[Pete]

Trust the experts, Adam.

[Adam Thorne]

Experts.

[Pete]

Trust the experts.

[Adam Thorne]

Oh, musicians.

[Pete]

Yeah.

[Adam Thorne]

They're experts.

[Pete]

Come on. He was Irish.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. Solid tambourine player, actually.

[Pete]

He's been married to ali Hewson since 1982. They got four kids.

[Adam Thorne]

Solid.

[Pete]

That's cool.

[Adam Thorne]

Good for him.

[Pete]

Yeah, that's cool. She's pretty cute.

[Adam Thorne]

Good for him. I respect that.

[Pete]

Keeping it Irish.

[Adam Thorne]

Mm. Yeah. So plug in his Apple tv, plus memoirs, Stories of Surrender, and, you know, I'm sure it's all poetically emotional fanciness. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Pete]

Fades in and out, jokes.

[Adam Thorne]

You know, we're giving it a hard time. Maybe it's good, but, you know. Still working with Apple.

[Pete]

Yeah.

[Adam Thorne]

You know, they're investing $55 billion a year into China. Take that where you want. Bono.

[Pete]

Yeah.

[Adam Thorne]

Are they cool with throw out those numbers?

[Pete]

Are they? Yeah. Why not, like, be transparent? Those guys are not the best, let's say, in the humanitarian department.

[Adam Thorne]

That's a good point. But if you have. If you have degrees of separation and then you're like, yeah, but I've raised all this money for Live Aid. Then.

[Pete]

Like. Like Bill Cosby paying for Martin Luther King's speakers.

[Adam Thorne]

He did that.

[Pete]

Well, that's what Chappelle said.

[Adam Thorne]

Oh, so there we go.

[Pete]

He rapes, but he gives.

[Adam Thorne]

Trying to get that get out of jail free card.

[Pete]

I guess it worked. He's free.

[Adam Thorne]

Well, that is shocking.

[Pete]

That's what they say, anyway.

[Adam Thorne]

That is shocking. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I guess ultimately you could be like, well, it's about intention and. But, you know, also, if you're bashing on others. It's. I don't know, dude.

[Pete]

Are you talking about the China thing? Yeah.

[Adam Thorne]

Or just. Just the whole thing with usaid. I mean, you know, he's saying, oh yeah, I did all this, but I take all this money from Apple. And then also this, you know, fraud organization that's trying to find American fraud is bad. And it's like, well, who really is. What's the intent is like, are we to believe everybody is just trying to make tons of money? Is anyone trying to do good things?

[Pete]

Yeah, I'm jaded. I'm a little.

[Adam Thorne]

Well, dude, we were talking about it earlier. The whole Elon and Trump breakup. That's not gonna work out well.

[Pete]

I wonder somebody is that who got that black eye? Dude, did Trump give him one?

[Adam Thorne]

Got a black eye.

[Zoe Saldana]

Hi, Zoe Saldana. Welcome to T Mobile. Here's your new iPhone 16 Pro on us.

[Unknown]

Thanks. And here's my old phone to trade in.

[Zoe Saldana]

You don't need a trade in. When you switch to T Mobile, we'll give you a new iPhone 16 Pro plus we'll help you pay off your old Phone up to 800 bucks and you still get to keep it.

[Unknown]

There's always a trade in.

[Zoe Saldana]

Not right now. @ T Mobile.

[Unknown]

I feel like I have to give you something in return for karma.

[Zoe Saldana]

That's okay.

[Unknown]

I don't really have much in my purse. Oh, let's see. Hand sanitizer. It's lavender.

[Zoe Saldana]

I'm good. Seriously.

[Unknown]

Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints.

[Zoe Saldana]

Really, I'm fine.

[Unknown]

Oh, I have raisins. I'm a mom. Wait, wait one sec. I've got cupcakes in the car.

[T Mobile Representative]

It's our best iPhone offer ever. Switch to T Mobile. Get a new iPhone 16 Pro with Apple intelligence on us, no trade in needed. We'll even pay off your phone up.

[T Mobile Voiceover]

To 800 bucks with 24 monthly bill credits. New line 100 plus a month on experience beyond Finance Agreement 999.99 and qualifying ported for well qualified plus tax and 10 connection charge. Payout via virtual prepaid card above 15 days. Credits and imbalances do if you pay off early or cancel.

[Adam Thorne]

CT mobile.com Elon the quote unquote richest man in the world suddenly showed up with a black eye. Now I'm just throwing this out to you, audience. How often have you accidentally walked into something or fallen over or know someone that has that got a black eye as opposed to being directly punched in your face? I never have.

[Pete]

I wobble around quite a bit.

[Adam Thorne]

I've Wobbled around and I've never got a black eye, you know, smashed into some things, and the only black eyes I've ever had are people that punch me directly in the face.

[Pete]

I would say that I'm sorry about that, by the way.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, I forgive you, Pete.

[Pete]

Thank you.

[Adam Thorne]

It was. It was a rough conversation and I shouldn't have said those things.

[Pete]

Those are wild times.

[Adam Thorne]

Wild times. But, you know, I don't know, it's a fun thing to play around with.

[Pete]

But how do you get a black guy?

[Adam Thorne]

Dude, remember when Bush got a black eye and he was like, oh, I was choking on a pretzel and passed out and I'm like, who punched Bush? Do you remember this?

[Pete]

I do, actually. If you're curious, everybody look up the Black Eye Club and you'll find every. Every Hollywood star has a black eye at some point.

[Adam Thorne]

You think it's like you get jumped in.

[Pete]

I think they have to. I don't know. It's like, it's something I could get. My mind could go a lot of places, but I automatically think demonic rape gangs.

[Adam Thorne]

Oh, okay.

[Pete]

No, I don't know.

[Adam Thorne]

He went, fuck you and on. On that one. There we go. Pete's back on the show.

[Pete]

Pizza, cake.

[Adam Thorne]

Pizza, cake. Yeah. I don't know, man. I mean, look, the timing just seems weird. It's like shit's hitting the fan. Those two are arguing, like, who knows who they bring in?

[Pete]

Who runs this world? Who's more powerful than Elon?

[Adam Thorne]

Dude, imagine someone sitting, like, just literally punching George Bush while he's president in the face. George can say nothing about it. This is a hypothetical, but just imagine a reality where there's like another level. And, you know, these presidents come in and they're like, no, no, you don't understand. I'm the powerful one, I tell you. And this guy just clocks him. Bam.

[Pete]

Get him.

[Adam Thorne]

And it's like, what are you gonna do now? I mean, the wake up call, the door shifts, You've got the Secret Service do nothing. Yeah, Everyone around just stops. Everyone pauses, and they're just like, don't do that again and I'll see you in a month. Say hi to your family.

[Pete]

Do you think it has anything to do with every person in power, in public figures paying homage to that big wall?

[Adam Thorne]

Oh, the Jewish one. Yeah, dude, look, there's definitely nations involved. There's definitely higher powers of things. And I don't know. I don't know what to think about it all also. I can't. I just can't figure it out. I'M like, who is the group? What? You know, and often it comes back to, oh, is it the Rockefellers or the Frank Carnegie? You know, I'm just like, I don't know. Why are they even that bothered about it?

[Pete]

Could it be like the. There's also like the Bilderbergs, which is a secret organization or what do you call it? Like, like, you know, like the Freemasons.

[Adam Thorne]

Oh, right.

[Pete]

They're like the, they're very wealthy. And then there's like the trilateral correlation or trilateral something or other that Jimmy Carter was talked about. And that's like a East Asian chipping firms that, that basically run the seas, Right. There's, there's huge powerful people at play. More powerful than our president.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah. And they, and I, and I think probably what happens, this is just a guess, but imagine, you know, back in the day, to rule the seas, you just had to have like armies, biggest guns, right? Yeah, of course.

[Pete]

Best ships.

[Adam Thorne]

So nowadays it doesn't work like that. You're not an oil tanker with a cannon on, but you have the backing of certain countries. You know, having the backing of an America American, you know, all of America is a good idea. They got tons of dope ass ships, ordinance blow stuff up. And then also in order to keep that power your're playing games to push people out. Like, let's not pretend that all of this is like fair game, right?

[Pete]

It's not fair. It's, it's, it's a power thing, dude.

[Adam Thorne]

To put it in perspective, in like the 1980s in England, if you had an ice cream van, you know, like the ice cream trucks with the music, ding, ding, ding. And come get ice cream. If you got on someone's turf, it was straight up gang stuff.

[Pete]

That's awesome to see. I mean, I'd love to see a couple of ice creams, but hold on.

[Adam Thorne]

We're talking fucking ice cream here.

[Pete]

Yeah.

[Adam Thorne]

Like, you don't think that oil tankers full of tons of crude ready to sell, having a share Lane, it's like they're not around, dude.

[Pete]

Access to different ports in different countries. Yeah. It pays to have our flyboys at the ready. Five minutes away from anywhere in the, on the ocean, right? That's not true. I'm not sure what, what their, what their response time is, but they, they get there.

[Adam Thorne]

Yeah, but also this comes back to like, okay with all that. Who is, who are the ones pulling the strings? Like, that's, that's like a lot of the questions that I honestly think Joe is like trying to get to most of the time, like, and I'm sure he has a deeper insight than us because he's getting closer and closer. These, like, wealthy, like, he can call, you know, Elon Zuckerberg. He can probably have a conversation with Trump. Yeah, he can.

[Pete]

Trump.

[Adam Thorne]

What if he got Trump and Elon on the pod together after this beef while Trump's still president? How massive do you think that would be?

[Pete]

I think that if. What if the truth comes out about some of these Epstein files? We'd be shook. Our countries would be shaken.

[Adam Thorne]

We can't even look at it.

[Pete]

I want to see them. Of course. I'm. I'm a grown up now. As Tim Dillon says, we're not going to see it. We're not going to see them.

[Adam Thorne]

We're not saying them.

[Pete]

Grow up. Think about something you control.

[Adam Thorne]

Yep, nice fantasy.

[Pete]

Don't let your kids go to any crazy islands.

[Adam Thorne]

Don't do that.

[Pete]

Just skip Disney altogether if you can.

[Adam Thorne]

Skip it.

[Pete]

I don't pay $25 for a hot dog. You crazy.

[Adam Thorne]

No, no.

[Pete]

The world's come. The world's it's coming. Where are the aliens?

[Adam Thorne]

Where? Where are they?

[Pete]

Just drop the aliens.

[Adam Thorne]

We're going to get to more of those podcasts real soon. But yeah, for right now. That's Bono. That's you too, if you're a fan. I get it. They've been big, massive. You know, would you call them rock stars? Rock stars, right? For years. Pop stars. Poppy, Rocky stars, Twats.

[Pete]

No, they're great.

[Adam Thorne]

And you know, also there's skeptical people that aren't big fans. Like, I was surprised how many people I talked to that were just like, I'm not doing that one. That guy's annoying. He just was never on my radar for being annoying. I was like, seems fine. I'd chat with him.

[Pete]

Have a chat.

[Adam Thorne]

Seems cool. Anyway, check it out. Appreciate it. Appreciate you, Pete. And we'll speak to you guys next time. Cheers.

[Pete]

Bye.

[Automotive News Voiceover]

Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host, you seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements, or run a pre produced ad like this one across thousands of shows. To reach your target audience in their favorite podcasts with Libsyn Ads, go to Libsyn ads.com that's L I B S Y N ads.com today.