Episode

Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
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1:32:16
Published: Tue Jul 29 2014
Description

Dan Carlin is the host of my favorite podcast, Hardcore History.But... what?! History?! I know. I thought the same thing. How could a history podcast have a cult following?And yet it did. During research for launching The Tim Ferriss Show, I asked many of the top dogs on the iTunes charts: what is your favorite podcast? Almost without exception, the answer came back: Hardcore History.Since then, I've become friends with Dan (and more obsessed with his show), and this episode explores all the questions I've been dying to ask him, whether related to his early experiments, his "radio" voice, creativity, building podcasts, and much more. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it. Best, Tim***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
Joe Rogan interviews Dan Carlin, exploring his early beginnings, first versions of the podcast, growth into a full-time profession, and his habits and rituals.
00:00 - 06:41 (06:41)
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Podcasting
Summary

Joe Rogan interviews Dan Carlin, exploring his early beginnings, first versions of the podcast, growth into a full-time profession, and his habits and rituals. They also touch on his influence on podcasting and what he would do differently.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast creator talks about the evolution of his show and how they keep improving the format in every episode, citing the example of Seinfeld and Joe Rogan's polished shows, also discussing the surprise hits and misses in the industry.
06:41 - 13:52 (07:10)
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Podcasting
Summary

The podcast creator talks about the evolution of his show and how they keep improving the format in every episode, citing the example of Seinfeld and Joe Rogan's polished shows, also discussing the surprise hits and misses in the industry.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast host talks about the pressure he feels about each episode and how he strives to create compelling stories that leave listeners feeling something unique.
13:52 - 20:41 (06:49)
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Podcasting
Summary

The podcast host talks about the pressure he feels about each episode and how he strives to create compelling stories that leave listeners feeling something unique.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The podcasting world offers a wide audience to attract listeners to your authentic vocal delivery.
20:41 - 31:11 (10:29)
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Podcasting
Summary

The podcasting world offers a wide audience to attract listeners to your authentic vocal delivery. For the ones who feel self-conscious about their vocal skills, writing down the key ideas and referring to those during the podcast can help polish their delivery skills.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Dan Carlin discusses how audio personalities like Orson Welles have inspired his "theater of the mind" approach to podcasting.
31:11 - 40:44 (09:32)
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Audio Personalities
Summary

Dan Carlin discusses how audio personalities like Orson Welles have inspired his "theater of the mind" approach to podcasting.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This episode discusses the practicality of studying history and the repetition of historical events.
40:44 - 43:58 (03:14)
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History
Summary

This episode discusses the practicality of studying history and the repetition of historical events. The speaker also mentions a movie from the late 1970s called The Final Countdown.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Most Americans only know about the involvement of their side in the war, making it crucial to highlight the stories of the other parties involved in the war.
43:58 - 51:47 (07:48)
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War
Summary

Most Americans only know about the involvement of their side in the war, making it crucial to highlight the stories of the other parties involved in the war. The German-Soviet Union War is one such topic that the public could take more interest in.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about how creating something great is very satisfying and the desire to always improve and create something better than the last time.
51:47 - 56:30 (04:43)
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Creativity
Summary

The speaker talks about how creating something great is very satisfying and the desire to always improve and create something better than the last time.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The political dynamics of the 1930s can be compared to our own modern political climate.
56:30 - 1:04:20 (07:49)
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Politics
Summary

The political dynamics of the 1930s can be compared to our own modern political climate. Military history is also discussed throughout the episode.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The host of a history podcast discusses the difficulty of finding new topics to talk about after hundreds of episodes, and how he collects potential stories for future episodes.
1:04:19 - 1:08:28 (04:08)
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Podcasting
Summary

The host of a history podcast discusses the difficulty of finding new topics to talk about after hundreds of episodes, and how he collects potential stories for future episodes.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker explains that happiness and success are interconnected, but individuals may have to attain certain things to experience happiness.
1:08:28 - 1:13:25 (04:56)
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Happiness
Summary

The speaker explains that happiness and success are interconnected, but individuals may have to attain certain things to experience happiness. The internet has made it easier to gain multiple viewpoints on a given subject.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Sometimes, a seemingly wasted day of recording can be necessary for the creative process to fully gestate.
1:13:24 - 1:17:16 (03:51)
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podcasting
Summary

Sometimes, a seemingly wasted day of recording can be necessary for the creative process to fully gestate. Unproductivity can lead to more productive sessions in the future.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The lifetime damage caused by war should be taken into consideration when making decisions to send people to fight.
1:17:16 - 1:21:25 (04:09)
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Politics
Summary

The lifetime damage caused by war should be taken into consideration when making decisions to send people to fight. The speaker believes that many people get into politics out of anger, which may lead to poor decision-making.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses their preference for old punk rock bands like Lou Reed and Jerry Lee Lewis, and their preference for tribal drumming over audio work.
1:21:25 - 1:24:51 (03:25)
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music
Summary

The speaker discusses their preference for old punk rock bands like Lou Reed and Jerry Lee Lewis, and their preference for tribal drumming over audio work.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker notes that some people who enjoy the current podcast episodes may not appreciate the way the older ones sound.
1:24:51 - 1:28:25 (03:33)
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Podcasting
Summary

The speaker notes that some people who enjoy the current podcast episodes may not appreciate the way the older ones sound. A recent episode focused on the question of whether people in the past were tougher than we are today.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker is impressed by the quality and creativity of podcasts today, saying that they are better than most audiobooks.
1:28:25 - 1:32:10 (03:45)
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podcasting
Summary

The speaker is impressed by the quality and creativity of podcasts today, saying that they are better than most audiobooks. He also notes that podcasting provides a unique avenue for creative expression and a way to build an audience without needing to go through traditional media outlets.

Episode
Ep 20: Dan Carlin - Hardcore History, Building Podcasts, Creativity, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show