Episode #1588
Lawrence Wright
Books mentioned
Going Clear
Mentioned by Lawrence Wright · at 00:00:00
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Official episode description (podcast RSS) · Transcript (podscripts.co)
Dianetics
Mentioned by Joe Rogan (host) · at 00:01:57 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
The Road
Mentioned by Lawrence Wright · at 01:43:42 · ▶︎ Watch this moment on YouTube (approximate)
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
Timestamps are segment start times from the podscripts.co transcript of the audio release (includes ad reads), so they may differ from the video by a few minutes.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright reflects on Scientology, cults, religious belief, abuse, and the formation of false memories through hypnosis and suggestive questioning. He also discusses his pandemic novel, COVID-19, vaccine distribution, the 1976 swine flu response, and how the Kennedy assassination shaped his childhood, alongside his broader reporting and creative ambitions.
What they talked about
- Scientology's appeal to celebrities
- L. Ron Hubbard's background and Dianetics
- Cults and mass hypnosis
- Satanic ritual abuse panic of the 1990s
- False memory syndrome and hypnotherapy
- COVID-19 pandemic response and vaccine rollout
- Stand-up comedy as an art form
- Creative process and cross-pollination of writing
Data last updated · Report a mistake · How it works: mentions are pulled from public transcripts and episode descriptions, partly with AI-assisted extraction, so details and timestamps can be off.