[EXPLICIT] Punk Icon, Spiritual Warrior, Ironman Triathlete & PlantPower Iconoclast

The Rich Roll Podcast

Rich Roll

Education, Society & Culture, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 13.3K Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2013

⏱️ 145 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

John Joseph is a true American original. John Joseph defines hardcore. John Joseph is a spiritual warrior. And he's got a message for you. First, let me say that this episode is EXPLICIT. John simply can't be edited or muzzled, and you wouldn't want him that way anyway. He has a strong preference for four letter words. He drops the f-bomb about a thousand times during the interview and recounts in technicolor detail the horrific, grizzly reality of his abusive upbringing, his criminal background and past penchant for violence in the underbelly of Manhattan's lower eat side in the 1970's and '80's. So I'm saying it now — if you are easily offended, or this just isn't your cup of tea, then this may not be the episode for you. That's fine. Let's just say this one just isn't safe for the workplace. Disclaimer aside, I love this guy. It's rare to meet someone so raw; real and authentic. Unafraid of life and certainly not shy when it comes to speaking his mind. And in this interview he lays his truth bare. With John, what you see and hear is exactly who he is. And his message — and life lessons — are amongst the most powerful I have ever heard. Conceived and raised in abuse. Deprived of opportunity. Left to his own devices. John turned to violence and drugs to make his way in the world. A path that led him to violence and crime — teen years spent as a drug mule; in and out of of foster care; and stints in juvi and jail. To avoid long-term incarceration, he enlisted in the Navy, only to go AWOL after a fight. Fleeing the law and rudderless, John found redemption in the hardcore punk rock scene flourishing on the lower east side of Manhattan in the 1970's. And under the wing of Bad Brains' frontman H.R. — a devotee of Rastafari — John began to explore not just his musicianship, but his spirituality as well. A journey that not only birthed the Cro-Mags — one of the most iconic and influential hardcore punk bands of the 70's — but led to life in a Hare Krishna monastery, where he found his spiritual salvation, developing his life-long love of meditation, yoga, sacred chanting, service to others — and a diet devoid of animal products. I'm not sure I have ever met anyone who has successfully transcended circumstances as horrific as his upbringing and lived to tell about it. And although John may have been educated on the streets, his spiritual acumen is legit — and vast. Make no mistake, this guys walks his walk. John is the true Thug Kitchen. During this conversation we tap into it all, culminating in his newfound love for triathlon. And how his deep connection to physical pursuit is a mere extension of his ongoing quest spiritual growth – something I can relate to entirely. I'm proud of this interview. And I'm proud to call John my friend. But again – this is a super intense conversation. Listen at your own risk. But I hope you do! Rich

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to episode 41 of The Rich Roll Podcast with John Joseph.
0:16.0	Hey everybody, welcome to the show. I am Rich Roll and this is The Rich Roll Podcast.
0:24.0	Who am I? Well, I am a wellness advocate, a plant-based nutrition advocate. I guess you could say I am a health and wellness entrepreneur.
0:35.0	I'm the best-selling author of a book called Finding Ultra. I'm a public speaker. I'm a husband and I'm a dad. I've got four kids.
0:44.0	I started this podcast with one goal in mind to bring to you the best and the brightest and health wellness, fitness and nutrition.
0:55.0	I had the good fortune when my book came out last year to travel around the country, which I continue to do now.
1:02.0	I had the good fortune of meeting a lot of amazing people, a lot of paradigm-busting personalities and people that are doing amazing things in health and nutrition and fitness.
1:13.0	I was kind of pushing the boundaries and thinking outside the box and this podcast was really born out of a desire to share these people with you guys.
1:22.0	People that have helped me help to expand my horizons and hopes that I could give them a little bit of a platform and an audience so that they could let you in on what is going on with them.
1:36.0	You can take that information, take the parts that work for you, discard the rest and hopefully incorporate some of the insights and tools that my guests are sharing on this show to improve your life, to improve your health, your fitness, your nutrition.
1:55.0	Most importantly, like I said, expand your horizons mentally, emotionally, spiritually so that you can unlock and unleash that best, most authentic version of yourself that is lying dormant inside you, yearning to come out.
2:11.0	Today's guest is certainly no departure from that. He fits the bill, but it is a little bit of a new terrain for me and bringing John Joseph to the show.
2:24.0	This guy is a one-of-a-kind. He is an American original and I would say that he defines hard core.
2:33.0	Before we get into anything further about him, I just want to let you know at the outset that this is a very explicit episode.
2:44.0	I've kept the podcast very family-friendly and tried to keep it kind of vanilla when it comes to the language, but when you have John Joseph on your show, there's no editing to be had.
2:57.0	The guy walks his walk, he is who he is, what you see is what you get, and he has a very unique vernacular.
3:05.0	I think he drops about 1,000 F-bombs in this episode. So if you're queasy, easily offended or just don't like that kind of thing, then now is the time maybe to tune out.
3:20.0	This might not be the podcast for you, and if that's the case, that's fine. John's not everybody's cup of tea, but I didn't have any interest in interviewing him and telling him what he couldn't say.
3:31.0	I wanted to get the full John Joseph experience, and that is what he delivers in this episode. So who is this guy? Well, he is a plant-based nutrition advocate just like myself.
3:45.0	He's an author. He wrote a book called Meet Is For Pussies, which I believe he self-published it, but he's currently revising it, and it's going to get a wide release with a major publisher, and he talks a little bit about that in the show.
4:00.0	He also wrote a book, his autobiography, The Evolution of Crow Magnen, and this is a guy who has transcended probably the most horrific life circumstances of anybody I've ever met.
4:15.0	He was born and conceived in abuse, raised on the streets in foster care, and Juve Halls, and in jails.
	...

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