Who really runs the show?
Why I built this
I'm a massive Joe Rogan fan. I listen to about three or four episodes a week, to the point where I can practically finish his sentences. I know the exact moment he's about to bring up cold plunges, sauna heat shock proteins, the government or high-altitude hunting.
Because of that, my favourite episodes are the ones where Joe steps back and lets the guest completely run the show. The problem is that you usually have to listen to the whole episode to find out.
So I created TalkMuch. It measures the talk-time split for every episode, so I can spot the guest-heavy ones before hitting play.
How to read an episode
Every episode on the site gets a stat block like this one. Here is what each number tells you.
Real numbers from a real episode: JRE #2343, Joe Pistone
- 1
Mic time: how the episode's talking time splits between host and guest.
Guest-heavy: the guest carries it.Host-heavy: the host runs the mic. - 2
Dialog switches: how often the mic passes from one person to the other.
High: fast back-and-forth, a real conversation.Low: long uninterrupted stretches, more monologue than dialogue. - 3
Avg turn: how long each person speaks before the other jumps in, on average.
High: slower rhythm, long-form answers.Low: quick, punchy exchanges. - 4
Longest speech: the single longest stretch nobody interrupted.
High: someone went deep, here 14 minutes of an ex-FBI agent telling mob stories.Low: nobody held the floor for long. - 5
Host questions: how many questions the host asked.
High: the host is driving the interview.Low: the host is mostly along for the ride. - 6
Guest questions: how many questions the guest asked.
Low or zero: the guest is doing the talking, comedians and storytellers land here.High: a genuine two-way conversation. - 7
Top words: the words that come up most once the filler is stripped out.
A quick read on what the episode is actually about, before you play it.