During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Mexican security expert Ed Calderon found himself having to reassure the podcast host that he wasn’t responsible for unleashing a global catastrophe.
The conversation centered around an Aztec death whistle that Calderon had previously gifted to Rogan. Comedian Bryan Callen had blown it on air during an earlier episode—just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to emerge.
“Ed, the last time I saw you, you gave me an Aztec death whistle and Bryan Callen blew it on the air and it caused the pandemic,” Rogan joked during their recent conversation. The timing was indeed eerily coincidental, as Callen’s use of the ancient instrument occurred right around the start of the pandemic in early 2020.
Calderon, who specializes in cartel activity and Mexican culture, quickly moved to absolve himself and Rogan of any supernatural responsibility. “Listen, man. People have been blowing them whistles all over the world,” he reassured the host.
“There’s a bunch of those whistles out there. There’s no way.” However, Rogan pointed out the unique circumstances of their situation: “I don’t think anybody ever blew one on a podcast that was seen by millions of people.”
The expert acknowledged that Rogan’s platform had indeed popularized these mysterious artifacts. “You were directly responsible for those to become this viral popular thing,” Calderon noted. “Few people knew about them, but they became this international thing now. Like everybody talks about death whistles now because of it.”
The death whistles themselves have a genuinely eerie history. According to Calderon, these pre-Columbian instruments were used by the Mexica (commonly called Aztecs) for psychological warfare. “They would tire them by blowing those at night where they were encamped or where they were about to attack,” he explained. The haunting screech was designed to keep enemies awake and on edge before battles.
