WTF with Marc Maron (it's a podcast)

Wow.

it was kind of a standard issue 90s rapper interview on Combat Jack

I actually felt bad for Wyatt Cenac's Mom listening to that episode - it seemed like a lot of what she was doing that bothered her son was a reaction to losing her ex so tragically. What a sad story.

Yeah, I kind of agree. also it seemed she has been making bungled attempts to reach out to him, but he isn't interested in meeting her even half-way anymore. I'm not in his shoes of course, so what do I know. It's sad all over.

She sounds disturbed, and if half of what he says is true he should keep away from her

Harmony Korine interview was nice. He mentioned being sick of Americana denim-and-banjos.

xp I've learned not to project my own experience onto people who talk about less than perfect relationships with parents. My family might as well be the Cleavers, but I know that's not true for everyone. If Wyatt says he wants his mom out of his life, he has his reasons.

xpost yeah that Americana diss was more evidence that HK is a dumbass

If I had to choose between beards, denim and banjos or Harmony Korine I think I'd just walk away and find better things to do.

I think Harmony has some compelling idea and Marc not getting him at all was hilarious

finally listened to the Cenac interview, the Stewart stuff was interesting, esp Maron gently counselling *him* to release a little of the resentment & go to the finale.
lot of deep stuff tied up in that one
it was interesting

underrated line from Mike Watt: "There was this festival called 'Tomorrow's Party'"

Got the Attempting Normal audiobook from the library - kind of shocking how many stories are repeated on 'This Has To Be Funny,' 'Thinky Pain,' the book and his TV show - the book fleshes them out and has some other stories, but big chunks are verbatim from his albums and/or show. Still funny but it might be time to work on new material.

he has material?

He focused more on "material" back in the old days (Not Sold Out is one of my favorite sets ever to be released as an album), but in the years since—after doing radio and then a podcast—it feels like his standup is just an extension of (or a brainstorming session for) how he wants to write his autobiography.

i love harmony korine so much

I've enjoyed the run of Maron as kind of an amiably decent show without huge ambitions, but the two-part season finale (particularly the final episode) was kind of great. The storyline diverts from the semi-autobiographical tone of episodes past into a tale of Maron getting hooked on oxycontin in the lead-up to filming a talk show pilot. Hilarious and a little harrowing. It's nice to see Maron's comedic chops outside of just saying stuff that Maron would say. Written by Jerry Stahl, definite Permanent Midnight vibes.

Just noticed the WTF archives are now on a $3.99/month subscription. Bright sides: most episodes are also bootlegged on YouTube; subscription also includes a Spalding Gray performance archive.

Just now listening to the Bateman interview from a couple weeks ago. I'd forgotten his start was on Little House on the Prairie!

Just noticed ... (31 minutes ago))

Midroll only launched Howl at midnight.

the WTF archives are now on a $3.99/month subscription.

Only for new subscribers, not previous WTF subscribers, and it includes everything else on Howl Premium and Howl Originals tbf (two new Lapkus shows would be exciting if With hadn't been so spotty.)

Bright sides: most episodes are also bootlegged on YouTube

Fuck anyone who wishes to have rights over what they make.

so many lol Maron-isms in today's episode--

thinking Frank O'Hara was the Poet Laureate

freaking out about some NOBODY criticizing Bill Maher

congratulating himself for not following the news for the third time this month

I don't know if my heart could handle a full WTF segment of Maron and McGowan

Richard Thomson this Thursday, sounds good.

Thompson

today's entire episode belongs on the Free Speech & Creepy Liberalism thread

uh oh. who?

Bob Guccione Jr.

so many lol Maron-isms in today's episode--

great one from the Bogdanovich episode: being startled and aghast to learn that Orson Welles did not have a decades-long career of Hollywood hits. "What?!"

whenever I hear Guccione's name I think of GNR's stupid 'Get in the Ring' rant

he mentioned that to Maron

basically called Axl a pussy who wouldn't actually fight him

rmde

from his blog today about his Dublin visit - "I did spend some time in the black neighborhood. It’s basically a statue of Phil Lynott downtown." That's the first time I've heard Grafton Street being described as a black neighborhood.

but that's a joke rite?

yeah probably

really sweet phaser/flanger combo on marc's guitar at the end of the guccione episode

xxp - That wasn't 'a joke,' that was 'the joke.'

Haven't heard the Guccione episode, but the interviews with Richard Thompson and Lemmy were both great for completely different reasons.

Loved how Sweeney glossed over the Zwan period.

Find it weird the Armisen episode went undiscussed here. It's mostly pretty interesting and Armisen seems like a really positive and enthusiastic guy (and he's had a hand in lots of stuff I love from the past - I mean, has Nation of Ulysses ever been mentioned on WTF before? I would certainly pose that Candy Machine is the most obscure band ever mentioned on the show...)

Then at the end when it quickly and awkwardly gets into Armisen's personal demons, and Maron seems afraid to explicitly talk about Armisen's rep at first, obliquely alluding to that old Gawker piece - it turns gross. Maron starts getting worked up about how nobody could possibly blame Armisen for his promiscuity and starts getting off on their shared history of divorce and even shared history of some women (does Maron talk about having dated Eleanor Freidberger, and Fred did too?) and Maron starts saying things like "there's worse things than having too many vagina options!(throaty cackle)"

I mentioned the episode on the Gawker thread--yeah, it was weird. (I guess EF was the long-distance relationship Maron talked about a few times? Kinda gross that he kept her name off the podcast until he got to high five another of her exes.) FA was in this weird zone somewhere between admitting to a sex addiction and trying to figure out a way to keep chasing fans while dating/marrying famous women.

Korine one was good. Feel like that's the first interview I've heard of him where he isn't fucked up and/or dicking around. Surprisingly articulate about his work and the stuff he likes.

Maron aside (if i was being charitable, i would say his douchey bro-iness was his way of drawing FA out), i was glad it got into what a bizarre and unsettling dude he is. there was another exchange early on in the episode, something about trying to improve at being a human being and how he suspects he's ok at it because he has friends, where if you had no idea what he's talking about it would sound even weirder. he does seem oddly willing to talk about it though.

also, while i'm aware that i don't actually know either of these people, i get the vibe that Maron's relationship issues come from a place of being overly emotional & needy, where Armisen seems more like an alien trying to figure out how humans work.

I meant to read the Fred Armisen one but work got too insane and then I never got back to it.

Also, for whatever reason, I'm getting selective about which WTFs I listen to.

Matt Sweeney episode was fun.

Not interested in listening to Fred Armisen talk at length about anything.

idgi what is Armisen's rep apart from being a "shitty husband" to Scientologist Elizabeth Moss (which I can only imagine would test any sane person's patience)

From what I understand, Elizabeth Moss is one of those 2nd gen scientologists. She was born into it because of dumb parents, but isn't really a practicing member.

being a "??? husband" to Mekon Sally Timms?

I did enjoy learning more about Sweeney's background - he's one of those guys whose career always seems so big and weird.