WTF with Marc Maron (it's a podcast)

(lol apropo of nothing)

I haven't listened to the Rogan ep yet, even though it's been downloaded.

the great thing about Maron is you have to believe he'll confront Dick about all that stuff. he's not an obsequious kind of guy

― Mordy, Monday, April 25, 2011 1:00 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

OTM. The deeper he went into the Gallagher and Mencia interview, the more I thought, "Any other interviewer would have stopped five questions ago."

*interviewS

Apparently Andy Dick is still staggering about the wilds of Portland, as the Bridgetown Comedy Fest organizer announced from the stage last night that no one knew where the hell he was, he had missed his flight, and if anybody sees him, please to DM the organizer on Twitter, etc.

What a champ, that guy.

Oh Andy.

Maybe it's just me...but the Rogan interview didn't feel real to me. He was open and talked about his life and whatever but his tone, the way he responded to questioning, he just felt very closed off and like he was tolerating Maron and not actually participating fully. Or something. Maybe I just don't like Rogan.

Oh and he would spout these random little lectures about bizarre pseudo-science that made me actually yell at my car stereo at one point AGGH YOU ARE SO FULL OF SHIT and then I had to stop listening for a little while because i'm crazy :)

Maybe Marc is secretly working through the entire cast of Newsradio. Can't wait for him to talk to Stephen Root!

the Joe Rogan interview was (another) one that made me think "Marc has some deep, DEEP issues"

andy dick interview has the potential to be amazing

But if it was a cavalcade of batshittery, wouldn't Maron be hyping it as such? He did with Gallagher, and I haven't heard a peep about Dick on the latest WTFs (unless it's on today's, in which case I'll stop talking now).

I actually liked the Rogan interview! I don't like him as a comedian or actor but he seemed a lot more thoughtful guy than I expected, and like I think I said on the comedy podcast thread, Maron was being pretty annoying in that interview. He seemed to have all these preconceived notions about who Rogan is (basically a really aggro dude) and then wouldn't back off from those notions no matter how many times Rogan denied them, which isn't really great interviewing technique. Rogan did creep me out when he was talking about all the steroids he does.

I want Maura Tierney to start doing standup so she can be a guest.

Bobcat Goldthwait episode was one of the best of the recent batch btw.

could listen to 5 more podcasts of Bobcat. Love him.

I still blame him indirectly for Phil Hartman's death, so unless his hour with Marc is some kind of self-flagellating apology fest, I'm not interested.

― Johnny Fever, Monday, 25 April 2011 17:47 (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

wtf?

Hartman's friend and former SNL colleague Jon Lovitz has accused Hartman's former NewsRadio co-star Andy Dick of re-introducing Brynn to cocaine, causing her to relapse and suffer a nervous breakdown. Dick claims to have known nothing of her condition.[48] In 2006, Lovitz claimed that Dick had approached him at a restaurant and said, "I put the Phil Hartman hex on you; you're the next one to die."[49][50] The following year at the Laugh Factory comedy club in Los Angeles, Lovitz and Dick had a further altercation over the issue.[50] Dick does not believe he is at fault in relation to Hartman's death.[48]

I've heard Dick questioned about Brynn Hartman before, and he just bounces into five minutes of "I didn't go to her house and put a GUN in her hand and tell her SHOOT PHIL, I wouldn't do that. She was MENTALLY ILL, that's not the cocaine's fault. I didn't know she had a problem with coke, or I wouldn't have given her any. Oh maybe I would have, I was on coke, hahahahaha. Of course' it's a tragedy but you can't dwell on these things. Whatever! I do what I like!"

I know it's an integral part of his personality, but I'm getting weary of the "problems" Maron has with almost any comedy that didn't spring from exactly the same place as he did, or with comedy scenes he feels excluded from. This episode he didn't "get" absurd humor--which is okay. But he's always lightly dissing alt comedy and nerd comedy, has said he doesn't understand British comedy. He rarely has black comics on the show, possibly because stand-up is pretty segregated and he never plays the same clubs as those guys. (I'm pretty sure I've heard him scoff a few times when young stand-ups talk about Chris Rock being their main inspiration.) The only people he likes seem to be the ones who gave him breaks (like Conan), who came up in his era or before him, or younger comics who praise him.

I dunno, I was listening to the Aziz Ansari WTF last night, and they definitely didn't come from the same place (couldn't have -- Ansari is about 20 years younger than Maron). And Ansari wasn't praising Maron to the skies or anything.

yeah but didn't have some thing where he thought Aziz was going to be arrogant?

He always ends up coming to a resolution with his guests on the show, but then he regresses again. He'll get along with some alt type comics, but then a few weeks later he's back to talking about how he feels excluded from the alt scene. It gets to seem like schtick--he has to have a problem with each guest that can be worked out on the show.

The point is he is capable if turning the corner, and he is getting better at being less combative. But at some point, it is still his show and it will always be about him to a certain extent. Maybe Maron just isnt your bag

yeah but didn't have some thing where he thought Aziz was going to be arrogant?

Yeah, but I took that as more "He's so famous so young so quickly!" rather than jealousy. I do get what you're saying about the conflicts he invents or imagines (or doesn't), but I guess I find that appealing. He's going through the same personality-navigation that every working comic is, but is open and honest about it.

it is funny to me how he has that bit or at least line abt richard lewis's act 20 yrs later being the same whining, etc & his reaction of "so you havent worked out any of this?"

...which is funny but maron p consistently has the same perspective too & is stuck in it in a v similar way

x-post no the shows are entertaining, but it sometimes grates to hear someone being close-minded about genres of comedy, or anything. I do admire his attempts to get over it though.

I agree that he definitely has that schtick of placing himself in opposition to his guest and then building to a resolution. I think maybe this started with Louis CK, where it was a genuine progression, but since then he's kind of forced it sometimes, it can seem very artificial. Even as a schtick, I think it works for some guests, gets them to talk about stuff they wouldn't normally talk about. The problem is when it doesn't work but Maron refuses to change his style or strategy to fit the situation.

Wasn't it Aziz he talks to about Chris Rock being a v. funny influence? And they discuss how odd it is when he does shows trying to work out his next routine without doing it 'Chris Rock style'?

I generally agree that Maron has a limited view of what comedy he likes but when something from outside that hits him, he can't shut up about it. I mean I am about as big a Stewart Lee mark as there is but stfu about dude already in every single podcast.

I also think he is starting to be better about opening up to his trad. idea of comedy. Like discussing stuff with whoever it was who wrote Night Of The Musuem and understanding that it isn't some sort of way to attack his perceived notion of real comedy but as a well-paid job for dudes trying to make a film that entertains children. And I think as the show goes on and he's already interviewed all his buddies he'll start to open up more - hell you can see that with things like Gallagher.

He said on twitter a couple weeks ago that he's trying to arrange a Chris Rock interview. Who knows if it will happen or not, but it would be nice to finally put that to bed.

Really hoping there's a surprise Chappelle interview at some point (maybe #200), but that's a pipe dream.

Isn't any Chappelle interview with anyone in the outside world a pipe dream?

Probably, but when was the last time he was interviewed only about his standup (which is presumably/hopefully what Maron would focus on)?

He's not a recluse by any means. Chappelle still does impromptu sets at clubs around the country, but he hasn't done any media for years.

x-post He already went after Tom Lennon a little bit months ago about writing Night at the Museum and Herbie, so I guess he got it out of his system by the time he had Lennon's writing partner on.

Really? Cool, I thought he was a hardcore recluse.

Ha! I didn't know about this:

In April 2007, Chappelle set a stand-up endurance record at the Laugh Factory Sunset Strip comedy club, beating comedian Dane Cook's record of 3 hours and 50 minutes. In December of the same year, Chappelle broke his own record with a time of 6 hours and 12 minutes. Cook took the record again in January 2008, with a time of 7 hours.[28] On November 19, 2009 Chappelle performed at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, where it was speculated that he would aim to take back the record. However, he was disqualified according to the club owner, after he left the stage, five hours into his routine.[29]

Jeffrey Ross said on Bill Simmons podcast that Chappelle had been appearing in LA on the reg, late at night just working out material

Would love a Chris Rock wtf. Or Chappelle.

And they discuss how odd it is when he does shows trying to work out his next routine without doing it 'Chris Rock style'

this was kind of amazing to me. i would love to see a chris rock set where he is intentionally dead pan, trying out the words without any kind of funny delivery.

I felt like Andy Dick filibustered a lot during that interview. If I knew nothing about Dick I probably would have enjoyed it more as a bunch of crazy sex & addiction stories--but he went all Andy-so-innocent during the Phil Hartman part & called his assistant. It reminded me of Mencia & his defensiveness.

I'm 10 minutes into the interview and I've already paused 3 times for a "I dont know if I can do this" break.

Does Andy Dick talk about jerking off as a 12 year old in every interview he does? Probably a bit too late for him to try telling jokes, I guess.

nope. he talks about another 12 yr old jerking him off.

The bit I liked best was Andy Dick laying into his 'birth' father for wanting to get back in touch because of his money, then claiming to have offered any woman that he got pregnant financial support to make up for the fact he couldn't parent any resulting child, and then further making it clear that despite the fact he was only in his own children's lives until the age of five, he still paid his way.

the australia stand-up clip he played recently where he called out the heckler was some srs lulz

yeah that was pretty good. his heckler stories are always great...cool to hear a live clip!

i was really fine w/ andy dick on this idk i dont have any neg feelings built up abt him and get maybe a little that hes like proactively trying 2 play the sympathy card here & cotton favor & knows maron has a p huge audience but i truly felt some sympathy 4 the dude! altho of course hes brought everything on himself & earned the rep as a fuckup

he creeps me right the fuck out...I still havent finished listening yet

meh, hes just a messed up dude. not like im ever gonna go see him or anything but thats mostly cuz i dont really think hes funny and nvr have

I did end up really liking the Andy Dick episode after my initial misgivings. Much as I wanted Maron to go at him more, in the end I was kind of touched by Maron's genuine affection for him. I mean, he is still a fuckup, no question...but kind of fucking sad to know that he knows he is fucked up but that he doesn't want to deprive himself. I dunno. It was like hearing Maron interview his fuckup kid brother or something...he tried to act like "Andy Dick" for a while at first and the way Maron just let it go right by, not even call him on his crazy outbursts and weird pervy statements, it was a good way to get to something that was closer to the real Andy. Or something like him. I dunno. I definitely came away with a different impression.

also Sue Costello was great. Got a bit selfhelpy at times, some of the therapy-language gets a bit much for me, but her message, her journey really hit home for me. Should send the whole interview to my Mum, lol.

I don't know who she is but Sue Costello's laugh gave me tingly feelings, the good kind. She was a bit self-helpy, yeah, but I liked her.

her laugh was terrific, I agree totally.