WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

Joe Mande’s past appearances on WTF involve him being a sort of merry comic prankster, like back in the heyday of Twitter when he was trolling politicians and corporate brands on a daily basis. But in today’s polarized social environment, Joe and Marc talk about how tricky it is to be a modern day troublemaker. They also discuss their shared love of Michael Clayton, courtside basketball, and Joe’s...

Chris Pine is in the position to offer Marc some advice. As the first-time director of the new movie Poolman, Chris gives Marc practical tips as Marc entertains the possibility of directing a film. But Chris also provides Marc with some insight into why people like them still feel a need to keep going despite their clear measurements of success. They also talk about Star Trek, Hell or High Water,...

Before Tiffany Haddish rocketed to stardom with Girls Trip, she saw Marc at the back entrance of The Comedy Store and told him that she was going to be on his podcast one day. Today is that day. Tiffany and Marc talk about who she was in those days before worldwide fame, how she came up in the foster care system, how she found her voice at comedy camp, and how she wound up navigating the new world...

While watching Neal Brennan’s new Netflix special, Crazy Good, Marc learned new things about Neal despite knowing each other for 30 years. They sit down to figure out how things have changed for them, whether they are truly feeling better in their lives, and why they are still pursuing some version of success they can’t quite pinpoint. Neal also shares some insight he received directly from Bono t...

Nearly 30 years ago in the alt-comedy scene of New York City, Marc crossed paths with an evangelical country singer named Tammy Faye Starlite. She’s the alter ego of lifelong New Yorker Tammy Lang, who stormed the city’s cabarets and clubs with her own form of performance art and musicality. Tammy and Marc reminisce about the days at places like Luna Lounge, the creation of the Tammy Faye Starligh...

Paula Pell is often celebrated as one of the funniest people alive by some of the other funniest people alive. The world is finally getting to see what they mean thanks to Paula’s standout role on Girls5eva, but for years she was comedy’s best kept secret, writing legendary SNL sketches, doing punch-up and script doctoring for major movies, and contributing to hit sitcoms and award shows. Paula te...

When Marc asked Jimmy Carr to be a guest on WTF years ago, Jimmy admits he wasn’t ready for it. He was already an established comedian at the time, but he felt like Public Jimmy was one thing and Private Jimmy was another. Now years later, Jimmy believes that age and experience have allowed him to get out of his comedy comfort zone and explore more personal truths, as he does in this talk with Mar...

When Malcolm McDowell left behind Liverpool to pursue acting in London, he didn’t imagine it would be the start of 60 years as a performer. Malcolm talks with Marc about his extraordinary career, including his work with Stanley Kubrick on A Clockwork Orange, the pornographic fate of Caligula, and stories about Lawrence Olivier, Alan Bates, Peter Sellers, Robert Altman, Mick Jagger and more. Malcol...

Alex Edelman is the kind of comic who makes Marc immediately anxious. But it’s quickly apparent that Marc is reacting to the fact that he sees so much of himself in Alex. They’re both still dealing with complex feelings about their Jewish identities. They both paid their comedy dues doing road gigs in Boston. They both experiment with long-form storytelling, wondering if they’re doing one-man show...

Carol Burnett turns 91 later this month and is still going strong with a featured role in the new series Palm Royale. But Carol is quick to remind Marc that the great success she achieved happened in part due to the kindness of strangers. Carol and Marc talk about the mysterious benefactors who helped her get to New York where she found success on the stage, then on television, and then with her o...

Standup comedy transformed Dina Hashem’s life. So why is she at a point, right after releasing her acclaimed first special, where she cares less about standup than ever before? Dina talks with Marc about her isolated upbringing in New Jersey, her revelatory first time doing comedy, and why she has a hard time recognizing herself in her own special. Dina also talks about drumming, skateboarding, an...

Celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist Alejandro Escovedo made one of Marc’s favorite albums, the 1992 solo record Gravity. But the raw, intimate poetry of that album came from a real place of grief and anguish in Alejandro’s life. They talk about what led up to that point, including his early bands The Nuns, Rank and File, and True Believers, and the rocky road afterward when Alejandro’s heal...

David Krumholtz lives and breathes Hollywood because, according to him, he has no other choice. The prolific character actor got what he considers a once in a lifetime break at age 13, so he needed to honor whatever fates gave him that opportunity by devoting himself entirely to acting. David talks with Marc about what he’s learned from co-stars like Judd Hirsch and Alan Arkin as well as directors...

Tig Notaro’s new comedy special is called “Hello, Again” which serves as a reintroduction of sorts, considering how much has changed in Tig’s life over the years. Tig explains to Marc how her previous tough, no-nonsense demeanor gave way to a different side after surviving cancer and falling in love. They talk about how Tig’s relationship developed with her wife Stephanie and why, after being push...

This is Eddie Pepitone’s 25th appearance on WTF, by far the most appearances on the show for anyone other than Marc. And yet Eddie and Marc have never had a full length one-on-one talk in the garage. They attempt to do so in this episode, despite of Eddie’s aversion to linear logic and his aggressive style of comedic free association. Will they stay on track? Will they be able to follow through on...

Dave Attell and Marc have known each other for 35 years but really only converse at length on this podcast. Back on WTF after 14 years, Dave explains why he’s still on the road all the time as he gets set to premiere his new Netflix special, Hot Cross Buns. Dave and Marc also marvel at the current comedy boom in comparison to some of the down times they’ve lived through and they both share notes o...

When Todd Glass was on WTF back in 2012, he decided to do something that changed his entire life. Now, twelve years later, Todd is looking to change the way he does comedy for the rest of his career. Todd tells Marc about his new stage show, The Event of a Lifetime, why he wants to do it forever, and the challenges he’s facing while putting it on its feet. They also talk about the state of comedy...

Sonic Youth founding member Thurston Moore is not just an influential figure in the evolution of Noise Rock and the no-wave art scene. He’s a chronicler of subversive music and other forms of artistic expression, as detailed in his memoir Sonic Life. Thurston talks with Marc about living on the Lower East Side in the ‘70s and ‘80s and the people who were part of the scene, including Patti Smith, T...

Rory Scovel is back in the garage, fresh off premiering a new standup special on Max that Marc found extremely funny. Now at a point in his life where his smack in the middle between feeling young and feeling old, Rory talks with Marc veteran comic to veteran comic about their philosophies on building a comedy hour, riffing, flying by the seat of their pants, re-doing older material, getting jokes...

Hear Marc’s conversations with past WTF guests who are nominated for Oscars this year: Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright, Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, America Ferrera, Mark Ruffalo, Yorgos Lanthimos, Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig, Rodrigo Prieto, Lily Gladstone, and Robbie Robertson. This episode is sponsored by Acorns . Notices: Paid non-client endorsement. May no...

Ben Mendelsohn is a prolific actor with a dynamic range, and yet most of his training came from watching movies as a young kid in Australia and learning from the stars he saw on screen. Ben and Marc talk about their shared love of AC/DC, the social gravity of Australia, and the enjoyment of doing nothing. They also dive into some of Ben’s notable roles in Animal Kingdom, Babyteeth and his portraya...

Mae Martin is Canadian, has a background in sketch comedy, spent a lot of time doing standup in England, and is non-binary. And yet, despite a life that couldn’t seem more different than Marc’s, the two of them have a surprising amount in common. Mae and Marc share stories on their struggles with addiction and compare notes on how they work through their vulnerabilities on stage. Also, Marc pays t...

Richard Lewis was a comedy hero and inspiration to Marc. They spent their first extended time together in 2011 for this conversation about Richard's life and career. Richard died on February 27, 2024 at age 76. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lily Gladstone knows that people project all manner of emotions and intentions onto her when she gives a performance. Lily and Marc talk about why that happens, including the reaction to her Oscar-nominated performance in Killers of the Flower Moon. They also talk about the time Lily was thinking about giving up acting just as Kelly Reichardt cast her in Certain Women, why it was so important for...

Rodrigo Prieto is the cinematographer of two of last year's most celebrated films: Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon, for which he is Oscar-nominated. Rodrigo talks with Marc about finding the right look for multiple Martin Scorsese movies as well as his strategy for achieving what Greta Gerwig called "artificial authenticity." They also talk about Rodrigo's work with Spike Lee, Alejandro...