WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

For the final episode of WTF, Marc travels to Washington, DC for another conversation with the most significant guest in the show’s history. Former President Barack Obama welcomes Marc into his office to speak about the legacy of the podcast, the need for human connection, and the reason for optimism in the face of challenging times. Also, President Obama grants Marc’s specific request to help bring some closure to the past sixteen years of WTF. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Groening discovered the things that helped shape his artistic sensibility when he was 12 years old: psychedelia, the Grateful Dead, Catch-22, and of course cartooning. Matt explains to Marc how the road to creating The Simpsons started in Portland, Oregon and had stops in New York City, Los Angeles, the Licorice Pizza record store, the LA Reader and the office of James L. Brooks. They also talk about The Simpsons becoming a breeding ground for comedy writing talent and Matt reveals, for the first time, who was the real inspiration for Homer Simpson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Judd Apatow was an early fan of WTF and a perennial supporter of the show throughout its run. So when he asked Marc if he could be a guest one more time for an episode where he plays his favorite moments, of course the answer was yes. And because Marc’s general practice is to never listen to the episodes, he is hearing most of these clips for the first time and reacting to them accordingly. It’s a unique look at the history of the show, curated by a self-described “comedy nerd” and longtime WTFer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether Christopher Guest is creating characters, writing scripted comedy or doing long form improv, it’s all music to him. Christopher talks with Marc about his musical background, jazz clubs, the British comedy revue Beyond the Fringe, the National Lampoon, Lily Tomlin and other building blocks that paved the way for his work on This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and more. They also talk about Christopher’s longtime collaborations with Michael McKean and Eugene Levy, as well as his daily routine involving guitars, newspapers and fly fishing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jamie Lee Curtis has a career in show business spanning nearly 50 years, but she’s currently having the most creatively fulfilling time of her life. Not only is she just a few years removed from winning an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once and then an Emmy for The Bear, she’s also putting her energy into production and development, whether it’s Freakier Friday or the upcoming Patricia Cornwell crime drama Scarpetta or the new film The Lost Bus. Jamie Lee and Marc talk about her very hazy memories of youth, her sobriety, her dislike of rehearsals, and the reason she never reads the comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Hamill gets that you probably know more about Star Wars than he does and he’s ok with that. In fact, he’s so ok with where he’s at in his career, he’s really not worried about what comes next. Mark talks with Marc about his early days on soap operas, the faith he had in Star Wars being a big hit while they were making it, the casting troubles he came up against in Hollywood that made him seek work on Broadway, and the voiceover acting that changed his career. They also talk about his connection to Late Night with David Letterman and his recent work in two Stephen King adaptations, The Life of Chuck and The Long Walk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite his two previous appearances on WTF, Tim Heidecker was not someone Marc felt truly comfortable around. In fact, Marc was intimidated by Tim. But as they’ve gotten older and connected over common interests, both Tim and Marc can now fully enjoy each other’s company. Meeting in the garage one more time, they talk about their shared pursuit of playing more live music on stage, their insecurities that crop up when making movies, and their lamentations about the regression of comedy and why they are compelled to take swings at the culprits of this reactionary culture.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Allen White played such a believable Bruce Springsteen in the movie Deliver Me From Nowhere that Marc, who was also in the film, can recall times on the set when Bruce couldn’t tell the difference between recordings of himself and recordings of Jeremy. But for Jeremy, that’s all part of the process of finding his focus, something he’s tried to do since he was a kid taking dance classes and playing sports. Jeremy and Marc also talk about Shameless, The Bear, The Iron Claw, panic attacks, and getting your life under control.Click here to submit a question for an upcoming Ask Marc Anything episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The last time Ben Stiller was on WTF, it was more than 15 years ago and it was a really big deal for an upstart podcast done out of a small garage to have a global movie star and film director as a guest. Now Ben and Marc reflect on the passage of time, Ben's choices of projects since 2010, and the responsibility he feels as one of the people at the helm of Severance. They also talk about Owen Wilson, Ben's latest Oscar bit, the state of comedy movies, and the documentary Ben is making about his parents.Click here to submit a question for an upcoming Ask Marc Anything episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bowen Yang never thinks he’s ready for any of the opportunities he gets, including being a guest on WTF for this episode. After a discussion on who gets more nervous before interviews, Marc or the guest, Bowen explains where this lifelong anxiety and insecurity comes from, and a lot of it is rooted in the gay conversion therapy he had to undergo as a teen. They also talk about the vibe of Saturday Night Live during this second Trump administration and the pressures that come with being the gay Asian SNL cast member. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Questlove was drumming for his dad’s band by the time he was 12. Since then, he founded a prolific hip-hop band with his high school classmate, became a chronicler of popular music history, came into his own as a documentary filmmaker, and more. So why does he still feel insecure about being an artist? Questlove talks with Marc about the origins of The Roots, the decision to become a late night house band, winning an Oscar right after the infamous slap, and why he had an underlying motivation for making his recent documentary about Sly Stone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As one of the members of the last generation who grew up without the internet, Ari Aster’s movies all deal with the ways our minds are shaped and influenced by forces outside of ourselves. Ari talks with Marc about how he uses the genre trappings of horror, farcical comedy and the American Western to explore themes of trauma, nostalgia, anxiety and humanity in his films Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau is Afraid and his latest one, Eddington. They also talk about his poet mom, his jazz drummer dad, and why Albert Brooks is one of his biggest influences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For anyone who knew Sarah Sherman’s act before she got hired for Saturday Night Live, her new gig might have come as a surprise. Rooted in the Chicago DIY scene, she performed as Sarah Squirm, with a unique ability to make her audiences do just that. But Sarah tells Marc that despite all the meat and viscera in her act, she was always a straight-up comedy person at heart, growing up on Long Island with an affinity for Fran Drescher and a love of Three Amigos. They talk about her show Helltrap Nightmare, how Eric Andre changed her life, and how she adjusted to SNL. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.