Episode 1172 - Heidi Schreck
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:33:11
With the world still wondering what this year's Presidential election really means, it's the right time for Marc to talk with actor and playwright Heidi Schreck, who knows a thing or two about power structures and why they don't serve everyone equally. They talk about Heidi’s acclaimed Broadway show, What The Constitution Means To Me, and how her recognition of generational trauma in her family prompted her to write a show about unequal rights and the people who help stack the deck. They also talk about her time living in Russia, how she started a writing career in her 40s, and her newborn twins. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1171 - David Cross
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.1K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:28:32
David Cross is one of Marc’s oldest friends in show business. And right now is a good time for them to catch up, as David balances his life as the dad to a three-year-old with the demands of going back to work on film and television sets during the pandemic. David explains to Marc how he was feeling more antisocial even before COVID-19 hit, why he wanted to become a dad late in life, and what he had to physically endure while making his new movie, The Dark Divide. Marc and David also compare notes after both of them played Jerry Wexler for dueling Aretha Franklin projects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1170 - Melinda Hill
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.2K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:38:22
If comedy equals tragedy plus time, comedian Melinda Hill has reached the point where she can make some funny out of the traumas from her past. Melinda and Marc talk about processing the pain, particularly dealing with parents suffering from mental illness. They also talk about Melinda’s trajectory in the comedy business, starting with success in voiceovers to her influential LA stand-up showcase What’s Up, Tiger Lily? to her acting, writing and podcasting ventures. Plus, Melinda talks about the connection she has with Marc’s past, something that requires a bit of processing on Marc’s end. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1169 - Hari Kondabolu
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.2K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:29:13
When Hari Kondabolu was a college student, he interviewed Marc for a research paper about standup comedy. Twenty years later, they’re talking to each other as peers whose lives have changed considerably in the past two decades. With a newborn baby, a recent Netflix special, and a documentary about Apu from The Simpsons that spurred a global conversation about representation in pop culture, Hari gets Marc up to speed on where his life is at right now. He also explains how he developed his comedy career while engaging in human rights work and immigration activism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1168 - Matthew McConaughey
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.5K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:45:03
These are appropriate times for reflection and Matthew McConaughey just went through the process of reflecting on his whole life while writing his memoir, Greenlights. Marc talks with Matthew about the revelations he encountered, the perspective he gained, and the philosophies he was able to codify in the process. They go through Matthew’s upbringing in Austin, his first movie role in Dazed and Confused, his launch into superstardom, his self-imposed hiatus, and his career rebirth that saw him win an Oscar. Matthew also explains how an ad lib changed his life and why pressed jeans helped him understand how to take control of his destiny. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1167 - Patti Smith
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.4K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:35:56
Patti Smith has been at the vanguard of art, poetry, rock and roll, and other forms of self-expression since the 1960s. But this talk with Marc happens to be her very first one-on-one conversation done over Zoom. They talk about Patti’s days living at the Hotel Chelsea, carrying on the legacy of the Beat Generation, and forming life-changing relationships with William Borroughs, Sam Shepard, Allen Ginsberg, and Bob Dylan, among others. Patti also recalls the most mortifying live performance moment of her career, which happened for all the world to see. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1166 - Lewis Black
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.3K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:09:28
Everyone needs to let off some steam these days and there are few people better who do it better than Lewis Black. Marc welcomes his old friend back to the show for a talk about pandemic comedy, going stir crazy during quarantine, avoiding cults and pulling for democracy to make it through these times. They also talk about Lewis's new standup special, Thanks for Risking Your Life, which was filmed the day before the country shut down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1164 - Wynton Marsalis
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.1K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:16:09
Wynton Marsalis created a profound examination of America, race, class, politics and human impulses with his latest epic composition, The Ever Fonky Lowdown. He explains to Marc how his perspective for the piece was largely aided by his fear of flying. Wynton’s worldview was also shaped by watching his dad play jazz to limited audiences, realizing what it meant to play solely because you believe in the music.They also talk about Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock and Wynton’s work with Jazz at Lincoln Center. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1163 - John Cusack
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.6K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:16:56
John Cusack is always trying to stay engaged with the world. From a young age when activist priests used to visit his parents to the Reagan years when he underwent a political awakening to present day, John uses his perception of how the world works as a way to build the characters he plays. That comes in handy in the new series Utopia, where John plays an evil billionaire. John also tells Marc what it was like to play Brian Wilson while working with Brian Wilson, how Being John Malkovich got made, and why Danny Trejo told the world that out of all the tough guys on the set of Con Air, John was the baddest mother of all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1162 - Barbara Kopple
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.1K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:20:28
Barbara Kopple is known for her acclaimed documentary films, but for Marc the most memorable time Barbara spent behind the camera is the day she directed him in a phone commercial. Marc and Barbara reminisce about how that happened and talk about her entry portal into documentaries working with the Maysels Brothers on Salesmen and Gimme Shelter. They also discuss Barbara’s Oscar-winning film Harlan County, USA, how Bruce Springsteen saved one of her early movies, and how she got Jimmy Carter to open up about the Iran hostage crisis for her latest doc, Desert One. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1161 - Cecily Strong
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.4K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:13:49
The adage “you can never go home again” didn’t apply to Cecily Strong. She did, and it’s what got her on Saturday Night Live. Cecily tells Marc why she didn’t stick around in Los Angeles after studying acting at CalArts, a move that people told her was a mistake. They also talk about why she got kicked out of her high school, how she battles her depression, what it was like to perform for the Obamas, and why she was in a Chinese opera with Alison Brie. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1160 - Barry Levinson
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.3K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:35:55
Barry Levinson finds himself waking up in disbelief to every outlandish and shocking item in the day’s news. It’s a different mode for a filmmaker who spent his career focused on the natural, quiet moments that make up everyday life. Marc and Barry talk about his beginnings at a Washington, DC television station, his early comedy writing that landed him at The Comedy Store, The Carrol Burnett Show, and with Mel Brooks, and his breakout movies like Diner, The Natural and Rain Man. They also contemplate whether American Democracy can survive, which is the subject of the new doc Barry produced, Stars and Strife. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1159 - Alicia Keys / John Leguizamo
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.2K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:34:27
It's a New York City doubleheader! First up, Marc talks with the woman behind the modern day New York anthem, Alicia Keys. On the release of her seventh studio album, Alicia looks back on what it was like to start a huge music career so young and how she had to finally meet her monster in order to come into her own. Then Marc talks to John Leguizamo about his defining one-man shows, his relationship with other New York City artists, and his new movie Critical Theory, which is the first feature film John directed. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1158 - Wendell Pierce
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.1K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:31:23
Wendell Pierce isn't doing a lot of acting during the pandemic, but he's keeping busy. He's spending more time with his 95-year-old father in New Orleans, he's hosting radio shows on a local station he bought, and he's helping to figure out the future of live theater. Wendell and Marc talk about his time on The Wire and the unique way he experienced that show. They also discuss what he learned playing Willy Loman last year and how Led Zeppelin and jazz helped him become a better actor. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1157 - Toni Collette
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.2K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:14:16
Toni Collette might be the first actor to tell Marc that, yes, she does learn about herself through the characters she plays. That's a lot of learning, considering the wide range of characters Toni has played over the years. Toni and Marc talk about how she grew into herself while starring in movies like Muriel's Wedding, The Sixth Sense, Hereditary and now in Charlie Kaufman's latest, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, a movie that left Marc asking a lot of questions (which he'll try to get Toni to answer). See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1156 - Martin Short
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.4K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:26:01
Even in the face this year, Martin Short remains an optimistic guy. Maybe it’s because he’s had a career he loves, or maybe it’s his mild-mannered Canadian disposition, or maybe it’s because he suffered through a lot of tragedy as a kid. Martin and Marc try to figure it out, and they also talk about his live shows with Steve Martin, the difference between doing SCTV and SNL, why Martin considers 80% of his career to be a failure, and why believes that a 20% success rate is high for a career in show business. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1154 - J.K. Simmons
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.2K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:19:01
J.K. Simmons faced a tough balancing act when his lifelong nonchalance about awards for acting came up against him becoming the runaway favorite to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. J.K. and Marc talk about how he reconciled that contradiction with help from Jason Reitman and how his late-blooming Hollywood career helped him maintain perspective. They also talk about his time on stage in Seattle, Broadway and regional theaters across the country, his fear of being typecast when he was on Oz, and the big shift that happened when he made Juno. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1153 - Chelsea Peretti
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.5K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:23:16
Chelsea Peretti joined Marc in the garage more than ten years ago on a very early episode of WTF. Since then she became a writer for Parks and Rec, played Gina on Brooklyn 99, got married to Jordan Peele, and became a mom. Now she’s catching up with Marc about coffee, creative satisfaction, overcoming her fear of commitment, raising a toddler while sheltering at home, and the coping strategies of the pandemic era. They also talk about her first lead role in the new movie Spinster. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1152 - Billy Crudup
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.2K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:34:01
It’s been 20 years since Marc demanded that someone “lock the gates” on Billy Crudup and the rest of the band in Almost Famous. Now that both of them are older and wiser, Billy and Marc discuss the simultaneous drudgery and privilege of acting. They also talk about why Billy often opted for roles in the theater over roles in movies, why he thinks he wasn’t destined to be a Hollywood leading man, and how he’s settled into a career as a character actor by virtue of only taking the parts he finds interesting. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1151 - Giancarlo Esposito
WTF with Marc Maron
- 1.4K views
- over 3 years ago
- 01:22:03
Whether it’s Gus from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul or Buggin’ Out from Do The Right Thing or Moff Gideon from The Mandalorian, Giancarlo Esposito’s characters always leave an indelible impression. Perhaps that’s because Giancarlo spent a lot of his life reflecting on his own character and where he belonged. He talks with Marc about growing up as the son of an Italian carpenter and a Black nightclub singer, trying to figure out where he fit in. They also talk about life lessons Giancarlo received from George C. Scott and Spike Lee.