WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

Sam Tripoli never doubted he would become a comic, so his decision to study psychology was not an attempt to craft a backup plan. Instead he used his psych background to wage mental warfare with his demanding family, temperamental comedy club owners, paying audiences, and his own demons. Sam and Marc also talk about the danger, the intrigue, and the excitement of engaging in conspiracy theories, something Sam loves to do and can trace his interest back to a pivotal moment in his life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aisha Tyler's directorial debut is a film called Axis about a guy who has hit the wall. That's appropriate for Aisha, following several years of big changes in her life. She ended a long marriage, walked away from a comfortable gig on The Talk, and got rid of most of her possessions. Aisha and Marc talk about what prompted these changes, what's happening now, and what's her next act. Plus, Louie Anderson returns to the show to talk about what it’s like to communicate with his deceased mother, which led to writing his new book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper are musicians with wildly different backgrounds but a unifying love of the blues. Charlie was there at the birth of rock and roll. Ben grew up immersed in music while his family ran a landmark music store. They tell Marc how their shared interests led to their musical collaboration and their new joint album. Plus, Mark Oliver Everett, also known as E from the band Eels, returns to the show after a five-year hiatus to talk about Garry Shandling, Tom Petty, becoming a parent, and the new Eels album. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer, producer and podcast pioneer Bill Simmons is a man whose life, career and worldview have changed in real time with the evolution of Internet. Bill talks with Marc about some of the checkpoints in that evolution, including why he walked away from a big break in TV when he was writing for Jimmy Kimmel, why he thinks he was considered ‘difficult’ at ESPN, and why his HBO show wasn't what he thought it would be. They also talk about Magic Johnson, Grantland, Letterman, divorce, documentaries, and Andre The Giant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason Alexander was one of countless New Jersey kids who couldn't resist the lights of Broadway on the other side of the river. When he became a steady working actor on the New York stage, Jason was totally content with how things turned out. But then he just so happened to get cast on a show that became the most successful sitcom of all time. Jason talks with Marc about Seinfeld, life after Seinfeld, magic, acting, directing, and the McDLT. Actually, there's a surprising amount of talk about the McDLT. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neil Patrick Harris credits his New Mexico upbringing with helping him weather the ups and downs of being a child star. It's also something he has in common with Marc. In addition to their memories of being teens in Albuquerque, Neil and Marc talk about Doogie Howser, How I Met Your Mother, Broadway, the secrets of hosting award shows, and magic. Also, Michael Imperioli returns to talk about his debut novel and why Lou Reed is a character in it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Flansburgh and John Linnell tell Marc the unlikely story of how a couple high school friends became a two-man band at the height of the New Wave performance art era in crime-ridden New York City and somehow carved out four decades of mainstream success as They Might Be Giants. The Johns also talk with Marc about children’s music, selling out, the early days of MTV, Malcolm in the Middle, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sean Penn wrote a novel to slow things down. He fell out of love with making movies, he is disillusioned by the culture, and he finds it hard to draw hope from current events. Sean explains to Marc how writing makes him feel like he's not part of the noise, how he finds strength from the Parkland students, and how an upcoming movie made him feel like he could actually rekindle his love of filmmaking. Also, Lynn Shelton returns to the garage to talk about directing her new movie, Outside In, and explain what it's like to direct Marc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Nolte makes an appropriate guest for the 900th episode of WTF because he clearly has about 900 episodes worth of stories to tell. They can't get to all of them, so Nick tells Marc the ones about football, farming, irrigation, Martin Scorsese, getting arrested, Marlon Brando, Tropic Thunder, Danny McBride, The Thin Red Line, and an epic prank involving Sean Penn and Woody Harrelson. Also, for Episode 900, Marc commemorates the last days of the Garage at the Cat Ranch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nell Scovell has written for a Murderers' Row of television comedies - including The Simpsons, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Murphy Brown, and Newhart - created Sabrina the Teenage Witch, wrote for Vanity Fair and Spy Magazine, and co-wrote the mega-hit book Lean In. But as she tells Marc, and outlines in her new memoir, Nell also worked hard to change attitudes in male-dominated writers rooms and challenge the lazy biases of Hollywood. Also, Bill Hader returns to talk about his new show Barry, where he plays a hitman not unlike himself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.