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When Isthmus called Marc Maron, he was clearing pine needles from the storm drain in front of his home in northeast Los Angeles. The comedy pro recently recorded the 800th episode of his hit podcast WTF with Marc Maron in the attached garage of his modest, Mission-style house. It's in this domestic setting that Maron has recorded intimate conversations with scores of comedians, musicians and actors. President Barack Obama even stopped by Maron’s garage for an interview.
By inviting guests to his personal residence, Maron has also opened a window into his own life. This gives listeners a degree of familiarity with the host that’s uncommon in any medium.
It’s also a point of pride for Maron that he's never strayed far from his roots as a seasoned comic. He’s performed standup for three decades, but he credits the relatively recent success of the WTF podcast for elevating his comedy chops and giving him a new level of confidence.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been funnier,” says Maron. And he’s not joking.
“It’s only surprising because I went more than half my life without really finding an audience,” says Maron. “The thing about the podcast, it's sort of all-encompassing of every element of my personality. The fearlessness of being myself, I think, is what really changed in the garage.... As I grow to accept myself, I guess the people that get what I do have grown to accept me, too.”
Maron was a familiar face in the New York alt-comedy scene in the 1990s that cultivated talents like Roseanne Barr, Todd Barry, Sarah Silverman, Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K. (most of whom have been guests on WTF). Maron says he was “more of a hostile comic” in his younger years.
“I think I was angry because I was preemptively defensive all the time about people’s judgment,” says Maron. “I also liked starting shit.”
In the heyday of Air America Radio — a liberal response to the dominance of right-wing talkers on the AM/FM dial — Maron co-hosted the network’s Morning Sedition show. Nowadays, Maron finds political humor limiting. But he describes the Trump era as “a shitshow” that’s indicative of broader problems with the political system.
“I do a couple of things about my own fear and panic about what’s happening,” says Maron. “All I can do is express my point of view, what my feelings are. And if that’s a shared experience, great.”
During his stop at the Orpheum on April 28, Maron will be working out new material for an upcoming special. He’s been doing some monster sets while on the road lately, routinely performing two-hour-long shows.
“I’ll try to have it tightened up for Madison,” says Maron. “Even if you don’t think it’s funny, you won’t be able to look away.”
