A Personal Ode to Marc Maron

Marc Maron
Next week is a big moment for fans of comedian Marc Maron, whose neurotic approach to everyday life has helped to turn WTF into one of the most lucrative podcasts, having interviewed everyone from D.C. Pierson to Anthony Bourdain to Dave Grohl to Carl Reiner and the late Jonathan Winters. He is a master of conversation, revealing deep intimate details about his guests, which evolved from comedians to also include musicians, writers, actors, wrestlers, and cooks. No matter what, this upcoming week features a double whammy for Maron, as he introduces the world to his new IFC series Maron and releases the new book "Attempting Normal." There's reason to celebrate, especially from fans who have watched him go from struggling talent to a huge success. Of course, it could just be because of how he impacted my life.
A continual regret in my life is that I have yet to see Maron perform live. He performs all around California, so I really have no excuse. But what makes him my favorite comedian over the equally funny James Adomian or Patton Oswalt? There's a certain bond that was formed around 2009 when I took to AV Club and got recommended a few shows that also included Comedy Death Ray and Doug Loves Movies. It was at the infantile stages of my podcast discovery phase and to hit the juggernauts off the bat definitely left an impact.

Of the shows, I noticed that I was consistently coming back to WTF with Marc Maron. At first, it was for the guests, which also introduced me to other shows. Then, something clicked that frankly has almost made me feel comfortable saying that Maron saved my life. I was going through a rough period of my life and as I binged through old episodes (this was before he introduced the premium buyers model), there was this sense that he was directly speaking to me. A lot of problematic elements about being crazy or confused with the world seemed to correlate issues in my own life. To say the least, it finally helped me get out of a depression by saying "you are not alone" and forever leaving me with the sense that podcasts were the future.
Since, I have listened to every episode available (save for a few early ones), bought the First 100 Episodes disc set that was released, and eagerly await the arrival of whatever he is shilling. It may be a little unhealthy, but he has become the essential in my life as the podcast I turn to on a twice weekly basis to clear my head. True, I do not like every guest that the show has had on. I do not always feel like I have time to check out what he has to say. But when I do, I tend to discover something fascinating, if not about myself, then about the world around us. Maron is notorious for dissecting moments of life and through that, I have almost learned the history of comedy, San Francisco, Saturday Night Live and Andy Kaufman. 
It has also made it harder for me to accept anyone who bad mouths the show. Maybe the output is too much and maybe things get too dark. However, the amount of times that I have heard people coming out of the closet, talking about suicidal pasts and rough childhoods is astounding and oddly effective. These are all varying degrees of successful individuals and to understand them is the great puzzle of the show. Theoretically, Maron is responsible for my vague interest in psychology minus the science terms.


I cannot really clarify too much else of why Maron is significant to me other than his love of cats. When he lost his pet Boomer, who had become a mainstay on the show's closing credits, I listened to the updates with so much care. As an owner myself, there was nothing sadder than listen to his slow realization that Boomer was gone. The episode in which he talked to Gina Gershon (who wrote her own cat searching book: "In Search of Cleo") was practically a love letter to cats that reflects the reason that we find them so essential in our lives. 
Basically, Maron is someone that taught me to strive for my own goal. Maybe not through lame motivational chants. It was more through the idea that he started off recording the podcast in his garage because he hit rock bottom, talking about Whole Foods and humorously tackling political issues during the early run. Still, I caught him on episode #139: Scott Carter, which was at the cusp of his popularity. Everything that he has produced since has proven not only the power of persistence, but also the possibilities that can come with this new medium. As he discussed in a recent episode with the members of Uhh Yeah Dude, nobody knows what to do with podcasting. However, it seems like Maron is starting to get there.
In a way, Maron has been emotional support because of that. He not only consoled me on personal issues, but just made me believe that I could get my podcast to have some relevance. There were countless times that his show broke news, notably involving Will Arnett and Arrested Development news and Todd Glass admitting that he was gay. He also interviewed Gallagher, which has become lore for the show and an example of how stubborn Maron can get when given the chance to prod his subjects into being honest.


***I am not going to write a big diatribe about the book or the TV show just yet. I am announcing that coming in a few weeks, I will be recapping the shows on Tuesday as Bob's Burgers rides into the sunset.

It is something that I have been excited about for some time and I feel like based on what brief footage we've seen, Maron has potential to be a pretty good show. At very least, it feels like a successful extension of the podcast, and that alone makes me feel like he is getting creative control. True, based on his limited screen presence (though Sleepwalk with Me featured a cameo that was pretty good), there's not much going on, but as a comedian, he just has to make you laugh, make you feel. Watch the episode for yourself, and see if you understand why he made my Favorite Podcasts list at #1 two times

Also, keep an eye out for a book review on "Attempting Normal," which will happen eventually. Are we good?

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