WTF with Marc Maron

⭐ 8/10

I have never reviewed a podcast since all the ones I listen to are ongoing. But this podcast ended this week after a 16 year run, and it was a staple for me for as long as I've been listening to podcasts.

Marc is an old cranky comedian who interviews mostly other comedians, but also actors, directors, authors, all sorts of people. Each episode starts with him complaining about the state of the world for 10 minutes, or telling a crazy story from that week, before the interview. I think his interview style is really good, leaving lots of air and not making it about himself. The list of icons he has interviewed is really long, and really impressive - this is kind of one of the first podcasts. His final episode is with Barack Obama, which tells you something about his reach and impact.

I will say I probably skipped every-other episode, only listening if I knew and had some level of interest in the guest. Lots of comedians I don't know at all, and I didn't care to hear them talk about life on the road. Otherwise I enjoyed all the other episodes. Something about his occasional meltdowns and pessimism gave me perspective, he can't understand the world at this time and neither can I! After all this time I feel like I know him, and care about him. He's obsessed with his cats, which I can't relate to, but he also had a rough childhood, long bouts of addiction, recovery, and some actual tragedy. A couple years ago his girlfriend died for basically no reason in his arms at home, and I will never forget starting the pod and realizing something was wrong from the way he said his intro before he poured out is agony. He is so open and raw, that when things hurt him its impossible not to hurt with him.

Sad to see him go, excited for him as he does whatever is next. A real parasocial thing for me, feels like the crazy old uncle I never had or something.