Episode 608 - Kurt Metzger

Nimesh Patel got advice from his comedy hero Chris Rock that comics need to get personal in order to become universal. After that, Nimesh was able to take his background as a first generation Indian-American whose dad owned a liquor store, a med-school drop out, a cancer survivor with a Jewish wife, and turn it all into an act that works on equally well on stage as it does on TikTok. Nimesh also tells Marc about the time he resisted becoming a pawn in the culture war after a college performance that went wrong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Aug 20231h 33min

Jessica Chastain is one of our most celebrated actors, with a recent Oscar win, a Tony-nominated Broadway run, and a highly praised performance as Tammy Wynette opposite Michael Shannon’s George Jones. As Jessica tells Marc, she’s always been a sensitive person and ever since she was the shy kid in high school, she learned to channel that sensitivity into performance. They also talk about how she owes a lot of her career evolution to Robin Williams and Al Pacino. This interview was recorded on June 14, before the SAG-AFTRA strike.Click here for Charity Navigator’s list of Hawaii Wildfire Relief organizations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Aug 20231h 26min

Adam Conover felt out of place in a family of scientists, but his decision to pursue a philosophy degree actually played into three major aspects of his adult life: Standup comedy, his educational television shows Adam Ruins Everything and The G Word, and civic engagement. Adam talks with Marc about what led him to comedy, why he made TV shows that helped explain the world, and what it's like on the front lines of the WGA strike as part of union leadership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Aug 20231h 35min

Alex Winter was an actor for much of his young life until he realized it wasn’t his preferred way to tell stories. Now, the man many people knew as one half of Bill and Ted is an accomplished documentary filmmaker. Alex talks with Marc about his new film The YouTube Effect, as well as his other work on the growth of online communities and his doc about Frank Zappa. They also question whether show business as we knew it is finished and examine how Keanu Reeves handles his global superstardom with grace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Aug 20231h 33min

Gary Mule Deer's career has spanned more than 60 years, but he's got enough in it to fill at least 600. Gary tells Marc how a guy from South Dakota who stumbled into his first performing gigs by happenstance wound up as a touring musician with bands like the Beach Boys, a popular standup comic in clubs around the country, and a variety TV regular with more than 350 guest shots on everything from Carson to Letterman to Hee Haw. Gary also explains how his career bottomed out with bordellos, drugs, and gambling, and found salvation in golf, Johnny Mathis, and the Grand Ole Opry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Aug 20231h 31min

Melissa Villaseñor spent six seasons on Saturday Night Live and left her mark with a wide array of impressions. It was a road to success she might not have taken had she not gone to The Laugh Factory Comedy Camp when she was fifteen. Melissa and Marc talk about her early days performing and how she reluctantly auditioned for America's Got Talent, a gig that allowed her to quit her job at Forever 21 and pursue a life in comedy. They also talk about Melissa's music, her art, and her inspirations like Maria Bamford and Shel Silverstein. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Jul 20231h 27min

George Schlatter's lifetime in show business encompasses way more than Marc could cover during George's last appearance on WTF. Now that the Laugh-In creator has published his memoir, Still Laughing: A Life in Comedy, he has a lot more stories at the ready. George tells Marc about his time with Sammy Davis, Jr., Don Rickles, Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Goldie Hawn, Tiny Tim and more. They also talk about George's stint managing the nightclub Ciro's, which later became The Comedy Store. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Jul 20231h 20min

There's a reason Jim Gaffigan is back for his seventh appearance on the show. No matter how much older they get, no matter how much has changed in their lives, Marc and Jim remain two comics who are still figuring out life and having a good time talking about it. With the release of his tenth comedy special, Dark Pale, Jim and Marc talk about the way they're still confounded by their fellow humans on a daily basis and how they're trying to come to grips with that puzzlement as they both get on in their years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Jul 20231h 24min