Episode 923 - Bob Balaban

Regina King’s depth and range as an actor won her dozens of awards and allows her to choose projects best suited for her. Regina and Marc talk about her early sitcom days on 227, her breakthrough performances in films like Boyz n the Hood and Jerry Maguire, her acclaimed turns in If Beale Street Could Talk and Shirley, her work as a director, and her latest role in Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing. Regina also explains why she launched a brand of wine to honor her son. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Aug 1h 40min

Jeremy Allen White played such a believable Bruce Springsteen in the movie Deliver Me From Nowhere that Marc, who was also in the film, can recall times on the set when Bruce couldn’t tell the difference between recordings of himself and recordings of Jeremy. But for Jeremy, that’s all part of the process of finding his focus, something he’s tried to do since he was a kid taking dance classes and playing sports. Jeremy and Marc also talk about Shameless, The Bear, The Iron Claw, panic attacks, and getting your life under control.Click here to submit a question for an upcoming Ask Marc Anything episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Aug 1h 26min

In a world of influencers and content creators, Peter Conheim represents an age of culture jamming and social disruption. Influenced by bands like Can and art collectives like The Residents, Peter talks with Marc about embracing the idea of doing art anonymously, which included his time with the experimental band Negativland. Peter also explains his fascination with audio production and editing, his passion for film curation and remastering, and his work on the new Devo documentary.Click here to submit a question for an upcoming Ask Marc Anything episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Aug 1h 22min

The last time Ben Stiller was on WTF, it was more than 15 years ago and it was a really big deal for an upstart podcast done out of a small garage to have a global movie star and film director as a guest. Now Ben and Marc reflect on the passage of time, Ben's choices of projects since 2010, and the responsibility he feels as one of the people at the helm of Severance. They also talk about Owen Wilson, Ben's latest Oscar bit, the state of comedy movies, and the documentary Ben is making about his parents.Click here to submit a question for an upcoming Ask Marc Anything episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Aug 1h 38min

After recently releasing her memoir, The Harder I Fight the More I Love You, and finishing her eighth studio album, the upcoming Neon Grey Midnight Green, Neko Case is drawing a lot of conclusions. She tells Marc that animals and nature are more consistent and reliable than people, that she’s at peace with knowing her parents didn’t want her, and that she’s more comfortable choosing her own family. Neko and Marc also talk about her songwriting process, her pro wrestler great-aunt, and The New Pornographers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Aug 1h 19min

Bowen Yang never thinks he’s ready for any of the opportunities he gets, including being a guest on WTF for this episode. After a discussion on who gets more nervous before interviews, Marc or the guest, Bowen explains where this lifelong anxiety and insecurity comes from, and a lot of it is rooted in the gay conversion therapy he had to undergo as a teen. They also talk about the vibe of Saturday Night Live during this second Trump administration and the pressures that come with being the gay Asian SNL cast member. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Aug 1h 39min

Multi-time WTF guest and veteran of standup comedy specials Jim Gaffigan is the perfect person to talk with Marc right after a screening of Marc’s new HBO special, Marc Maron: Panicked. They examine the work that goes into the building of a standup special, how they both evolved as live performers since their early days, and the uncertain future of the live comedy special. This conversation was recorded at The 92nd Street Y, New York, as part of their Craig Newmark Civic Life Series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Aug 1h 17min

Questlove was drumming for his dad’s band by the time he was 12. Since then, he founded a prolific hip-hop band with his high school classmate, became a chronicler of popular music history, came into his own as a documentary filmmaker, and more. So why does he still feel insecure about being an artist? Questlove talks with Marc about the origins of The Roots, the decision to become a late night house band, winning an Oscar right after the infamous slap, and why he had an underlying motivation for making his recent documentary about Sly Stone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Aug 1h 28min