WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

Chris Spencer is the kind of guy the White House calls when they need a show business favor. How did he become so connected? In Chris's words, Black Hollywood is a small place. Chris talks with Marc about how his early comedy career paved the way for a big break as a late night talk show host. But when that opportunity fizzled from the start, Chris had to figure out how to redirect his talents. That new approach led to a lot of comedy writing and directing his first feature film with Kevin Hart, Wesley Snipes and Tiffany Haddish. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Feb 20221h 16min

Judd Hirsch is interested in the pursuit of truth. That's why he loved math as a student, that's why he got a physics degree, and that's why he has a civil engineering background. But he also learned to apply the pursuit of truth to his acting. Judd tells Marc why he always insists on conveying the truth about his characters, down to changing the characters' names if they don't feel right. They talk about his roles in Taxi, Ordinary People, Uncut Gems and as Marc's dad on the show Maron, and how he uncovered the truth in all of those instances. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Feb 20221h 20min

Sam Richardson thinks desperation is the key to comedy. His characters from shows like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave are a testament to that philosophy. Sam and Marc talk about his childhood being split between the United States and Ghana, his days performing on cruise ships for Second City, and his friendship with Tim Robinson, which began with Tim as Sam's improv teacher. Sam also explains how his role as Richard Splett on Veep went from a one-episode guest shot to a series regular who winds up becoming the President. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Feb 20221h 11min

Tony Kushner is one of the most important American playwrights of the past 50 years who is now a creative partner of one of the most important American filmmakers of the last 50 years. Tony talks with Marc about working with Steven Spielberg on Munich, Lincoln and the new adaptation of West Side Story. They also discuss the history of Jews in the Louisiana lumber industry, the pivotal moment of Angels in America that came to him in a dream, and the play he saw when he was six that made him want to be a part of the theater community. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Jan 20221h 26min

Film critic Dana Stevens took her love for Silent Movie Era star Buster Keaton and told the story of the 20th century film industry as it evolved alongside Buster's own life. Marc talks with Dana about her new book, Camera Man, which is not just a biography of Keaton. It's a look at the politics of film, the beginning of the studio system, the start of film criticism, the rise and fall of early movie stars, and how America dealt with the seismic change that was ushered in by this new art form. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Jan 20221h 24min

Peter Dinklage spent a good portion of his life trying to come to terms with ambition. It's something he's had an adversarial relationship with, going back to the days when he started a theater company that mounted no productions. But Peter tells Marc how he got more comfortable with having an acting career and how he learned to embrace mainstream success, whether it was from his star turn in The Station Agent or his work on Game of Thones or his latest film, the new adaptation of Cyrano. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Jan 20221h 18min

Hear Marc's two conversations with comedian and actor Louie Anderson from June 2016 and April 2018. Louie died on January 21, 2022 at age 68. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Jan 20221h 32min

John Mellencamp considers his whole career to be a total fluke. Maybe that's because he never planned for anything in his life and just let the chips fall where they may. As he releases his twenty-fifth studio album, Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, John tells Marc what he learned opening for The Kinks, why he had to take the name Johnny Cougar, why he still hasn't written something that makes him proud, and why David Letterman's mom attributed Dave's career to John. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Jan 20221h 12min