Latest news with #BrendanMcDonald
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
WTF with Marc Maron is ending. Here are five of the podcast's best interviews
It's the end of an era: Marc Maron has announced that he's ending his popular and influential podcast WTF with Marc Maron after nearly 16 years and more than 1,600 episodes. The final episode will be released later this year. 'Sixteen years we've been doing this, and we've decided that we had a great run,' Maron says on Monday's episode. 'Basically, it's time, folks. It's time. WTF is coming to an end. It's our decision. We'll have our final episode sometime in the fall.' Maron says he and his producer, Brendan McDonald, are 'tired' and 'burnt out' but 'utterly satisfied with the work we've done'. When he began WTF in 2009, Maron was a veteran standup comic whose radio show on Air America had just been cancelled: he used his keycard to sneak into Air America's studios to record the first episodes of WTF without them knowing, before setting up a studio his garage. In its earliest days, WTF was a space in which Maron aired his insecurities about his career, his divorce and worked out his feelings with fellow comedians who he felt had essentially left him behind. But as Maron opened up more about himself – his upbringing, his struggles with drug addiction and his romantic relationships – the show became less about his cranky resentments and more about how creative people find personal fulfilment. Actors, directors and musicians began coming on more and Maron's deceptively simple, slightly rambling interviewing style encouraged even the most famous guests to tell stories they'd not shared before. If you have a bit of time to kill, there are more than 1,600 WTF episodes out there waiting for you (though the older ones are behind a paywall). The best ones are usually with (male) comedians (Conan O'Brien, Mel Brooks and Norm Macdonald all almost made the list); the worst ones include Courtney Love and Ben Kingsley. But here are five of the best: 1. Barack Obama (episode 613, 2015) It had to be here. This episode arguably redefined podcasting, turning it into a serious medium that was powerful enough to lure a sitting US president to a Los Angeles garage to discuss fatherhood, racism and gun control. Just as good is the following episode, titled The President Was Here, in which Maron and McDonald unload about the strange experience of having the secret service sweep in. 2. Robin Williams (episode 67, 2010) This emotional 2010 interview with Williams, in which he talks about his struggles with depression, alcoholism and suicidal thoughts, was rereleased on the day of Williams' death in 2014 with a new introduction by Maron. The episode earned a place in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. 3. Louis CK (episodes 111 and 112, 2010) Over two hours in 2010, Maron and his fellow comedian, Louis CK, famously recorded what was essentially a therapy session in which the two former friends unpicked why they had drifted apart. CK felt Maron had abandoned him during some tough times; Maron admitted his professional envy over CK's stratospheric rise. (This was seven years before CK admitted to masturbating in front of women without their consent.) 'You're letting me down as a friend, by being jealous,' CK tells him. 'I could've used you. I got divorced. I got a show cancelled … but you shut me out because you were having a hard time.' Slate called it the best podcast episode of all time; Maron himself said he didn't think it was a great interview but said: 'It helped me a lot as a person.' 4. Lynn Shelton (episode 627, 2015) This episode marked the first time Maron met Shelton, a indie film-maker. She was married at the time and he was dating someone else but you can hear them clicking in real time in this episode; Maron is audibly charmed by her vivacity. They fell in love and stayed together until her sudden death in 2020 from a previously unidentified blood disorder, aged 54. A couple of days after her death, Maron rereleased the interview – which WTF always does when a previous guest dies. This stood out for his deeply emotional introduction in which he talked about why he loved her. 'I don't even know if I should be out in public talking,' he says, 'but this is what I do.' 5. David Spade (episode 669, 2016) Most people will know Spade as either Joe Dirt or the horny guy in Just Shoot Me but the episode is a true all-timer – partly for revealing how funny Spade is when he's just being himself, but also for the astonishing story he tells about the time he was attacked by his personal assistant in his own home, having to bar himself in the bathroom with a shotgun. 'I had him down to two days a week after that,' Spade says.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
WTF with Marc Maron podcast to end after nearly 16 years
Comic and actor Marc Maron said Monday that he's ending his popular and influential podcast 'WTF with Marc Maron' after nearly 16 years. Maron said on a newly released episode that the last of the nearly 2,000 episodes he has hosted will be released later this year. 'Sixteen years we've been doing this, and we've decided that we had a great run,' Maron said. 'Now, basically, it's time, folks. It's time. 'WTF' is coming to an end. It's our decision. We'll have our final episode sometime in the fall.' The 61-year-old Maron said he and producing partner Brendan McDonald are 'tired' and 'burnt out' but 'utterly satisfied with the work we've done.' From the archives: Interview | Podcast maestro Marc Maron shuts up just long enough to listen Maron was a veteran stand-up comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009, at a time when stand-ups were trying out the form in big numbers, and many listeners still downloaded episodes on to iPods. The show early on was often about Maron talking through his beefs with fellow comedians, but it soon stood out and became a widely heard and medium-defining show with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures. It became a key stop on press tours for authors, actors and musicians and reached a peak when then- President Barack Obama visited Maron's makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015. Maron used a simple interview style to get guests to share stories they'd rarely told elsewhere. Seeking to know the biggest influences on their lives and careers, Maron would ask, 'Who are your guys?' Other memorable episodes include a 2010 personal and emotional interview with Robin Williams that was re-posted and widely listened to after Williams' death in 2014. The episode earned a place in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Maron kept doing standup specials and expanded his acting career while the show aired, including a three-season run on the Netflix series 'GLOW.' The show's guitar-rock theme song opened with a clip of Maron shouting, 'Lock the gates!' in his role as a promoter in the film 'Almost Famous.' The solo episode openings became a confessional space for Maron where he talked about his life, relationships, years of doing stand-up comedy and struggles with drug addiction. Maron gave tearful tribute to his girlfriend, director Lynn Shelton, in the episode after her death in 2020. 'People who listen to the podcast know me pretty well, and it's all good. They have a relationship with me that's one sided, but it's real and I try to be as gracious about that as possible,' Maron told The Associated Press in 2019. 'My particular little slice of the show business world is very me specific and it's very personal and usually that's a good thing. But I've had to learn how to balance how much of my life I reveal and what I keep to myself, and try to find a little space.'
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Marc Maron to end his ‘WTF' podcast after 15 years of interviewing comics, musicians, Obama
Marc Maron arrives at the premiere of "Stick" on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at AMC Century City 15 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) LOS ANGELES — Comic and actor Marc Maron said Monday that he's ending his popular and influential podcast 'WTF with Marc Maron' after nearly 16 years. Maron said on a newly released episode that the last of the nearly 2,000 episodes he has hosted will be released later this year. 'Sixteen years we've been doing this, and we've decided that we had a great run,' Maron said. 'Now, basically, it's time, folks. It's time. 'WTF' is coming to an end. It's our decision. We'll have our final episode sometime in the fall.' The 61-year-old Maron said he and producing partner Brendan McDonald are 'tired' and 'burnt out' but 'utterly satisfied with the work we've done.' Maron was a veteran stand-up comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009, at a time when stand-ups were trying out the form in big numbers, and many listeners still downloaded episodes on to iPods. The show early on was often about Maron talking through his beefs with fellow comedians, but it soon stood out and became a widely heard and medium-defining show with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures. It became a key stop on press tours for authors, actors and musicians and reached a peak when then-U.S. President Barack Obama visited Maron's makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015. The Associated Press
The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Marc Maron to end his 'WTF' podcast after 15 years of interviewing comics, musicians, Obama
Comic and actor Marc Maron said Monday that he's ending his popular and influential podcast 'WTF with Marc Maron' after nearly 16 years. Maron said on a newly released episode that the last of the nearly 2,000 episodes he has hosted will be released later this year. 'Sixteen years we've been doing this, and we've decided that we had a great run,' Maron said. 'Now, basically, it's time, folks. It's time. 'WTF' is coming to an end. It's our decision. We'll have our final episode sometime in the fall.' The 61-year-old Maron said he and producing partner Brendan McDonald are 'tired' and 'burnt out' but 'utterly satisfied with the work we've done.' Maron was a veteran stand-up comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009, at a time when stand-ups were trying out the form in big numbers, and many listeners still downloaded episodes on to iPods. The show early on was often about Maron talking through his beefs with fellow comedians, but it soon stood out and became a widely heard and medium-defining show with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures. It became a key stop on press tours for authors, actors and musicians and reached a peak when then-President Barack Obama visited Maron's makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Marc Maron to end his 'WTF' podcast after 15 years of interviewing comics, musicians, Obama
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comic and actor Marc Maron said Monday that he's ending his popular and influential podcast 'WTF with Marc Maron' after nearly 16 years. Maron said on a newly released episode that the last of the nearly 2,000 episodes he has hosted will be released later this year. 'Sixteen years we've been doing this, and we've decided that we had a great run,' Maron said. 'Now, basically, it's time, folks. It's time. 'WTF' is coming to an end. It's our decision. We'll have our final episode sometime in the fall.' The 61-year-old Maron said he and producing partner Brendan McDonald are 'tired' and 'burnt out' but 'utterly satisfied with the work we've done.' Maron was a veteran stand-up comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009, at a time when stand-ups were trying out the form in big numbers, and many listeners still downloaded episodes on to iPods. The show early on was often about Maron talking through his beefs with fellow comedians, but it soon stood out and became a widely heard and medium-defining show with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures. It became a key stop on press tours for authors, actors and musicians and reached a peak when then-President Barack Obama visited Maron's makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015.
