WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

Episode 1113 - Fran Drescher

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fran Drescher has a distinctive personality, but she says it wasn’t until her forties that she truly figured out who she is. Fran talks with Marc ab...

John Prine from 2016

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

From Episode 746, Marc's conversation with John Prine about Kris Kristofferson, Steve Goodman, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and delivering the mail. John p...

Episode 1112 - Jeff Dunham

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of comedians spend years or decades finding their voice on stage, but Jeff Dunham was very young when he settled on his comic voice. He then pro...

Episode 1111 - Byron Bowers

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One thing Byron Bowers knows for sure is that comedy taught him who he is. He needed it after a childhood filled with parental discord and moving arou...

Adam Schlesinger from 2012

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

From Episode 348, Marc's conversation with songwriter and musician Adam Schlesinger about Fountains of Wayne, That Thing You Do, Broadway and more. Ad...

Episode 1110 - Ben Sinclair

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Even with the popularity of his HBO series High Maintenance, Ben Sinclair is still not great at taking compliments. He gets a lot of them, considering...

Episode 1109 - Kathy Valentine

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kathy Valentine is in one of the most famous and profitable female rock bands ever but she’s really taken to becoming a writer. That's because she’...

Episode 1108 - Dan Aykroyd

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Aykroyd has thrived in show business but he’s always been in tune with the business part as much as the show part. Whether it was running his ow...

Episode 1107 - Utkarsh Ambudkar

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The world took notice of Utkarsh Ambudkar with his freestyle performance on the Oscar telecast but he was almost a classic cautionary character: The g...

Episode 1106 - Thandie Newton

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Thandie Newton took the part of Maeve on Westworld, she had no idea the character would wind up being a perfect metaphor for her life. As Thandie...

Episode 1105 - Don Gavin

12 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Don Gavin has Boston in his bones, so much so that he’s still cold even after moving to Florida. Marc reminisces with Don about their stand-up days ...

Episode 1104 - Don Cheadle

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a good thing Marc cleaned the garage before Don Cheadle came over, otherwise Don might not have lived through this episode due to his life-thre...

Episode 1103 - Thora Birch

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Being sixteen is tough for almost everyone. But when Thora Birch was sixteen, she went from being a familiar child actor to the girl from an Oscar-win...

Episode 1102 - Peter Berg

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Filmmaker Peter Berg and Marc never would have predicted their respective futures when they were living together in a shared apartment back when both ...

Episode 1101 - Carol Kane

27 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show business paid off early for Carol Kane. She was in her first movie at age 17 and got an unexpected Academy Award nomination for Best Actress when...

Episode 1100 - Juliette Lewis

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Juliette Lewis spent much of her life facing her fears. She was a natural introvert who was suddenly thrust into the spotlight as a teenager. She had ...

Episode 1099 - Adam Pally

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Pally watched his dad put his own show business ambitions aside while he personally washed out of a high school band and quit the basketball team...

Episode 1098 - Ronan Farrow

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ronan Farrow needed to come to terms with a lot of things. He processed the pain and trauma that existed in his family during his upbringing. He came ...

Episode 1097 - Brett Smrz

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Some people are born into stunt performing, some achieve it, and some have it thrust upon them. For Brett Smrz, it’s all three. He was born into a f...

Episode 1096 - Ben Schwartz

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Schwartz was afraid to do plays in high school. In fact, if it wasn’t for his college girlfriend pushing him to audition for the school improv g...

Episode 1095 - Dan Levy

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Once Marc gets over the confusion around Dan Levy’s name (he pronounces it differently than the Dan Levy from Schitt’s Creek), he tries to figure ...

Episode 1094 - Ashton Kutcher

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ashton Kutcher is still close with the modeling agent who discovered him in a bar in Iowa. He’s also still with the manager who got him his first ac...

Episode 1093 - Ben Bailey

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Bailey and Marc share a particular gripe as comics. Both of them became widely known for beloved projects they started doing on a whim. For Ben it...

Episode 1092 - Terry Crews

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Terry Crews survived a lot. He survived a tumultuous upbringing in an alcoholic household. He survived the destruction of his hometown, Flint, Michiga...

Episode 1091 - Josh Klinghoffer

23 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Josh Klinghoffer came over to Marc’s house just days after receiving the surprising news from the Red Hot Chili Peppers that his time with the band ...

Episode 1090 - Brian Cox

20 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When listening to actor Brian Cox talk with Marc, it’s hard to see how this pleasant man is anything like the despotic, cold-blooded patriarch Logan...

Episode 1089 - Randall Park

16 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Randall Park’s Korean immigrant parents were skeptical about their son’s career path. But that all changed when Randall played the actual dictator...

Episode 1088 - Lily Tomlin

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lily Tomlin received a bit of advice early in her life that she really took to heart: If you can’t be direct, why be? Lily’s direct approach to pe...

Episode 1087 - Joe Mantegna

09 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Mantegna is about as Chicago as they come. He grew up in Chicago, he talks like he’s from Chicago, he got his acting start in Chicago, he even u...

Episode 1086 - Brad Pitt & Leonardo DiCaprio

06 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During a victory lap for their movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio put movie stardom on hold for an hour to have a ch...

Episode 1085 - Scott Caan

02 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Caan stars in major movies, is on a long running television series, published his own photography, wrote more than 20 plays, and yet he’s stil...

Episode 1084 - Shauna Duggins

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Shauna Duggins does stunts for blockbuster movies and TV series, but at first she just wanted to entertain. She went to Los Angeles fresh out of colle...

Episode 1083 - Brittany Howard

26 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Brittany Howard always needs to keep moving forward. That’s part of the reason she made the difficult decision to take a break from her band Alabama...

Episode 1082 - Jimmy Tingle

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jimmy Tingle has a lot in common with Marc and many other Boston-based WTF guests. But what sets Jimmy apart is the merger of his comedy with politics...

Episode 1081 - Alex Gibney

19 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Academy Award-winning documentarian Alex Gibney is always trying to understand why things are the way they are. He’s done so with Enron, Scientology...

Episode 1080 - Jay Roach

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jay Roach went from directing major comedies like the Austin Powers series and Meet the Parents to making timely political films like Recount, Game Ch...

Episode 1079 - Paul Walter Hauser

12 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

To play Richard Jewell, Paul Walter Hauser knew he needed to tap into a part of himself he thought he left behind in Saginaw, Michigan. Paul and Marc ...

Episode 1078 - Cedric the Entertainer

09 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Before he was a King of Comedy, before he was even an entertainer, he was Cedric the Insurance Claims Adjuster. Cedric and Marc talk about his emergen...

Episode 1077 - Ethan Russell

05 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Photographer Ethan Russell is the only person to shoot album covers for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who, which is quite an achievement co...

Episode 1076 - Jessica Kirson

02 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There was a point in Jessica Kirson’s life where she was living with too many secrets. She was a pot dealer, she had a hidden cocaine habit, and she...

Episode 1075 - Keith Wager

28 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Keith Wager is a recovery friend of Marc’s who has a lot to be thankful for. Instead of doing drugs and getting arrested, like he did in the past, n...

Episode 1074 - Mike Sweeney

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Sweeney tried on several different careers before becoming the head writer for Conan O’Brien: trial lawyer, standup comedian, warm-up comic. Bu...

Episode 1073 - Louis Katz

21 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Comic Louis Katz was working with Marc just before the launch of WTF. In the ten years since, Louis and Marc have taken paths that are both similar an...

Episode 1072 - Nathan Lane

18 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When a very complementary newspaper profile called Nathan Lane “the last of the great entertainers,” Nathan couldn’t help but wonder, “Is that...

Episode 1071 - Lili Taylor

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Actress Lili Taylor and Marc quickly realize how much they have in common, like their nearly 50 combined years of sobriety, their similar stories abou...

Episode 1070 - Tony Hale

11 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Hale is trying to be more present. He’s motivated by the fact that some of the biggest moments of his career on shows like Arrested Development...

Episode 1069 - Kate Nash

07 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Nash says getting cast on GLOW saved her life and, when you hear about the emotional roller coaster she was on before landing the gig, that might...

Episode 1068 - John Goodman

04 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

John Goodman has more than four decades of experience on stage, in movies, and on television, but he’s just now learning to trust himself. After a l...

Episode 1067 - Joan Shelley

31 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Marc doesn’t consider himself a “folk music guy” but he cannot deny how strongly he responds to singer-songwriter Joan Shelley’s work. Joan ta...

Episode 1066 - Edward Norton

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Edward Norton knows the importance of slowing things down. While many entertainers feel the need to move immediately from project to project, Edward h...

Episode 1065 - Pamela Des Barres

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

No one can doubt Pamela Des Barres’s commitment to the life of rock and roll. She’s known as THE rock groupie, but further distinguished herself a...

Episode 1064 - Rick Baker

21 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It’s very likely Rick Baker created something that made you smile, laugh, cringe, scream, or all of the above, as one of the most innovative and mem...

Episode 1063 - Woody Harrelson

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Living in Hawaii gives Woody Harrelson a pretty good perspective of what life should really be about. It’s a mentality that influences the way he ch...

Episode 1062 - Rachel Maddow

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Marc sees Rachel Maddow on TV almost every night. But there was a time when they saw each other every day, back when they worked together at Air Ameri...

Episode 1061 - Jackie Tohn

10 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jackie Tohn is the co-star on GLOW who Marc feels he knows the most. Not because they knew each other before making the show, but because they share ...

Episode 1060 - Argus Hamilton

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Argus Hamilton is the human embodiment of The Comedy Store, with the distinction of being one of the original Comedy Store comics and the only person ...

Episode 1059 - Danny DeVito

03 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Danny DeVito is one of America’s most beloved actors and that’s true across multiple generations. Whether it’s because you came of age with One ...

Episode 1058 - Marilu Henner

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Marilu Henner will not forget what was said in this conversation. That’s mostly because she has a rare condition that allows her to remember virtual...

Episode 1057 - Jeannie Gaffigan

26 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeannie Gaffigan had a lot on her plate. She was raising five kids, writing comedy with her husband Jim, and producing a television sitcom. She was so...

Episode 1056 - Byron Allen

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How did Byron Allen go from teenage stand-up to highly successful media mogul and entrepreneur? Byron thinks it has everything to do with growing up i...

Episode 1055 - Chaunté Wayans

19 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chaunté Wayans has a last name that adds a lot of pressure to a comedy career. She also happens to be the niece and cousin of many famous comedians w...

Episode 1054 - June Diane Raphael

16 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

June Diane Raphael knows people are likely to mispronounce her last name (it’s RAY-feel) but she’s ok with it. She has other things on her mind ri...

Episode 1053 - Danny Huston

12 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Huston felt somewhat doomed when it came to show business. His father John and grandfather Walter were legendary Hollywood figures and his half-...

Episode 1052 - Bruce Dern

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Bruce Dern showed up at The Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg told him he was going to be their Frankenstein Monster and Elia Kazan told him “you’...

Episode 1051 - Edi Patterson

05 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Marc first saw Edi Patterson on Vice Principals, he knew she was the kind of performer who can’t possibly stifle who she is. It turns out her r...

Episode 1050 - Dale Beran

02 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Unlike Marc, Dale Beran was immersed in internet culture for most of his life. He considered himself an artistic, creative person with aspirations to ...

Episode 1049 - Buddy Guy

29 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy had many insecurities about performing and they didn’t really subside until musicians like Eric Clapton and Jeff...

Episode 1048 - Betty Gilpin

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Betty Gilpin’s performance on GLOW has brought her critical accolades, Emmy nominations, and personal fulfillment. So why does she feel like she’s...

Episode 1047 - David Shields

22 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

David Shields is always looking to push the form forward, whether it’s by way of his writing, his filmmaking or his thinking. Using collage-style pr...

Episode 1046 - Patricia Clarkson

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Patricia Clarkson came to show business by way of New Orleans, where exposure to all manner of public figures who were equal parts good and bad may ex...

Peter Fonda from 2018

17 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

From Episode 930, Marc's conversation with actor Peter Fonda about childhood trauma, Easy Rider, and talking George Harrison down from a bad trip. Pet...

Episode 1045 - Stephen Root

15 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Root grew up moving all over the country because of his dad’s job. Being uprooted all the time meant he was shy and quiet without too many f...

Episode 1044 - Bashir Salahuddin

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bashir Salahuddin is having a moment. He has two new shows out that he co-created and stars in, South Side and Sherman’s Showcase. He’s back in th...

Episode 1043 - Greg Kinnear

08 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Greg Kinnear actually bailed on being an actor. Even though he performed in high school plays and hosted his own radio show as a teenager, when he sta...

Episode 1042 - Walton Goggins

05 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Walton Goggins has played tough guys, weird guys and guys who completely defy description, but to him it’s all just playing pretend. Walton found hi...

Episode 1041 - Juston McKinney

01 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Juston McKinney’s story keeps coming back to New Hampshire. It’s where he grew up, where he lost his mother at age six, where his father was a hom...

Episode 1040 - Kurt Andersen

29 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

At some point in the past decade, Kurt Andersen felt like he had to figure out America. Coming from a professional career rooted in satire and trouble...

Episode 1039 - Tom Dreesen

25 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Now that Tom Dreesen has 50 years in show business under his belt, he wants to enjoy life. He’s earned it because he’s already experienced enough ...

Episode 1038 - Geena Davis

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Geena Davis says the biggest thing she had to learn as she made her way through show business was how to speak up for herself. This was particularly d...

Episode 1037 - Alex Ross Perry

18 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Not only did director and writer Alex Ross Perry work in a video store while he was learning to become a filmmaker, his first film crew was made up of...

Episode 1036 - Sean Lennon

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sean Lennon admits that he was naïve about his family legacy when he began a career in music. He also admits that when he received bad reviews for hi...

Episode 1035 - Nahnatchka Khan

11 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Nahnatchka Khan started developing Fresh Off The Boat for TV, she knew it was an undertaking that no one had tried for more than 20 years: A netw...

Episode 1034 - David Lee Roth

08 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You only need to hear David Lee Roth talk for a few seconds to understand why he is the consummate rock and roll frontman. Diamond Dave takes Marc on ...

Episode 1033 - Jamie Lee

04 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Lee started her career in close proximity to comedy, but not actually doing it. She was working in PR at Comedy Central and found herself around...

Episode 1032 - Stephen Dorff

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Dorff started acting in movies before he was a teenager, but the sudden and tragic death of his brother made him contemplate leaving the busin...

Episode 1031 - Brent Butt

27 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Even though Brent Butt grew up in rural Saskatchewan, his path to comedy is similar to American comics, except it was exclusively Canadian. He was a d...

Episode 1030 - Stephen Colbert

24 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Before Stephen Colbert knew what he wanted to do with his life, all he wanted was to be Hamlet. Not to play Hamlet, but to be Hamlet. That’s how he ...

Episode 1029 - Steve Sweeney

20 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Steve Sweeney was growing up in Boston, the last thing he expected to become was an entertainer. He rubbed elbows with career criminals in Charle...

Episode 1028 - Eve Ensler

17 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Marc read Eve Ensler’s new book The Apology, he knew he had to speak with her right away. Not just because it was a harrowing, beautifully writ...

Episode 1027 - Jamie Denbo

13 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Denbo’s life and career would not be the same were it not for her job at a Renaissance fair. Her future in comedy, improv, acting, and now wri...

Episode 1026 - Mavis Staples

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As Mavis Staples turns 80 years old, she continues to perform and record with young musicians and producers across musical genres, just as she’s don...

Episode 1025 - Perry Farrell

06 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Perry Farrell is the creative force behind Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros, and the Lollapalooza festival, but while talking with Marc, it’s cle...

Episode 1024 - John Turturro

03 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When you talk with John Turturro, it’s quickly apparent that he’s a student of history. But John says that type of education really only happened ...

Episode 1023 - David Letterman

30 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

David Letterman started out doing the very thing that scared him to death - getting up in front of strangers and trying to make them laugh. Now after ...

Episode 1022 - Timothy Olyphant

27 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the last decade or so, Timothy Olyphant realized that a lot of his interests when he was younger were either impractical, ill-fitting or not very c...

Episode 1021 - Duff McKagan

23 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Duff McKagan weathered the storm of rock and roll excess and now finds himself with a loving family, sobriety, a reunited band, and a new solo album. ...

Episode 1020 - Lisa Kudrow

20 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Of course Lisa Kudrow talks with Marc about Friends. But first they discuss several other topics Lisa knows well, including genealogy, global migratio...

Episode 1019 - Kyle Mooney

16 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A fateful moment in Kyle Mooney’s life was when his high school hip hop group went up in flames. Quite literally. All his equipment was destroyed in...

Episode 1018 - Anjelica Huston

13 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If there was one constant in Anjelica Huston’s early life and career, it was the pressure to prove herself. Anjelica tells Marc about the benefits a...

Episode 1017 - Anna Konkle & Maya Erskine

09 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine, co-creators and stars of the middle school-based comedy PEN15, met and bonded in college. But they knew their most authe...