Pod People

Standup comedian Marc Maron said a few years ago that he once planned to kill himself in his garage — and now, in that same garage, he’s doing the greatest work of his life, in the form of his WTF podcast, which primarily features interviews with other comedians. Maron’s self-loathing...

By Josiah Hesse

August 22, 2013

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Standup comedian Marc Maron said a few years ago that he once planned to kill himself in his garage — and now, in that same garage, he’s doing the greatest work of his life, in the form of his WTF podcast, which primarily features interviews with other comedians. Maron’s self-loathing vulnerability caught on not only with listeners — making his one of the most popular podcasts on the Internet — but with guests, as well, who are known to reveal intimate sides of their personalities usually kept under wraps in other media interviews.

Despite HBO specials and his own show on Air America, Maron’s was a name that never gained traction in the industry before WTF. “After a certain point, if it’s not really taking hold, if it’s not resonating with anyone, eventually you get really beaten up and think you’re on the wrong track,” Maron says. “I couldn’t sell tickets and thought, ‘Maybe I’m just not good enough.’”

In 2009, though, Maron discovered his golden ticket: confessional humor delivered in a podcast. “The whole podcast thing was just born out of desperation,” he confesses. “I was at the end of the line, and I didn’t have any expectations. To finally break through with the public, it had a profound effect on me.”

And the public will be lining up to see Maron in person for four shows today and tomorrow at Comedy Works, 1226 15th Street. Tickets are $27; for more information, visit comedyworks.com.
Fri., Aug. 23, 8 & 10 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 24, 7:30 & 9:45 p.m., 2013

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