I Tightened It Up.

Folks!

I’m sitting in a hotel room in Kansan City dealing with a post-BBQ malaise. I went to Arthur Bryant's which I know will cause some of you to get upset because this is a city where loyalties are deep and lines are drawn around smoked meat and sauce. It was good. I liked going there. I feel good about it mentally. Physically, not so much but that is par for the course.

These shows in the Midwest have been amazing. I was really anxious about doing them because I hadn’t been doing the long shows for about six months, but they were great. I am writing this before my Kansas City show so let me rephrase that: Iowa City and Lincoln were great. I will let you know how KC goes on Thursday. 

Just as I expected I really opened it up during the first show out in Iowa City. I did almost two hours. I improvised a lot and it was amazing. It was a show that couldn’t be repeated AND I recorded it like a responsible comedian because I tried a lot of new shit and found some things while riffing. Now I just have to sit down with the recording, which may or may not happen. I tightened it up for Lincoln. I did about an hour and fifteen. I did a nice mix of newer stuff and some not so new stuff, not old, but not completely new and it was a great show. 

My old friend Ross, who I was avoiding, showed up at the show. It was great to see him. After the show I met him and his friends at a bar. It had been a long time since I was surrounded by very drunk people who were on their way to becoming very, very drunk people. Also, I don’t think I have ever had a loud, intense conversation with a drunken holocaust- and-global-warming-denying, anti-Israel, 9/11 conspiracist who is farmer before, but that is what my old friend has become. Fortunately, his emotional and mental instability is still charming and he’s pretty funny. I’m not sure it’s always on purpose but does that really matter. We go back, so on some level it was good to see him. He had invited me to the farm but I didn’t go. He wants me to come out for a couple of weeks but I am concerned for my mental well-being if I do so. Apparently he’s out there with his wife creating a solution to the worlds problem through agriculture and hopefully not some new take on the Final Solution, but I don’t really know. He has chickens, pigs and cures his own bacon and makes kimchi. That’s what I know, plenty of eggs and fragility out there on the farm. Oh, and he sold his goats.

Today I talk to Nikki Glaser, who I love. We had a pretty candid talk about eating disorders, which is something we share. It  helped me, maybe it will help you. On Thursday I talk to David Simon, the genius behind The Wire. It was an enlightening and relevant talk with a guy who came to show business through journalism and brings his values and moral righteousness to everything he does. Good guy, too. Great talk.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,

Maron

The Purge Continues.

Hey, People

So, this week I head to the Midwest. I’ve been talking about it. I’m a little nervous. I haven’t been out there doing the hour for a while but I’m sure we’ll make something happen together. It's going to be exciting. I believe Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska is sold out and Saturday in Iowa City is close. As far as I know there are plenty of tickets for my Kansas City, Missouri show on Sunday. So, that’s what’s happening. Looking forward to it all.

The purge continues. As some of you may have heard I solved the ‘what was that piece of furniture I threw out called’ puzzle. It didn’t start with a ‘C’, it was not a Credenza which many of you suggested. And thanks for all the help. It was a Buffet. That is what she used to call it. I think there are probably other names for it but that is what it was. I am so fucking happy it is out of my house. Now I can't stop getting rid of shit. I’m on a roll. I’m just throwing stuff away and giving stuff away at a pretty rapid clip. I did the Dining Room and Living Room--all the shelves and drawers. Clean. Went through all the bathroom drawers and just trashed all the expired creams and products that were mine or left there by a history of people who have lived at my house or given to me and never once used. Just threw out a bottle of BBQ sauce in my fridge that was dated 2013. It was just sitting there like a friend that never talked. I never used it. It was actually an ex-girlfriend’s. I really have to question why I keep stuff around.

I realized that I buy very few things. I’m not cheap. I just amass shit. I get stuff from people bringing it into my house. From people buying it for the house, like exes. Most of my clothes are left over wardrobe from my TV show. I get stuff from you folks, which I love, but as you can imagine my house was becoming museum of gifts and shit that was left here. I have a closet full of suits that I took from my gig as host of VH1’s ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks.’ Not only did no one see the show, nor was it picked up, but those are almost 20 years old, AND I don’t wear suits. But there they hang in my closet. They have to go. It’s weird. I am actually attached to them hanging in my closet and that show sucked. It was an awful experience. I have to really assess my shame artifacts and maybe on a deeper level why I need to sit in some kind of shame in general. Also, I can buy my own suit if I want. I should. I will buy a shameless suit. Soon.

Today show I was thrilled to have Richard Linklater stop by bearing a gift of Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak on vinyl. Class act that guy. It’s hard to find those things in good shape. The one I had was a bit beat up. We talk about his new film ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ Good fun movie. Also, I talk for a longer amount of time to Sam Rockwell. Great actor, great guy, fun talk. On Thursday the elusive and brilliant John Lurie comes out of his relative seclusion to hang out in the garage and talk art, music, the Lower East Side, drugs, film, painting. Good talk. Cool to hang out with him.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,
Maron

I Kept Things Around.

Comedy, People!

I’m back at it. It’s weird when I get back to my life because I don’t really know what that means. I have been consumed with the TV show. Now, I am back to being a comic and podcaster. Which means thinking, eating, mentally struggling to pull thoughts out of the ether and make them into something. I was exhausted after the shoot and I really wasn’t sure if I had it in me anymore to do another new hour of standup. I didn’t see the point. Then, after a bit of rest, I remembered I do it because it is what I do. It’s what I have always done. It is daunting but the life of a comic is sometimes a waiting game. Waiting to engage with an audience, your life and your mind. So, I was just afraid and anxious and didn’t have any idea what was inside me. Now that I am out of the show for a couple of weeks, things have settled. Scribbling on pads, napkins, Post-its and actual paper has commenced. The obstacle of not blurting urgently has been overcome. It is happening. New material. Thank you, aggravated muse. Thank you.

I’ve been getting rid of shit. Throwing some stuff out, donating things. I’ve been through this before but not to this degree. I really want it all out. All of the haunted vessels must go. I never really believed that I kept things around because they were attached to emotions in my life, but I do. If you have something that represents a time or person in your life, you are in a dialogue with them as long as it remains in your periphery. I didn’t fully realize that. I thought I was just lazy and didn’t feel like getting rid of shit that served a purpose.

There was this giant piece of furniture in my dining room. I don’t even know what you call it. It was a cabinet with four drawers in it and a couple of big drawers outside the cabinet. It was my ex-wife’s. We brought it from NYC. It was in her apartment when I met her. She was hung up on it. She left it here. It has just been in my dining room filled with my random shit for years. I wanted to move it to my office to hold random shit. So, I emptied it and brought it over there. The drawers actually smelled like her old apartment. When I got it into the office I realized how big it was, how much space it took up. Then I realized it was really the only thing that truly represented my ex that was still in my life and it was taking up a lot of emotional space as well. I was ready to let it go. I put it on the street and within minutes someone was loading it into a car. It means nothing to them other than a thing they found. Now it is gone. It will not take from me or hold part of me in hurt. Haunted vessel.

Today I talk to Ethan Hawke. We cover a lot at a pretty good clip. Good stuff about acting and creativity. It’s probably the best actor interview I have done in terms of the actual process. On Thursday I talk to former child actor Quinn Cummings about being nominated for an Oscar for her role in ‘The Goodbye Girl’ when she was a kid and about all her books. She’s a writer now. I like her.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,
Maron

New Information Has Been Revealed.

Good day, People.

Quick reminder for people of certain parts of the Midwest: I will be at The Mission Creek Festival at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City, IA on April 8th, The Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, NE on April 9th and at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland in Kansas City, MO on April 10th. Come if the spirit moves you or if you just want to see me.

Buzz update. As some of you know I am obsessed with a minor problem that is getting larger. There is now a multinational corporation involved and it may turn into a real David and Goliath story with me being David. There isn’t that much at stake, just my ability to comfortably listen to records, but there is a fight for some justice possible. We’ll see.

New information has been revealed. I did some troubleshooting. I brought my receiver down the hall to this guy Brian’s office and plugged it in. No noise. We brought his amp down to my office, plugged it in, noise. Yes! It must be the wiring in my office, right? Nope. Tried plugging it into all the outlets, some on different lines, noise. Then I hooked up to extension cord, plugged it in down the hall, put headphones on and listened while I walked around. As soon as I stepped out of the office, there was no noise. Is my office cursed? A holistic healer did occupy it before me. Then the electrician who came by to help gave me some new info. I knew there was an AT&T antenna on top of the building. I just assumed that it was for the building’s wi-fi. I also knew there’s a closet-sized room in the hallway that can only be opened with a security card and says ‘Keep Out’ on it. Never quite put it all together. It’s an old building. It was always kind of mysterious. Then I found out that AT&T leases space inside the building and on top of the building for A FUCKING CELL TOWER and all of the equipment that runs the tower on the corner of the building is housed in a fake brick structure directly above my office! I am being pummeled and drowned in GSM-style RFs. They are worst kind for trying to enjoy your stereo equipment. So, It’s going to be me and AT&T trying to find an understanding that will enable me to work in my office the way I want---listening to records AND using AT&T Wi-Fi. Fortunately, the landlady doesn’t really want the antenna up there anymore. It was there before she took over the building. I was informed by one of you that I could file a complaint with the FCC because the big corps aren’t really allowed to interfere with the little guy's life. Again, not a toxic situation but I’d like to get it resolved.

I talk to Todd Rundgren for a long time today because I wanted him to tell me why he is amazing and he was willing. On Thursday I will talk to Al Lubel about his strange, sad journey through life and comedy. Good times!

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,

Maron

I Am Fueled.

Hey, Humans.

I should plug my dates. My three dates before I go into some kind of creative panic spiral to generate the new stuff, if I can find it within me. I will be in Iowa City for the Mission Creek Festival at the Englert Theater on April 8th, at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska on April 9th, and on at the Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland in Kansas City, Mo. on April 10th. I will be starting a Tuesday night residency at the Trepany House at the Steve Allen Theater here in LA beginning in May going through April.

I hope to take a little respite between ending the shooting of ‘Maron’ and immersing myself in the standup but we’ll see. I feel like I should. I’d like to take six months off but I don’t know how to do that. I’m a little fragmented. My brain is a bit fried. I’m concerned that I won’t be able to create or come up with anything new. I feel like I’ve done all that I can and I’m tapped. I feel like this whenever time opens up in front of me. It’s the dread of not being able to fill it with summoning the new thoughts. I am fueled by the panic of creativity.

I think I am experiencing pre-emptive postpartum depression for the end of the shoot. When you shoot a show you get very close with the crew and the collective collaboration of making a show. It is your whole life for months. Then, it just stops. This is the final week. We wrap Wednesday and then it’s back to the life of the mind, facing the responsibilities of the day-to-day, getting organized, figuring out what is next and working on the edits. It’s looking good.

My cat shit in my pants today. They were on the floor. I have never seen a more direct demand for me to change the litter.

On Monday I talk to the charismatic and intense Michael Rapaport. Good times. On Thursday I finally do an hour with my friend Ryan Singer. We talk about it all.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,

Maron

I Had to Go.

Greetings, People

Firstly, thanks for checking out my special ‘More Later’ on Hulu and Amazon. Glad you liked it. I’m glad it’s now out there a bit more and available.

Well, I guess I’ll just tell you what’s up. Last week I worked with Ron Perlman and MC Gainey on ‘Maron.’ We shot the last two episodes of the season. I wrote the finale. I don’t think anyone can foresee what is going to happen and I don’t think there is any way I am spoiling anything. This season is so off the grid from the last three that I feel I can give you these little tidbits. Speculate away! It is so amazing to work with actors. They both had a great time and did a great job. I don’t think MC Gainey has ever played a part that wasn’t menacing or evil. He was happy to do it and dug the material and the character. He related! They both did. Made me proud. Perlman is a character. I will try to get them both on the podcast.

So, the other night I was invited to someone’s house for a party. I don’t usually go to parties but this was a friend and business associate and… Jeff Tweedy was supposed to play an acoustic set in the living room after dinner. What? This seemed like a pretty highfalutin party to me, almost awkward in my mind. A guy just pays to have one of the best songwriters and musical artists of his generation play in his house. I had to go. Turns out I was wrong about the whole thing and it was an amazing evening.

The host was Jeff Ulrich, who is the mastermind behind Earwolf, Midroll and Howl. He is an unsung hero in the evolution of podcasting. He sold his company a while back and is now transitioning into the great unknown and moving away from LA. He has been a great friend of our show and podcasting in general. He created a platform so many of us could use to monetize our shows with advertising along with a network of great podcasts and the new Howl app. Jeff is from Chicago and he bid at a charity event for an evening with Jeff Tweedy and got it. All the money he paid went to charity and we all got to hang out and watch Tweedy do a 30 song, two-hour-plus set spanning his entire career. It was amazing to hear all those songs acoustic and just see what a pro he is. He’s also hilarious and self-effacing and it was some of the best between tune banter I’ve seen from any musician. Amazing night. And because Jeff Ulrich reads these I want to thank him and wish him nothing but the best.

Today I talk to comedian Bonnie McFarlane about her career, her rural childhood and her marriage to Rich Vos. Yes, she married Rich Vos. On Thursday I talk to Dweezil Zappa about his music and his relationship to his father’s music. Great week.

Boomer lives!

Love,

Maron

I Think People Were Excited.

Shalom, Friends-

Too Jewy?

I’m watching the Oscars as I write this. Not great so far. I know they aren’t generally ‘great’ but I like the spectacle of show biz and I like to see people win statues but man, it is slow and we’re only a half-hour in. I think we all know too much about show business now. I think that there is little mystique to the whole undertaking anymore. Too much speculation from too many different sectors and the magic of the movies seems a bit diminished. It is still great to see the raw emotion of talented people being overwhelmed with gratitude and winning and also showing grace in losing. That second one requires some real acting chops.

I was at the Comedy Store on Saturday night. I had a 10:30 spot in the Original Room. I knew Louie was doing two shows in the Main Room. I hadn’t talked to him since he’d been in town so I figured I’d drop in to the backstage dressing room while he was between shows. So, Sarah and I went backstage and it was just Louie, lying down. We talked for a bit, chit chat. He told me Chris Rock was supposed to come do a spot before him to run his Oscar monologue, which he had been doing all week at the Comedy Store. We left and a few minutes later the manager told me Louie wanted to talk to me. So, we went backstage again and Pam Adlon was there now. He said Chris wasn’t going to make it and would I go up and do 20 before him. I generally don’t open for people but this was Louie, my pal, this was my home club, the place was packed, so of course, I said sure. Then, Chris showed up. I didn’t care whether I went on or not and Chris had work to do so I was ready to bow out and Louie told us to both go one and do ten. It was a great show. Louie was doing his new hour, Chris was working his Oscar stuff and I was just doing a set in my favorite club with old friends. What’s the point you asking? Well, it was interesting to see those guys working out new shit. And Chris was really working that Oscar stuff and it killed at the club. I think people were excited about being part of the process.

So, I just watched it on the Oscars. It’s amazing what a big, weird and muted room that audience is and how pomp and circumstance can suck the life out of any real point. There was a lot of expectations on him in terms of how was he going to address racism--so much speculation. It’s just a ten minute TV set with a specific topic. All this lip and press service paid to an event and what might happen just sucks the life out of everything. On top that, the Oscars themselves suck the life out of some of the most talented people working. It's a very tough gig. Chris did fine.

I’m going to finish watching the Oscars now and hope it doesn’t suck the energy out of me.

Great shows this week. On Monday I talk to Scott Ian from Anthrax. Great guy, great talk. On Thursday I talk comedy with Iliza Schlesinger. Good times.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,
Maron

I’m Not Saying That Won’t Help.

People!

Exciting day today.

About halfway through shooting the new season of ‘Maron.’ It’s been a blast. Last week I worked with Sally Struthers and she was a hoot. And I’ve never used the word ‘hoot’ in my life but she was one. She has the exact comedic intensity that she brought to ‘Five Easy Pieces’ and ‘The Getaway’ and ‘All in the Family,' obviously. So funny. She’s such a pro. It was a real thrill to work with her and the scenes and episode we did together is pretty fucking dark and weird… but funny! This whole season is a departure into some pretty great territory, comedy- and emotions-wise.

I think a lot about myself. Too much, I imagine. I wonder about who I really am and what that really means. We all play roles. We are caricatures of ourselves. We have different roles at work, in our relationship, around certain people, around strangers, when we walk down the street. Again, I know I am self-conscious/aware. But it is odd after talking to so many people, most of whom have public personas, how many are much more interesting and obviously more deep than we assume. I have no idea what to do with who I ‘really’ am or what that even means. I know pretty well what makes me uncomfortable and whether or not that is fear or just coming from not liking something. But in terms of what really makes me tick there are things that I just don’t share. I know that is surprising but I think we all have that stuff.

The reason we don’t share it other than fear of being judged may be just because we want to keep it to ourselves. Even if it’s not healthy. I have friends and family who insist that they will become better people if they just process all the little desire cancers and fears and emotional injuries they can find within. I’m not saying that won’t help. It will. Ultimately, you have to live with some of that stuff. Give it air when you are comfortable with yourself or with someone else and it will breathe and be relieved. I know I’m being vague but it just seems to me that there are some things that will go unresolved and fester for as long as you live, like creepy secrets and things you know you can't do because you can't handle it. I think that’s just life. If you spend your life trying to ‘fix’ yourself, what kind of life it that? Shit is hard. Being in your skin can be horrible. It will pass if you let it or it may be just who you are. Love it.

All that being said, Sacha Baron Cohen rarely talks as himself, out of character. I had no idea what he would be like. He decided to talk to me and it was a great conversation. You can hear that today. On Thursday I have a long conversation with seminal 70s director, William Friedkin. It was amazing. Great week.

Enjoy!

Boomer Lives!

Love,
Maron

It Always Seems Loaded Somehow.

How’s it going, People?

I hope you all did what you had to do on Valentine's Day. I was very fortunate. My girlfriend spaced it and made other plans. So, no pressure. I’m blessed. I did get up and make some waffles for us. The niceness of the act was undermined a bit by me losing my shit a little when the first waffle stuck to the iron and had to be scraped out. I know this is the way it goes with waffles and pancakes but I guess I wanted to get mad. I didn’t go crazy. I locked in and made a nice stack of cornmeal waffles. I felt a little shitty for eating them but I moved through that. We sat out back at the picnic table she got for me and ate waffles and looked at birds. It was nice.

Now, if I could just be okay with being loved I’ll be all set. I’m getting there. I know it may sound weird but not so much. Something so perfect and simple as being loved should be a beautiful thing. To me, it’s a little threatening. It always seems loaded somehow. A bartering chip, a negotiation, exhausting. I know the line I need to cross to let go and take it. I see it. I feel it. Crossing it feels like the most horrifying leap I can imagine. Maybe I will do it before I die. Maybe I’ll do it as I die. I don’t know. I know I feel pretty good about who I am these days. I accept the flaws and discomfort of being me. I feel that if I work from that place, gradual change is possible. If I plant the seed in my head that I want to ease into acceptance around almost anything it will happen without me even knowing it. The harder I work at those things the more they get polluted with effort and panic. If I just lean into it a bit and hope for the best I’ll get at least halfway there. Halfway there is pretty good. I’ll take a break there and decide whether the rest of the trip is necessary. In other words, I’m kind of a pain in the ass to be with.

Today I talk to the ladies from ‘Broad City.’ Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson talk a bit about how they got where they are, NYC and the new season of the show. Record mogul and musician Herb Alpert talks to me on Thursday. Great week.
Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,

Maron

It Also Speaks Volumes.

Football, Folks!

Kidding.

In all honesty, I hope you had a fun day with the football thing if that is what you do. I did not do it. Not because I have an issue with it. I do. But that’s not what I’m talking about now. I just don’t care. Not in a hostile or judgmental way. I just don’t ever think about it. I don’t think about the commercials, the parties, any of it. It's really not even in my head. I’m writing this on Sunday night and I actually don’t know who is playing in the game. I’m serious. I’m not proud of that. It is a testament to how detached I am from most things. I haven’t watched a debate on either side. I don’t know what’s happening to me. It’s not that I’m apathetic. I’ve just been doing and thinking about other things. I don’t feel that bad about it. I assume I will lock in when it is necessary. It just doesn’t feel that way to me yet.

It also speaks volumes about my social life. I don’t have much of one. I don’t hang out much. I go to the Comedy Store if I want to check in with my friends, comics, comrades.
I don’t know if I am drifting away mentally or just feeling okay.

Sometime I take what some people say to heart about being happy. What happens if I feel better and find some happiness? I really don’t know. How do I adjust my creativity? Will anyone give a shit? Will I? Will I just stop? I don’t know. I know that will definitely slow down after shooting this season. I will try to figure out what I want to do next with the comedy. I will try to figure out what is actually important to me and what is just a habit.

This cold has been a bitch to kick. I still don’t feel great. It seems to be deciding what to do next in my body. It think the viruses now are so well adapted that they are actually regrouping and trying different approaches within one run. I can feel it trying to figure out whether or not it wants to fuck with my chest or just stay in my head a while longer. I’m trying to negotiate with it. We’ll see what happens. At what point is a cold no longer a cold and just a way of life? Is that what we are moving towards? A comfortable symbiosis with the viral world? Not a cure, a partnership.

On Saturday I wasn’t feeling great but I took three sets at The Comedy Store. I was just going to go in and out and get home and get some rest. I ended up hanging out backstage for a bit. I just love that all of us can usually just hang out and have some laughs, no matter where we are at or what we are doing in our career lives. I spent some time talking to Judd Apatow who was out doing sets. Then in the Main Room backstage it was me, Brian Scolaro, Tom Rhodes, Anthony Jeselnik, Sebastian Maniscalco, Morgan Murphy and Joe Rogan. Just talking shit, catching up, having some laughs. I love that part of comedy, being around funny, weirdos who live the life.

Today’s show is definitely and old school standup comic WTF talk. Me and Pete Correale just hang out and have some laughs. Great guy. Funny guy. On Thursday I have a talk with a guy I didn’t really know but I really got a kick out of. Ben Hoffman talks about his career in comedy and his new country music project. Funny guy in a very unique way.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,
Maron

People Will Understand.

Hello, People -

Today is the last day you can get my book ‘Attempting Normal’ for $1.99 wherever e-books are sold. I had nothing to do with this promotion. It was all my publisher’s idea and apparently my book is #15 on the NYT bestseller list for e-books, which is exciting.

We just got done filming week two of the 4th season of ‘Maron’ and I’m still having fun. I got sick, which I’m not happy about, but I’m not furious because that just makes it worse. The amount of time I’ve spend in my life putting all of my energy into not getting sick when I felt like I was getting sick is astounding. The amount of juice, vitamin C, greens, soup, oregano oil, Oscillococcinum, blackberry stuff, vitamin D, zinc, neti potting and gallons and gallons of water. It’s like a job. I still do some of that stuff but once it locks in, it locks in and you have to ride it out. Then you just have to sleep. My big fear going into the next week is that if my voice is a little off it will sound like I’ve gotten a cold within hours between scenes because we shoot out of sequence. We’ll see. It should be fine. People will understand. Maybe I’ll write an allergies line.

This week will be good because Bob Goldthwait is at the director’s helm and it’s always fun to work with Bob. One of the reasons is Bob has an awesome collection of hats and scarves and you really don’t know what you are going to get. Last week he wore a skirt. That’s just one of the many ways Bob expresses himself.

I would like to put in a good word for my pal Louis. He’s released something on his site that is quite astounding. It is hard to explain. It might be a play. He self-produced it in complete silence and just released it telling only his email list. It’s called Horace and Pete and its definitely something unlike anything he’s done and pretty unique on all levels. Check it out. He told me about it a couple of weeks ago and I was sworn to secrecy. Now, I can talk. You can get it through his site Louisck.net.

My guest on Monday is author, filmmaker and comedian Mike Binder. I don’t think he really likes being considered a comedian anymore but he was. He was one of the original Comedy Store guys when he was basically a kid. He was also one of the first guys I remember really laughing at when I was a kid. I remember his jokes from the mid-seventies. Loved him. We talk about all that he has done with a few Comedy Store stories thrown in. On Thursday I talk to Cindy Crawford because I could. I just wanted to pick her brain for a bit.


Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,

Maron

New Territory For Me.

Okay, People

First, the e-book of my memoir ‘Attempting Normal’ is on sale for a limited time, for $1.99, everywhere e-books are sold. So, there’s that.

I am having an amazing time shooting the new season of ‘Maron’ and I’m not an amazing time kind of guy. I think the reason is that I have a few seasons under my belt and that I chose to go a completely different direction with the show. I really didn’t want to continue doing the show but I decided to challenge the character at the end of last season and now he is new territory. New territory for the viewer and new territory for me. The character of me is established enough and I feel confident enough with the depth of how we write him that we can now go a new direction that is not directly based on my life. So, with every episode me and the character of me are in new territory and it’s exciting. Lynn Shelton is directing the first two. I met her on my podcast. I love her work and she’s an amazing director and that makes it fun as well. Bobcat Goldthwait is in again for three episodes starting this week and he’s great too. So, new world, new stories, nothing is the same, great directors = Marc having fun so far.

On a more intense note, I have been a bit dragged into the nasty cluster fuck of accusations and attacks on Amy Schumer. It’s a horrendous display of humanity but can you even call it that when so much of it is from a nameless, faceless horde of hateful man-children? A segment of one of our shows, Episode 649 with Aaron Draplin, was played by Opie and Jim on their Sirius show to illustrate that I didn’t think Amy was a joke thief, which I don’t. But they used a YouTube version of the clip that was was re-edited and manipulated to make it sound like I *do* think Amy is a joke thief. My actual words were edited and moved around in order to serve the agenda of attacking Amy. If you listen to the actual version, the monologue is about me panicking that we had a similar joke on our specials. We do. Neither one of us stole it from the other. It happens. This isn’t the point. The point someone used me and manipulated what I said to attack her. Heinous.

The malignant momentum against Schumer has nothing to do with joke stealing or justice and everything to do with hate and attempted annihilation being carried out by frightened, angry, faceless cowards. They are using her vulnerability and her personality as a portal in an attempted verbal and online gang rape of her career. She is being attacked by an army of unfuckable hate nerds who want to destroy her pride, humanity, career and sense of self. It is so clear if you look where this is coming from who these men are. They are ever-present in the history of this country and this is how they hurt people now. They are afraid of change and feel that their way of life is slipping away from them. Look, I’m a guy. I have my sexist moments, but misogyny requires commitment and these guys are committed to it. And that is what this is about. No doubt. I’ll talk about this a bit on today's show.

Also today, Michael Moore actually gets pretty candid with me. We talk about his new film ‘Where to Invade Next’ which is really a new direction for him. It is provocative and disturbing without being heavy-handed. On Thursday I talk to music writer Peter Guralnick about rock and roll and his new book, ‘Sam Phillips: The Man who Invented Rock and Roll.’ Good talks.


Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,

Maron

The Dust.

All cleaned up, people.

I start shooting season 4 of Maron for IFC today. I have a 6:00 A.M. call time. I’ve been trying to clear my head and get grounded for the two and a half month haul that is shooting thirteen episodes of this show. That is a break neck pace FYI. It will be intense. It will be all I’m doing, that and two podcasts a week. Yup, as those of you who have been with us for a while know, we keep delivering the goods.

So, needless to say, I’ve been stressed. Not as much as I used to be before starting the show. The beautiful thing about this season is it’s a completely different show. For those of you who watched season 3 know that I am not in great shape. I’ve let some shit go. That means I don’t have to worry about a lot of mundane shit this year like my hair, my clothes, beard… freedom from vanity and preening. It’s also going to be exciting to be untethered from what the old show was and moving into an entirely fictional (kinda) world of possibilities. It will be new to all of us. I’m excited about shooting. I’m pretty amped up. I’ve had to try to ground myself and relax. I don’t really know how to do that. What do I use— deep breaths? No. Nicotine lozenges, coffee, food, a little working out, masturbation…. yes, all those. But this time I locked into some compulsive cleaning. It is true people. I deep cleaned the garage.

Between us, the garage was getting kind of gross. I vacuum occasionally, a bit. I pile stuff. I move stuff but the dust… oh my God, the dust. It had started layering and getting grimey. What used to be a cool space with all kinds of cool stuff was starting to look like a neglected roadside museum of some kind. Look a bit closer and everything is covered with grime. If dust is human skin my garage was covered with several layers of the skin cells of about 675 famous to kind of famous people, including a president. If lightning were to strike it into some primordial inceptive start of new life form it would be a monster with multiple neurotic personalities, an amazing imagination, great sense of humor and the ability to lead worlds. Probably shouldn’t have vacuumed and dusted. Had to though. It was nasty. Took me 3 days of many hours at a stretch. I got everything out, went through it, garbaged some stuff, cleaned some other stuff, put it all back in. Now, it is as pristine as a lot of old stuff can be. Oh, and the spider webs were everywhere. I don’t know how I don’t notice them. I rarely see spiders but they definitely vacation in my garage. I was starting to think word had gotten out that my garage was actually creepy. Well, IT ISNT NOW. It’s nice.

My guest today appreciates creepy. Today I have a nice long talk with Crispin Glover and I think we got some stuff nailed down. On Thursday the brilliant Cintra Wilson hangs out and we talk about her and her new-ish book. Love her. Also on Thursday a little chat with Zach Galifianakis.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,

Maron

Someone Make That Happen

Aw, shit, People-

Golden Globes! Yep. I’m watching them right now. I love them. I know it’s shallow. I know it doesn’t mean anything in the big picture… but it does. I love show business. No matter how cynical I may seem or how bitter I come off or how jealous I feel. I love show business. I know I go through this every time an award show is on. I have to cop to it. I love what I do, what I have done. I’ve achieved almost everything I set out to do in my life but for some dumb reason I want to wear a tux and be validated by show business. I can accept that it probably won’t happen and, again, I am really okay with that. Seriously. It’s just that there is a little longing, a little heartache to it for some reason. I know it’s an ego thing or a validation thing or just a… no, those are the two.

I know I have talked to many people I see sitting at the tables I see on TV right now. I know I am on a first name basis with some of them. I know that my podcast is respected and listened to by many of them and that is what I am known for. But I‘m a comic, a creator. I have a TV show. I want to be at the thing and be nominated for a thing but maybe my things just don’t cut it. Who knows? I know I do one thing real well. So, I’ll settle for a Peabody. Someone make that happen.

I’m thankful I can appreciate and feel good enough about myself and what I do to not be angry at show business anymore. It’s okay to live with a little heartache. It’s easier when you’ve found your thing and it works and no one can tell you how or what to do. So, I’m good.

Genius is an elusive thing. It is a word we all toss around but there are few real geniuses. Charlie Kaufman is one of them. A true creative genius with a fluidity of imagination that is really unrivaled. He is on the show today along with Duke Johnson, the co-director of Charlie's new film, Anomalisa. It is a rare, dark movie. I’ve never seen anything like. I was thrilled that he decided to come on the show. I’m glad Duke was there too. It was a great talk.

On Thursday I talk to Garrett Morris. He’s the first original Not Ready For Prime Time Player I’ve had in the garage (I had Lorraine Newman on a live one). It is a doozy of a talk. Loved it.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,
Maron

Honor It.

We’re in it, People!

2016.

It feels like just another day in some ways, obviously, but I do feel a shift in my thinking. I guess that has something to do with the transition into a new year. It may have something to do with resolutions. I don’t really make resolutions but I think my brain naturally reflects on the marking of another year and makes a half-assed attempt at convincing me that we should do some things differently.

The main things I am up against when this inner discussion happens are habits. Mental habits, physical habits, the patterns and loops we live our lives in mentally.
Changing behavior is aggravating because most of the time it isn’t satisfying. I think I do things because I want to feel a certain way and sometimes I act impulsively. Stifling that impulse is doable but holding the stifling is torturous sometimes. The impulse festers and takes on a life of it’s own. The only way you can get through this, I believe, is just let the impulse scream and yell and cry. It’s doing that because it’s dying. If you don’t feed it, it will die. Unfortunately, they regenerate rather quickly, so you may have to deal with the death screams of impulses a lot. You get used to them and you can try negotiating with them like you would a child. Sometimes that placates them. I find that as I get older these impulses get older, too. They are onto themselves and most of the time a bit halfhearted and embarrassed. That’s a gift.

Sorry if this vague or abstract. Some of you know what I am talking about. It’s a broad-based idea for those who struggle with self-awareness.

Yes, there are some things that are pretty hardwired and not really open to change, or changeable at all. Again, though, age dulls some of that and also humbles it because it is humiliating and exhausting and embarrassing to honor it.

I guess what I am saying is this year I’m going to try to live a little more comfortably with myself in terms of being okay with who I am. Fuck. I wish that wasn’t such a struggle. It is what it is. 2016.

I have a nice talk with David Spade today. We didn’t really know each other and I wasn’t optimistic about us getting along but it was great. On Thursday I talk to the genius that is Todd Haynes. I’m a big fan of his films so this was an exciting talk for me. I hope it is for you as well.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,
Maron

The Years Fly By

Here it comes, People-

Another year. If you make it through, you get to start another. So, congrats to us all for getting here. It’s not always easy.

I spent some time in New Mexico over the holidays. I was fantasizing about perhaps moving off the grid into the hills somewhere outside of Santa Fe. The difference between fantasizing and actually doing can be immense. I was in Santa Fe for four days and as beautiful as it is, I would really need to make some personal changes to live there, even part time. Like, I would need a new brain entirely. I’m already lost in my head a good part of the time. If I went somewhere with few-to-zero distractions I would fall down into myself and maybe never get out. Or I would wander around the town just stopping in places with the desperate need to talk—to anyone. I’d like to think that I would write a book or come up with some new creative direction and do something amazing but I should know by now that inspiration seizes me in crisis, never in peace. Maybe that will change but I don’t think I can force it by running away.

I took a tour of some of the places that defined my childhood but I've rarely returned to them. I went by the first house my family lived in when we moved to NM in ’72. I lived in the basement with my brother. It had its own bathroom and shag carpeting. I went by my elementary schools, the synagogue I was bar mitzvahed in, the place I worked in high school, my high school, the house I actually grew up in and The Frontier Restaurant on Central Ave, where I learned to think.

I had some odd realization based on some of the memories that would flash by me when I was around these places. I think there is a lot to be learned from what memories surface and what memories you hang on to. How many memories are hard and painful verses the ones that are fun and feel-good. I like the feel-good kind but I tend towards the painful ones. Though a lot of who I am came out of mistakes and missteps and feeling embarrassed and awkward. Some of the trauma leads to me being who I am and I am honestly not sure I could identify a good time during my adolescence. There were some parties and near death calls in cars and some small victories. Great times don’t have the bittersweet resonance of heartache until they get so far away that even remembering them is a little painful. This is what happens when the years fly by. It gets a bit more challenging to feel alive like you did when you were young and stupid. Thankfully, new experiences can be deeper because of those years, that slow emergence out of who you were as kid. The crawl through the sludge of experience to maturity where you walk with a little more difficulty but each step carries the weight of everything that you are. Happy New Year!

Today I have a deep talk about love and relationships from someone who earned his wisdom the hard way, Neil Strauss. Heavy stuff. On Thursday, New Years Eve, I have a lighter, shorter chat with the hilarious Bill Buur and then we are going to run highlights of some big happenings from 2015. We can do that. We have them.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,
Maron

I Understand the Joy of Giving.

Merry Happy, Folks-

Go with what you go with but try to not ruin everything.

I feel like an asshole. I don’t get cards or gifts, really, for anyone. I feel like a bad adult. I get cards from people. Some people I don’t even know. Or at least I don’t think I know them. Maybe their kids have grown up to the point where I don’t recognize them anymore. Or there’s been a spousal shift or change or it arrived in the wrong box and I opened it by accident.

I do know that I am much too anxious to deal with getting presents and I guess that’s just the way I am. I don’t come from a big gift giving family but that’s really no excuse. I just don’t think to do it. I’ll do the important ones—like the woman in my life but it just drops off after that. I guess that’s why I don’t get many. Makes sense. I understand the joy of giving but sometimes I give the wrong thing and obsess about that. That’s stinks. I hate having to live through someone pretending that the gift I got was a good one. See, I make it about me. None of it matters unless you get an amazing gift. Like Sarah gave me a Filson leather duffle bag. It’s amazing. It will last me the rest of my life. Thoughtful gift. I bought her a wool hat and fingerless gloves (and a trip). They seem inferior but I really liked them. We’ll see what happens in terms of her wearing them. Doesn’t matter (kinda does).

Amazing things happened in Chicago, people! Despite what anyone may think, I am a pretty insecure guy in some ways. Surprise. The project I was working on is an episode of a new Joe Swanberg series and it is entirely improvised. I was nervous. Because when you do long-form scene improv that is not gunning for funny, you are improvising and experiencing emotions relative to the scenes and they are driven by real feelings happening in the moment with no script. It was like living in the scenes and spontaneously creating a personal history for myself that is informed by my real life but filtered through the background that is put in place for the character. No script at all, just direction. Swanberg is a master of this form because it is what he does and he is amazing at it. It was a real exciting thing to be involved with and I learned things about myself and did something I had never done before. What more can you ask for from creativity? AND i got to work with Jane Adams. Genius. Love her.

Today me and Horatio Sanz have an amazing and, at times, slightly out of synch talk about A LOT of stuff. Love that guy. It was great finally getting to talk to him. On Thursday I have a pretty mindblowing talk with Bob Forrest about his time on Celebrity Rehab, his time as frontman of Thelonius Monster, sobriety and drugs and his amazing new record ‘Survival Songs.’ He sings too. Great stuff. Happy holidays.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,
Maron

Get To Know Howl - Register Here

Hey, if you're a WTF premium subscriber and you're still confused about the new Howl app, we've got something for you.

The Howl team is organizing a webinar tomorrow - that's Tuesday, December 15 - to help you with any questions you might have.

Questions like, What the hell is Howl? And, How do I transfer my account? And, How do I make sure I keep my plan and price?

Click here to register for the free webinar now.