Logan January 12, 2012 at 5:36 am

Been a fan of Steven Wright for years! Great episode Marc!

Annie January 12, 2012 at 10:44 am

That was a great interview Marc! I’ve always enjoyed Steven Wright’s comedy, and now respect and like him even more as a person. I really enjoyed your conversation, and also thought it was so nice how he turned the interview at the end to you; so we learned a bit more about your beginnings too.Thanks for making my day more enjoyable, your podcast rocks;)

jimjim January 12, 2012 at 11:48 am

so happy to hear this one.  thanks Marc, and thanks Steven.  great conversation

Reuben January 12, 2012 at 12:36 pm

I never heard Steven Wright crack up like that. Amazing interview.

chris January 12, 2012 at 2:24 pm

that was great. Steven was so lo key it almost seemed to unnerve you slightly. In a good way, of course.  The laughs about life lived in the early 20’s were great.

John January 12, 2012 at 2:26 pm

Logan, Annie, jimjim and Reuben pretty much said it. I second what they said.

Winston Rowntree January 12, 2012 at 3:25 pm

Yeah, steven wright, people ARE gonna object to you making fun of transgendered people actually. Y’know, as it’s not 1953 anymore or whatever year it is your’e living in. Oh, you’re so irreverent and daring! Oh, it’s only those humorless, politically correct people who are gonna object to you and your OMG AMAZING JOKES. OH MY GOD HE USED TO BE A DOCTOR BUT HE GOT A SEX CHANGE SO DOES THAT MEAN HE’S A NURSE NOW?! AM I RIGHT, PEOPLE!! HUR HUR HUR!!! AND WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH OVALITINE?! THE JAR IS ROUND THEY SHOULD CALL IT ROUNDTINE!! guess that kind of cutting wit directed at easy targets is why you’re a professional comedian, right?

Look, don’t get me wrong, i am not brimming with righteous anger here, and i think you’re absolutely free to laugh at whatever you want, and if you’d rather be afraid of transgender people than be friends with them then that’s fully your choice. Censorship is for assholes, plain and simple, so i’m not, like, screaming for you to be blacklisted here or whathaveyou. I just wanna convey the notion that there are in fact people out there who DON’T think it’s a zany and hilarious idea to go on and on about how wacky people are when they’re different from you. I dunno, you just sound like a clueless dinosaur, that’s all. Which is really too bad, i mean i’m sure you’re a decent guy otherwise, so you’re just doing yourself a disservice, really. Fuck, man, just get with the times! We’re all pretty happy here in Accepting Others Land, i assure you.

PS: No hate towards you, Mr. Maron, by the way. You seem to be living in the 21st century, unlike some of your guests.

Land January 12, 2012 at 4:32 pm

Wait, who is this “Kenny” that Steven says is one of his top 5 comedians near the end of the interview? Also, great interview.

Matt January 12, 2012 at 4:49 pm

Anyone know the song at the beginning of Steven’s interview?

Dan January 12, 2012 at 5:29 pm

Love the show, and both you and Mr. Wright are hilarious. Also, the way you were talking about transgender people is fucking terrible. Just try to imagine saying those things about any other group. Let’s take the references to transgender people out of the following quote from the podcast and replace them with references to Jewish people. “The weird thing when you deal with something like that, where you look at someone who’s become a Jew, born a Jew or whatever, you know, I’m cool with it, but I don’t think it should be inappropriate to maybe laugh a little to yourself.”
Not cool, Marc.

Dave C. January 12, 2012 at 6:24 pm

Fantastic interview. Loved hearing about Wrights’s early feelings towards being a comedian, could relate a lot. Marc’s opening comments were great as well. “Don’t tell me I don’t love you because you don’t love yourself”; I can see my own girlfriend saying that to me. Also, been wanting to know Marc’s thoughts on Chelsea Handler for a long time, hope to see her on the podcast soon.

Ben January 12, 2012 at 8:14 pm

I bet the people complaining about the transgender jokes aren’t transgendered. I laugh harder at jokes about crippled people because I’m crippled. There is a difference between making a joke about something and making a hurtful joke about something.

No, not really January 12, 2012 at 9:06 pm

Brilliant, flawless logic, Ben.

Sven January 13, 2012 at 12:12 am

Dan, they talked about how there is nothing wrong with it, but it is strange to deal with when you’ve been hard wired to think a certain way. I had a friend become a woman, and I still cannot help but think of her as a he, and her orginal male name. As for the dance they talked about, seeing an older woman with clearly defined masculine features among younger girls with clearly defined feminine features would seem off-kilter.

Joe Tily January 13, 2012 at 3:49 am

K-Billy’s super sounds of the seventies weekend just keeps on coming with this little ditty . . . .
I love Steven Wright and I loved this interview. I will now picture him zooming about on his road bike through the wonder of nature! - also, it seems Marc has an inexhaustible encyclopedic knowledge of American comics and comedy venues . . . over the 2 years WTF has been going it has amazed me how many places he’s been and how many comedians he has met . . .

Jordan January 13, 2012 at 4:02 am

Dan and Winston (really Winston?),

Lighten up. Laugh more.

Great show, Marc. So cool to hear Steven Wright like this. Can’t get enough of this show!

Insideout Penis January 13, 2012 at 10:40 am

Awesome interview as usual Marc. I saw Steven Wright in Victoria BC about 10 years ago and it was one of the funniest live comedy experience of my life. Even had a chance to meet him afterward and I was blown away with how nice he was.

Pay no mind to these people complaining about the trangender jokes. They are missing the point entirety , funny shit is funny thats it period. Whether it’s flaming gay people, Hitler, rape, the word nigger etc… all of these taboo things in our culture that own us because we can’t lighten up about them. As long as the person who is saying them doesn’t have hate in their heart and are actually saying something funny then people need to shut the fuck up and just learn to laugh.

Funny shit is funny.

John January 13, 2012 at 10:57 am

Land,

I believe they’re talking about Kenny Rogerson.

Winston,

The Nurse thing was not a joke he was making but was said by an imaginary guy asking a question where Wright is pitching this dance, and then Wright’s character shoots him down. They were both laughing, but to note that the transgendered doctor looked totally out of place when dancing with teenagers is not a crazy thing to admit or laugh at. Also, why would you criticize Wright and let Maron off the hook completely? They both said the same thing (that they were cool with it, but that it can be difficult to adjust to) and Maron was the one who brought up the subject.

Beelzebud January 13, 2012 at 7:06 pm

Best interview in a long time. 

If you are never offended you aren’t living in a free society.

Sid January 14, 2012 at 1:04 pm

Wow, that was a real low point. I’m not exactly offended or outraged, but it’s just kind of pathetic to hear two grown men snickering about transgendered people and thinking their so clever.  Maybe it’s because I know one quite well and know what kind of hell she has been through in her life, I just don’t see what’s so fucking funny about someone’s life struggles.

People who go through that change don’t do so on a lark.  It’s not an easy process (it is not the same as cross dressing) and they do it because they can’t live the other way.  So, you know, gender change instead of suicide, in many cases. Ha HA!! Funny.

Go ahead and laugh all of you who said “lighten up” - but just know you look like ignorant, insecure a-holes.  (Why am I reminded of junior high right now?)  Never mind, I’m sure the trans people can take your ridicule, they’ve been through much worse.

Daniel January 14, 2012 at 2:11 pm

Marc, I’ll take the bait.  Would you have the same conversation about, say, gay people?  Would you point out—not just in your own head, but in public—that there is just something funny about them and that you are glad you have the right to laugh at their essential absurdity?  Probably not, and I suppose it is mostly because that’s just not acceptable in your social circle and you fear condemnation.  But then, perhaps you’ve also had the opportunity to know some gay people, and realize they are actually just people and not jokes.

Maybe one day you’ll have the chance to get to know some trans people who will put up with your childish bullshit long enough for you to realize the same thing about them.  But frankly I would have thought you could figure this out even at a distance.  This is just about seeing the human in others: it’s about being an adult.

Winston Rowntree January 14, 2012 at 3:18 pm

@John: Yeah, i’m not sure why i criticized steven wright but gave Maron a pass, to be honest. In retrospect i think i was giving him the benefit of the doubt (he kind of has a habit of acquiescing to his more prominent guests, for instance), but that was before i listened to it a second time (and noticed that the whole unfortunate segment is posted in separate form right on the home page).

So no, there’s no reason why one of them should be on the hook and not the other, as much as i’d like to believe that Marc is “not that kind of guy.” This time he unfortunately was that kind of guy. Took me a second to accept it i guess. Hopefully it’s just taking him a second to realize that laughing at some of the most abused people in society is infinitely shitty.

Ryan January 14, 2012 at 9:10 pm

@SId

“I just don’t see what’s so fucking funny about someone’s life struggles.”

Then you’ve never listened to Steven Wright before. Every person’s life struggles are hilarious on the cosmological scale.

l.a. January 15, 2012 at 1:57 am

I first started listening to this podcast and was absolutely floored at how honest and accepting Marc was. Marc’s comment about transgendered individuals truly made me feel a bit empty inside, but also made me realize how far we still have to go.

I do not know any transgendered individuals personally and I cannot bare the thought of ridiculing them due to the intensely painful journey they have to go through to get to that point. I have been in situations where you feel uncomfortable or do not belong and you can just leave, imagine if that was how you felt in your own body for your entire existence?

Sadly the opinion of many is that the transgendered population in North America appears to be the only group that people openly and apologetically make fun of.

mike dismukes January 15, 2012 at 3:08 am

Seemed as though you guys had been friends for decades. Kind of this connection between you two, and maybe the best WTF yet. Thanks.

Stop Listening Then Faggots January 15, 2012 at 1:03 pm

@l.a.
“Sadly the opinion of many is that the transgendered population in North America appears to be the only group that people openly and apologetically make fun of.”

The self-righteous word you were searching for was unapologetically, and that’s quite fucking obviously not the case. How do you ignorant bigots spend hours listening to marc maron make fun of people, mostly himself, and then get upset in the very first instance the target of the humor is directed against your silly sexual ambiguity? Sticking penises in one another is unbelievably funny, and making a big deal about it is incalculably funnier. Get over yourselves.

l.a. January 15, 2012 at 7:25 pm

@Stop Listening Then Faggots
I apologize for leaving out the “un” in unapologetically. Also, Marc’s not making fun of me, he’s not even making fun of anyone I know, but I can still differentiate between comedic and hurtful. I’m guessing from your language choices that you’re not entirely accepting of this group, so I can see how you feel it’s appropriate to slander this group and endorse anyone who does so.

I’m still going to listen, I think this podcast is entertaining, insightful and hilarious the majority of the time.

Crate&Trauma; January 16, 2012 at 2:28 am

I’m really curious what happens in Monday’s episode of WTF.

George January 16, 2012 at 7:24 am

Christ, what do people listen to this for?  Validation of their own fucking opinions by the look of it.

sk January 16, 2012 at 8:30 am

I don’t see bigotry or hatred in their commentary.  Indeed, Steven seems like arguably the nicest person to have been in the garage - certainly among the happiest.  Steven wasn’t even making fun of all transsexuals - but a the sight of an older one at what was deemed a school play sort of environment.  The podcast thrives by being among the most humanistic, empathetic exercises.  Part of that is not treating every group like a faberge egg - but also noticing quirks and being honest about feelings and owning them.  And that image Wright constructed is made funny not by the transexual, but by whom s/he was dancing with.  If you’re looking at these folks to not talk about their experiences for fear of offending certain groups, that runs antithetical to the spirit of the podcast and comedy in general.

MG January 16, 2012 at 8:07 pm

Holly shit, trans hating jokes.

What a bogus way to justify them, absolutely terrible. And the blatant hypocrisy: listen to Maron contradict his own logic on the episode with Jeselnik (206), where he talks about his decision not to make “retarded” and “nigger” jokes, addressing the same shitty arguments he uses to excuse Steven trans joke/anecdote.

And holly shit at the incessant star-struck giggling. Sounds like Marc knows he’s doing something idiotic, but hes so eager to please Steven Wright he just won’t call bullshit on his dumb trans joke.

Ball dropped.

George January 16, 2012 at 8:38 pm

So, laughing at a middle-aged lawyer who, apparently, was fairly burly dancing with 15 year old girls as a transgender is equivalent to msking nigger and retard jokes?

Regardless of Marc Maron’s supposed hypocrisy, let’s look at your hysterical, humourless reaction to what is obviously an absurd and stupid scenario.  Who the fuck thinks prancing around a stage at 40 with teenagers is some sort of life-affirming act?

Steven Wrong January 17, 2012 at 7:00 am

What makes the trans comments offensive isn’t that they’re hateful (they’re not), it’s that they’re making fun of something they clearly have no understanding of. Much of what’s discussed in the Lisa Lampanelli interview offers a great example of when it’s ok to make fun of people who have been discriminated against. She understands the implications of everything she says, so no matter what, it always comes through that she has empathy. A middle-aged trans woman dancing with teenage girls IS a funny concept and it would certainly look odd, but the fact that it never even occurs to Steven or Marc to refer to the trans doctor as a “she” after her transition, or that they seem to think being transgendered is a choice, shows that they are ignorant of the subject, and that’s what made it uncomfortable to listen to. So even though the premise is fine, they ruin the joke by not knowing enough about what they’re actually discussing. It’d be like someone making political jokes who didn’t actually keep up with the news. It’s possible to do, but chances are they’re gonna end up sounding like an idiot.

Sharon January 23, 2012 at 11:51 am

I was just in Florida and was struck by how many really really eccentric people live there and how they are not just tolerated but enjoyed.

Rachel January 24, 2012 at 1:18 am

I am such a fan, but this episode was SO disappointing that I really considered dropping this podcast all together. Not only were the trans jokes stale, old, not in any way funny, and much like something someone’s grumpy great uncle would make up, but they were also ill informed and offensive. I also really hated how both Marc and Wright made it sound like only some uptight humorless person would find the jokes offensive. Transgender folk deal with hate and discrimination on a daily basis, sorry if I don’t think it’s hilarious to add to that. Do you really think that being trans is a choice? Do you understand the depression, anguish and (often) suicidality that plagues many trans people before they transition? Are you still laughing? Do you know any trans folk? Maybe you need to have a sit down with some. Or at least read yourself some Stone Butch Blues. SOMETHING. So. Disappointing.

SK January 24, 2012 at 11:53 am

Wow. They talked about trans jokes for about 2 minutes and people make out like it was the whole fucking podcast. Marc has said before many times that making offensive jokes works as long as (a) the joke is funny and (b) you own up to it. Both Maron & Wright do that. Done. Now go listen to the rest of the fucking show for Chrissake. Jesus.

grind January 26, 2012 at 3:17 am

i have a pony.

: )

Will February 06, 2012 at 10:33 pm

You transgender people need to stop whining, and also brush up on your fucking grammar while you’re at it. Why is it all the people who are offended in the posts above seem like the dumbest ones?

sdfy4f February 09, 2012 at 11:20 pm

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I really enjoyed your conversation, and also thought it was so nice how he turned the interview at the end to you; so we learned a bit more about your beginnings too.Thanks for making my day more enjoyable, your podcast rocks;)

ZenKimchi February 17, 2012 at 7:33 pm

Steven Wright was by far my favorite comedian in the ‘80s. Your interview felt like hearing an old friend from childhood. This is the show that has made me a regular listener.

Larissa March 11, 2012 at 7:34 pm

Cool interview.  Got sent here tghourh Marc Maron’s twitter.  U have piqued my interest, i will stay around for awhile and see how this little project pans out.

honkytonky12 March 12, 2012 at 4:59 am

Once again…10 minutes of boring Maron monologue…and then the good stuff.
I wonder if Maraon thinks he’s funny?

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Derek Kaill May 14, 2012 at 4:19 pm

You mention dj hazard, barry katz and chris collins at a club in Mass. Then you start talking about a “Kenny” - who I think Stephen Wrights then rates as one of the funniest comics ever.

Who’s he talking about? One of the above names? If it’s Kenny, Kenny who?

Thanks,
Derek