Jon February 16, 2012 at 8:13 am

A brilliant interview Marc, as always. You really are doing something special with this podcast, congratulations on its success. As someone who is a big Bill Maher fan I have been waiting for him to sit down and do a reflection on his entire career and not just focus on his contemporary - and very funny - political humor. It’s easy to forget - with Maher being as prolific as he is - that he has been around for almost 30 years in the comedy scene and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing you discuss his very interesting early career.

Two names that were mentioned that would be fascinating interviews in the future - and who I figure will be featured - are the great Robert Klein and David Brenner.

Brian February 16, 2012 at 8:30 am

From a evolutionary microbiologist… loved the intro rant today, Marc!

Just to help along your neuroses… we are nothing more than vessels for microbes.  You are made up of far more bacterial cells than human cells.  We all work for our microbiome.  Do you want BBQ in OKC, or does your gut flora want it and make you think it…?  Haha

Rev. MIke February 16, 2012 at 9:36 am

I for one welcome our new microbial overlords.

Stephanie February 16, 2012 at 9:44 am

As a molecular geneticist, I love it when cats get excited about science.  Want to shock yourself out of your neuroses?  Read “Parasite Rex” .  It’s a fascinating read and would give you lots to talk about.

Billy Batson February 16, 2012 at 9:52 am

I’ve tried WTF before, and it’s not for me. But I was interested in a Bill Maher interview. The description is enough to drive me away again. I followed his career; don’t need the reflection. He made a movie about atheism, plus he gets into it regularly on Real Time. Don’t need to hear that. Any discussion of Politically Incorrect? Any conservative backlash as he does stand up around the country? He talks about healthy food on his show. Is pot a healthy food choice? How does he deal w munches?... Plenty of Interesting things to discuss w Maher. Based on show description, you skipped the good stuff. WTF indeed…

Ben February 16, 2012 at 9:56 am

Billy, you’re a douche.  Did I sign in just to say that?  Yes I did.  Did you go out of your way to sign and post a douchey troll comment?  Yes you did.  Do you want to hear this podcast?  No you don’t.  Should you post a comment on something you didn’t even experience and have no business talking about?  Absolutely.

I agree with Ben February 16, 2012 at 10:01 am

You know what I do when “something isn’t for me”? I don’t take the time to fill out an internet form to express my worthless criticism in a desperate attempt for troll attention from strangers.  Get a life, sir.

Good interview - I wish it was longer.

Jannie Jordaan February 16, 2012 at 10:33 am

Enjoyed the show Marc. I would have liked more. Its a shame you didnt have more time.

Iris February 16, 2012 at 12:10 pm

Great show ! please have Bill on again sometime soon!

mr c February 16, 2012 at 1:13 pm

damn great week, Marc. Thanks for the good listening!

Ash February 16, 2012 at 1:18 pm

Hey Marc! I read an article about the cat microbe in The Atlantic. Apparently it is rarely found in house cats as long as they continue to be indoor cats. So that might ease your mind a bit of the fear of being a puppet for that particular microbe. Although you’ve mentioned that the seed stock for the cat ranch came from you capturing stray cats and converting them into house cats. Maybe your mind won’t be comforted by this information after all! Sorry Marc. Love the show though, so as long the microbes don’t turn it into a pro-microbe propaganda machine I think we’ll all be okay.

Caggi February 16, 2012 at 1:48 pm

Great talk with Bill M. He has to take it easy though. He’s like soul less demon, hollywood fucker! He needs to admit he has a soul for christ sake!

Beelzebud February 16, 2012 at 2:55 pm

Something Maron said in the intro kind of bugged me.  The part about tracking old atheists to see if they “find god” as they get closer to death.

Ever hear of a guy named George Carlin? 

WTF, indeed.

LPL February 16, 2012 at 3:54 pm

great interview as always, Marc. Maher is about at cool as it gets. Interviews with people like him can never go long enough. Such is life.
I REEEEEALLY hope you can sit down with Wayne Coyne. Good luck.

andrew February 16, 2012 at 4:55 pm

I guess Bill never listened to your show before!!!! WTF

Connor February 16, 2012 at 4:59 pm

Great interview. i was worried that it would spend too much time on politics, before i listened to it but, it went into the details i was more interested in; how he got started, life growing up, how he saw his career plan and what it was like for comics at that time. i would have loved to spend more time with bill on that part of his life. maybe he’ll write another book, autobiography, and spend a lot of time on that part of this life. i read ‘true story’ a long time ago and loved it. its a great book for all comics and how life is on the road. i would love to have bill on your show again and hear more about the industry from his point of view and doing stand up comedy.

im about to hit the ‘add comment’ button and the word i have to type in, so it knows im not spam, is ‘death 48’....i hope thats not foershodowing.

Chris February 16, 2012 at 5:16 pm

Marc the whole stigma with aging atheists somehow turning to religion is a complete propaganda movement by fundamentalists to revise history.  Its happened to a number of long dead atheist scientists and thinkers throughout history and its disgusting. Christopher Hitchens is just a recent example.

DR February 16, 2012 at 6:01 pm

Terrific talk with Bill Maher, Marc. He’s been a personal favorite of mine. I used to watch him with my dad before he passed away. He was a big ‘Real Time’ fan. Speaking of dads, I always had a soft spot for Bill since I used to intern at the old WNBC Radio newsroom back in the mid-80’s when his dad was working in the newsroom. Bill Sr. was a nice guy, who used to proudly talk about his son who was in talks for a TV pilot out in Hollywood. He’d also hang with Don Imus when he was off air. Nice memories.

Really. February 16, 2012 at 6:20 pm

Hey Marc,

  You don’t have to listen to all those Atheists.  Keep on searching.  They are drinking just as much of their Kool-Aid as any one else is in this crazy place.  We’re all just caught in our own circular reasoning.  I’m sure you’ve read Denial of Death and A Reason for God.

  So just keep up the good work and try not to fit in anyones little cookie cutter mold in order to feel cool and conceited.

TheSKS February 16, 2012 at 7:12 pm

Another great interview Marc!  Just finished listening to it and going in for round no. 2 now.

Tesalemia February 16, 2012 at 11:03 pm

Came here because of a post on Bill’s facebook page and got done listening to it 3 times. I adore Bill and like saying how he sees thing and how he calls it.

Joe Tily February 17, 2012 at 4:36 am

Another great episode Marc. I’m a lifelong Atheist and I loved Religulous . . . the only downside to this interview was it ended way too soon . . .

gutter hugger February 17, 2012 at 6:06 am

I have always been a bill maher fan but i thought he was condescending as hell.

DickM February 17, 2012 at 10:21 am

Great interview Marc.  Glad you dug into Bill’s history and how he got to where he is.

Interesting how suddenly the trolls show up here with their ridiculous bs.  America is such a great place with so many a-holes willing to take the time to prove what morons they are on-line day i and day out.  Same people are why Bill has to live ina sorta compund and deal with death-threats.  Greatest country in the world no doubt ..

Marc should also interview Billy Connolly if you want to talk about a long and interesting career path..  He’d be an awesome interview.  Worth a trip to Scotland IMHO.

kyle in Brookyn February 17, 2012 at 11:10 am

Good interview although I think Maher came across as a bit guarded. I’ve grown accustomed to listening to the many candid conversations you’ve had with old friends in the garage. Too bad you weren’t able to lure him back to the cat ranch and get him jacked up on “pow, I just shit my pants” coffee.
Keep ‘em coming.
ps Nick Lowe was a great interview. You held your own in the musical history dept.

Justin February 17, 2012 at 11:56 am

What can I say - I think Maher is a douche. Not an insult considering he has been refining this kind of lounge-act Dawkins character for a long time. Of course, he is a terrible philosopher (who seems to think there is a religion named ‘religion’) but putting aside him being part of the whole Atheism&Islam; faith I suppose he is quite a successful left-wing propagandist. So the numbers of adherents seem to say. I don’t really get the attraction but apparently a good number think its ‘genius’ or ‘really interesting’ etc.
Anyways, really did appreciate that kind of ‘inside Hollywood’ look at how that world changed for comics over the decades. No question Maher knows this world very well.

Mona February 17, 2012 at 3:28 pm

I thought Bill Maher would be a dick, but Not.  Marc, this was a great interview, thanks.

Job February 17, 2012 at 5:25 pm

Bill Maher is the one human being who I agree with 99% of the time, but still want to punch in the face. Can’t stand the man. He is a disgusting little creature, and it’s a testament to your skills as an interviewer and entertainer, Marc, that this episode is still awesome.

Noah Stephens February 17, 2012 at 6:35 pm

When Marc asked if Bill missed the comfort religion provides, I loved Bill’s answer. “God bless” people who eschew comforting delusions in lieu of a intimate relationship with reality. Good on ya, Bill; and Marc, keep up the great work.

ZenKimchi February 17, 2012 at 7:26 pm

Really enjoyed it. Coincidentally, I had just listened to the Nerdist interview with Maher from last year. He seems to love that screening room.

barny drood February 17, 2012 at 9:56 pm

way too short…. i liked it though

Joshua D February 17, 2012 at 10:11 pm

This interview was way too short. I could have listened to you two talk for hours. Maher is a fascinating guy, and a terrific stand up. Thanks Marc. <3

Bryan February 17, 2012 at 11:08 pm

..the big empty?  Come on, Marc.  tracking atheists as they get older to see if they change.  This is akin to the “There are no atheists in foxholes” argument.  God is an emotional attitude whereas atheism is a rational one.  If someone goes from a no god system to Yes! God!, they have forsaken rational thought and as such is of no value to a meaningful argument. It is only a sign of animal fear.  Please choose your words more carefully.  The nature of your work warrants significant responsibility.

Dan February 18, 2012 at 6:33 am

Bill Maher is such a thoroughly unlikeable individual.  And it’s all the more a shame that my views intersect his.  Listen to this from the 51-minute mark about the US just after 9/11:  “The whole country was shitting in its pants about everything…. The only good part of it was… it did free us to do a much better show.”  Bill, do you hear the words that are coming out of your mouth?

Klint February 18, 2012 at 3:59 pm

Love Bill’s views and his courage to speak out in what remains a painfully and stupidly religious nation. He does come across as cocky and arrogant at times (not in this interview, though), and that turns some people off. Oh well, he is the closest we got to a spokesperson for atheism and rational thought in a country drowning in religious mumbo-jumbo. I get 10+ religious channels on free over-the-air TV, I’ll take Bill Maher anyday.

His Yahoo live stand-up show next Thursday is here:
http://screen.yahoo.com/crazystupidpolitics/

Graham Wellington February 18, 2012 at 9:24 pm

All those great wars that religion has caused, such as World War I, World War II, the Civil War and the Cold War.

I love Maher - not a huge fan of religion, but I have never understood his point about religion being the impetus for all global conflicts. It’s true that a lot of modern wars are based on differences in religion or have religious undertones, but historically, the truly terrible wars have been caused by corrupt people seizing power or exploiting power. Even the modern wars aren’t based on religion per se. Osama bin Laden was not a religious zealot. He was someone who correctly recognized that he could gain a lot of power through exploiting religion.

Ambur February 19, 2012 at 10:16 pm

Great show.
From an Atheist in SLC, Utah (yes, there are many here in the land of Zion).

Terence February 20, 2012 at 9:34 pm

I’m no Bible beater or anything, but my eyes always kind of just glaze over when Maher talks about religion.  He’s not quite as bad or cheaply dismissive as someone like “Penn Jillette,” but he comes close at times.

And religion isn’t the impetus of all major global conflicts.  It’s just a convenient excuse that people use to mask/justify the real reasons for the conflict (i.e. control of wealth, resources, political power).  If it wasn’t religion they’d use something else.

All that said, though, I do have a good deal of respect for Maher.  His “New Rules” segment on “Real Time” is frequently brilliant—equal parts hilarious and completely dead on in a way that is entirely unique to himself (i.e. I don’t see anyone else—i.e. the Daily Show, Maddow, etc, etc—offering the sort of insight and perspective that he has on things).  I don’t always watch the entire show (the monologue especially is pretty awful), but New Rules is always worth seeing.

VinylT February 25, 2012 at 11:14 am

Well said, bystolic.

Douche With a Dictionary February 29, 2012 at 11:16 pm

“God Bless people who eschew comforting delusions in lieu of a intimate relationship with reality”

Noah, how funny that you’re trying to slam people as delusional and stupid, yet you cannot even use “eschew” properly.