The Amazing Johnathan is known for his unique blend of comedy and magic. But the current situation he finds himself in is not an illusion, it’s deadly serious. Johnathan tells Marc why he retired from a career filled with blood, coke, speed and wild performances, and how he’s soldiering on in spite of the circumstances he faces. This episode is sponsored by Igloo Software and Stamps.com.
Brian Frazer was known to Marc and his peers in the 1980s comedy scene as the bodybuilding comic. Turns out the layers of muscle mass obscured a fragile person dealing with a host of disorders. Brian tells Marc about his life-long struggles with control issues and rage, and how his true salvation came on four legs with a wagging tail. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, CheapOair and Audible.
If you didn’t know that Gabriel Iglesias is one of the most popular comics in the world, hear Gabriel explain how he went from working the Latino comedy circuit to selling out arenas and releasing concert films like The Fluffy Movie. Plus, Gabriel tells Marc what it was like to see his dad show up at one of his gigs after being gone for more than 30 years. This episode is sponsored by Earthquaker Devices, Warby Parker and CheapOair.
In the world of country music, the last name Cash holds a lot of weight. Rosanne Cash tells Marc how she paved her way in the music industry, how she bounced back after hitting the wall, and how she learned to cope with the long shadow cast by The Man In Black. This episode is sponsored by LIFX and CheapOAir.
Comedian David Huntsberger has a life story unlike any Marc has heard on WTF. It involves roping, branding, rodeos, engineering, horse shoeing, anvils, alcoholism, barrel racing, Last Comic Standing and Tig Notaro. This episode is sponsored by NatureBox and Freakonomics Radio from WNYC.
Fresh off the success of Think Like A Man Too, actor Romany Malco finds out how a chance encounter on an airplane can lead to an in-depth sit-down in the garage. Romany and Marc cover everything, from Trinidad to trailer parks, from Southern Hip-Hop to selling male enhancement pills, from comfort food to corporate hegemony. All of it. This episode is sponsored by LiveNation, the new movie Obvious Child, and WNYC’s Freakonomics Radio.
Comedian Craig Gass visits the garage and spooks Marc with an uncanny Sam Kinison impression. Craig explains why growing up in a family where everyone was deaf helped him develop a talent for doing impersonations. Craig also takes Marc through the chain of events that led to the end of his time working with Howard Stern. This episode is sponsored by the Oddball Festival, the new movie Obvious Child, Stamps.com and LegalZoom.
Singer Josh Groban remains strangely indefinable for a guy who sells millions of records and became a public celebrity at age 17. Marc tries to pin down the reasons Josh is not so easily categorized and Josh reveals the aspects of his personality that may come as a surprise to fans of his music. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, the new movie Obvious Child, and Audible.
ZZ Top founder Billy Gibbons details the journey of a band that has been together for nearly 45 years, with beards and without. Billy tells Marc what he learned opening for Jimi Hendrix, how he made a guitar out of Muddy Waters’s house, and what he thought of ZZ Top’s huge commecial success in the 1980s. This episode is sponsored by A&E Network, Jack White’s Lazaretto, Stamps.com and LegalZoom.
Comedian Billy Wayne Davis is in the garage to enlighten Marc on how the culture of the South closely alligns with the culture of standup comics. And there’s still plenty of time to talk about things like sports, fighting, arrests, bipolarity, drinking, snapping, Megan Fox and Mitch Hedberg. This episode is sponsored by Slingbox, A&E Network and Harry’s.
Actor Giovanni Ribisi takes a break from his press tour for “A Million Ways To Die In The West” to sit down with Marc and talk about child acting, The Method, Steven Spielberg, boot camp, Scientology, psychiatry and more. This episode is sponsored by A&E Network, Comedy Central, Stamps.com and LegalZoom.
According to Marc, comedian Rebecca Corry is funny and she has an attitude. That’s definitely not a bad thing, especially when she deals with material like failed relationships, estrangement from parents, fighting against animal abuse and her advocacy for a practice we cannot reprint here. This episode is sponsored by UnTuckIt, A&E Network and Squarespace.
Chris Cornell and Soundgarden are heading out on tour for the 20th anniversary of their most successful album, Superunknown. Chris sits down in the garage to tell Marc about the creation, break up and reformation of the quintessential Seattle band and to talk about The Beatles, punk rock, the grunge scene, the word “alternative” and rock mythology. This episode is sponsored by A&E Network, Jack White’s new album Lazaretto, HostGator and Stamps.com.
Marc and Vince Vaughn take the stage in front of a live audience in Nashville, Tennessee, as part of The Wild West Comedy Festival. They get into Vince’s upbringing, his show business career, sports, parenting, improv comedy, Jon Favreau, rejection, failure and the best Western movies. This episode is sponsored by the new film Obvious Child, Squarespace, Audible and UntuckIt.
By any measurement, 500 episodes of WTF is worthy of celebration. And yet, for Marc, success has come at a price. On the occasion of this milestone episode, Marc talks with some very important people in his life and reckons with the damage inflicted by doing things his way. This episode is sponsored by the new movie Obvious Child, Earthquaker Devices, GoToMeeting, and One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles on Spike.
Daily Show correspondent and actor Aasif Mandvi joins Marc in the garage to talk about growing up in England by way of India, working in Disney World, making it to Broadway, and learning the fine art of a successful Daily Show field piece from Stephen Colbert. Also, Todd Glass drops in for an update on his life since the last time he was on the show. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, Comedy Central, Freakonomics Radio and Audible.
For RuPaul Charles, it all started with Monty Python. RuPaul joins Marc in the garage to talk about leaving an indelible mark on pop culture, both in and out of drag, and the influences that paved the way, from The B-52’s to David Bowie to Cher. This episode is sponsored by Slingbox, One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute To Don Rickles, Stamps.com and the WNYC app.
Artist Shepard Fairey tells Marc how he went from being a renegade street artist to the designer of some of the most iconic images in American culture. Find out what gave rise to the ubiquitous OBEY stickers and the famous HOPE poster used for the Obama campaign. This episode is sponsored by One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles on Spike, GoToMeeting by Citrix, and the WNYC app with the new Discover feature.