Long before Patricia Arquette won an Oscar, long before she filmed a movie over the course of 12 years, long before she worked with directors like Scorsese, Burton, and Lynch, and long before she delivered a star-making turn in True Romance, she was a kid from a showbiz family growing up on a hippie commune in Virginia. Patricia and Marc get into all of it, including her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, Fandango and Stamps.com.
Steve Albini had his hands and fingers on the mixing board for some of the greatest albums ever, like Nirvana’s In Utero and the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa. But don’t call Steve a producer. He hates that. As Steve tells Marc, he sees himself as an audio engineer and a musician with his own bands, not as someone who should take credit for other people’s albums. This episode is sponsored by Nathan For You on Comedy Central, Chipotle, and Audible.com.
It’s likely that Aaron Draplin has more passion about graphic design than you have about anything. Marc visits Aaron at the seat of the empire he created in Portland and finds out how a skater kid from the Midwest worked his way up through Snowboarder Magazine to build his own independent design business from scratch and become the go-to guy for some of the country’s most prominent brands. This episode is sponsored by Blue Apron, SimpliSafe, and Stamps.com.
Legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor stops by the garage for one of the more surprising conversations Marc can remember. James holds nothing back as he tells Marc about the ups, the downs, the darkness, the light, and everything else he encountered during his storied music career, leading up to his first new album of original music in 13 years. This episode is sponsored by Comedy Central, Chipotle, Audible and NatureBox.
A garage is a pretty comfortable place for Mikal Cronin. He’s been making rock music with his buddies since high school, especially with his longtime friend and collaborator Ty Segall. As he tells Marc, it’s always been a DIY affair. Plus, Patrick Stickles from Titus Andronicus returns to get Marc up to speed on his new rock opera. This episode is sponsored by Merge Records, Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts And Prayers on Netflix, Nathan For You on Comedy Central, and Stamps.com.
Mike Epps doesn’t stop. The comedian and actor is one of the busiest people in show business, starring in new TV shows like Survivor’s Remorse and Uncle Buck, making movies like the upcoming Richard Pryor biopic, doing standup around the country, and being a dad. It’s a long way from the young guy who went to prison for selling drugs on the streets. Mike tells Marc how he made it out. Plus, Dan Pashman from The Sporkful is back for the second course. This episode is sponsored by BetaBrand, Chipotle and Fandango.
Playwright Annie Baker is one of the most original and exciting voices in American theater. She’s already a Pulitzer Prize winner and counts super-producer Scott Rudin as one of her most ardent supporters. But as she tells Marc, Annie just wants to write plays for the type of people who don’t want to go see plays in the first place. This episode is sponsored by SimpliSafe, Chipotle, Stamps.com and Audible.
Blues legend John Mayall founded one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th Century. John talks with Marc about ushering musicians like Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and John McVie through his band, giving birth to Fleetwood Mac and using music to get himself through the Korean War. Plus, Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful podcast, stops by to argue with Marc about cereal. This episode is sponsored by the new film Steve Jobs, Chipotle and MeUndies.
Peaches defies easy categorization, unless you want to define her as a multi-media event. She takes Marc on her journey, from growing up Merrill Nisker in Toronto through her artistic career as a musician and performance artist. Marc finds out what provokes Peaches and why she enjoys pushing buttons herself. This episode is sponsored by Chipotle, SimpliSafe, Stamps.com and Draft Kings.
Actress Michaela Watkins is not only very funny, she can make you cry without warning, as Marc found out in the garage. Through laughter and tears, the two of them talk about the power of mime, very long engagements, stage acting, the Groundlings, Jill Soloway and Michaela’s year at SNL that did not go as planned. This episode is sponsored by Star Wars Card Trader, the new film Steve Jobs, Casper Mattresses, and Draft Kings.
Writer/director Jake Kasdan inherited some good show business genes from his father. But he’s paved his own way, whether it was through his work on shows like Freaks and Geeks or by writing and directing his own feature films. Jake and Marc discuss if it all played out the way Jake had hoped. Plus, past guest Fred Stoller drops in to explain how things have changed since his last appearance on WTF. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, Review on Comedy Central, Stamps.com, Draft Kings, and the new film Steve Jobs.
Comedian Nick DiPaolo is a relentless button-pusher, which might be why Marc likes him so much despite all their differences. Marc and Nick reminisce about their early comedy days in Boston, as they both try to figure out whether they’ve changed all that much. Plus, one of Marc’s favorite comedians, Brian Regan, stops by to talk about his new special. He brings along comic Joe Bolster, who has a unique connection with Brian and Marc. This episode is sponsored by Chipotle, SimpliSafe, Audible, and Draft Kings.
Marc finally comes face to face with his childhood hero and the results do not disappoint. Keith Richards is rock and roll to many people, including Marc. So it’s no surprise that Marc would talk with Keith about his career arc, the evolution of The Rolling Stones, the solo work including his new album, the drugs, the arrests, the fights, the reconciliations, and the satisfaction of it all. This episode is sponsored by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Squarespace, Stamps.com, Draft Kings and the new film Steve Jobs.
Marc and Sir Patrick Stewart together in the garage? Make it so. The cultural icon engages with Marc about his life as an actor, from the English stage to the Starship Enterprise, culmintating with his new show Blunt Talk. Sir Patrick also talks about the traumatic events of his childhood and how he turned them into motivation for his activism and charitable work. This episode is sponsored by Blue Apron, Chipotle and Draft Kings.
You’ve probably heard something Matt Sweeney recorded, even if you don’t immediately recognize the name Matt Sweeney. As Marc discovers in this conversation, Matt has left his fingerprints all over the last 20 years of rock music as a member of several bands, a sought-after session guitarist, an unlikely A & R man, and a guy who is a lot of fun to be around. This episode is sponsored by Comedy Central, Squarespace, Draft Kings, Stamps.com and Chipotle.
Fred Armisen sits down with Marc for a surprisingly revealing chat, especially considering how Fred can completely disappear into the many characters he creates. They talk about Fred’s love of music, his desire to take comedy to uncomfortable places, the biggest perk of being on Saturday Night Live, and the one aspect of his life that always feels like chaos. This episode is sponsored by Chipotle, SimpliSafe, MeUndies and Warby Parker.
Bob Guccione, Jr. knows a thing or two about publishing. He’s the founder of Spin Magazine and his father was the man behind Penthouse. Now back at Spin to celebrate its 30th anniversary, Bob talks with Marc about the problems in the publishing industry, the state of journalism in general, and where he thinks he fits into all of it today. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, SimpliSafe, Stamps.com and Draft Kings.
Richard Thompson and Lemmy Kilmister seem like they exist at opposite ends of the rock spectrum, but you’ll notice a lot of similarities in this double-header episode. First, Marc talks with Richard about his brand of guitar wizardry and how he keeps the tradition going in his family. Then, Marc and Lemmy talk Motorhead, the Beatles, dads, drugs, Ozzy and what it means to be Lemmy. This episode is sponsored by Comedy Central, Star Wars Card Trader, Draft Kings and NatureBox.