Comedian Chris Garcia thought his upbringing was fairly typical as the son of first-generation immigrants, with stories and experiences that paved the way nicely for a career in comedy. But Chris tells Marc that a recent trip to Cuba and the discoveries made there changed everything he knew about his family, particularly his father. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, MeUndies, ZipRecruiter, and Blue Apron.
Actor Ron Perlman is often buried under layers of makeup, whether he's playing Hellboy or the Beast or some other humanoid oddity. But Ron's not hiding anything when he joins Marc in the garage, revealing his heartfelt thoughts on the entertainment business and his evolving role in it. Plus, Ron shares a Marlon Brando story to rival the best of them. This episode is sponsored by Basecamp, Squarespace and Stamps.com.
Billy Crystal's early love of show business put him on the path to standup comedy, which in turn got him on TV shows like Soap and SNL. Marc talks with Billy about his own show business footprint, including movies like When Harry Met Sally, Mr. Saturday Night, Deconstructing Harry, and Analyze This, as well as hosting the Academy Awards. Plus, Billy fondly remembers his relationships with icons like Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle, Jack Rollins and Robin Williams. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, Seeso, Basecamp, and MeUndies.
Joseph Arthur faced some of the same struggles as Marc even though he's a musician and artist, not a comedian. Joseph and Marc talk about the false starts, the friendships with heroes like Lou Reed and Peter Gabriel, and the challenge of feeling okay with how things turned out. Also, author Peter Bebergal talks about magic and music, as he details in his book Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll. This episode is sponsored by The Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe, Seeso, Ring, and Casper.
Whether you know the story of JT LeRoy or not, you certainly haven't heard an episode of WTF like this. First, Marc talks with filmmaker Jeff Feuerzeig about documenting the rise and fall of literary phenom JT LeRoy, a celebrated young man who was later revealed to be the creation of Laura Albert. Then Laura joins Marc in the garage to explain what gave birth to her infamous alter ego and to provide some insight into her life. This episode is sponsored by Seeso, ZipRecruiter, Blue Apron, and Audible.
Robert Kelly is at the point in his comedy career where he can't help thinking about what's next. He's on the FX television show Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, he's touring all over the country, he has a great family, and yet he keeps wondering what happens if it all goes away. Bobby and Marc commiserate over this shared experience as well as the ups and downs of being sober comedians. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, Seeso, and Stamps.com.
Gad Elmaleh is an mega-successful international comedian and actor. Now he's basically starting from scratch to perfect his act in America, not in his native French but in English. Marc and Gad talk about the challenge of doing comedy in another language and the universal truths about standup that cross all language barriers. This episode is sponsored by The Tim Ferriss Show, Take My Wife on Seeso, Squaresapce, and Blue Apron.
Alan Alda always strives to play someone different. He takes Marc through the many characters he's created, from Hawkeye to Uncle Pete, and explains how he challenges himself from role to role. Plus, Alan talks about why he created an academic organization that advances science communication. This episode is sponsored by MeUndies, Squarespace, Sonos, and Audible.
Kristen Wiig is afraid of too many things going well at once, speaking in front of groups of people, and deep water. But she's not afraid of sharing these things with Marc, as well as the story of how she became a performer after a meeting with Mike the Psychic and how she got on SNL after not getting on SNL. Plus, some talk about Bridesmaids, The Skeleton Twins, Welcome to Me, and Sausage Party. This episode is sponsored by Basecamp, Take My Wife on Seeso, Squarespace, and Zip Recruiter.
Werner Herzog is one of the only people who could make a great movie from inside Marc's garage. With a new documentary about the internet on his mind, the legendary filmmaker talks with Marc about the achievements and follies of humanity. You know, light stuff. Also, Godfrey stops by again so he and Marc can trade insults under the guise of promoting his new special. This episode is sponsored by Spotify Discover Weekly, Squarespace, and Stamps.com.
Lauren Lapkus showed up to the garage as herself but she clearly could lapse into one of dozens of characters at any time. Marc and Lauren talk about how she honed her talent for improv, how she missed out on her dream of SNL, how she found a home on Comedy Bang! Bang!, and how she got away with the unthinkable while making Jurassic World. This episode is sponsored by Viceland, MeUndies, Squarespace, and Blue Apron.
Seth Meyers didn't expect to be on Saturday Night Live. Then he didn't expect to anchor Weekend Update or become the show's head writer. And then he really didn't expect to host his own late night talk show. Seth and Marc retrace the steps to figure out how it all happened, complete with some Lorne stories to add to the collection. This episode is sponsored by Viceland, Squarespace, Ring and Stamps.com.
Eric Andre and Marc did not like each other. An incident from when Eric first started doing comedy in LA kept him from doing WTF for seven years. Marc and Eric talk about their beef and also dive into Eric's background in music, his rejection of another career path and his desire to destroy all expectations of talk shows with The Eric Andre Show. This episode is sponsored by ZipRecruiter, Spotify Discover Weekly, Squarespace and Audible.
Long before Roseanne Barr ran for President, even before she had the number one sitcom in America, she was a giant in the comedy world. Marc and Roseanne talk about her tumultuous early life, her first days doing stand-up, and her memories of The Comedy Store. She also explains how her life in show business prepared her to be a political player in the Green Party. This episode is sponsored by Viceland, Squarespace, Blue Apron, and Casper.
Comedian Brian Scolaro is back to pick up where he left off 627 episodes ago. The last time, Brian and Marc barely scratched the surface of how they met. This time they get into everything, including Brian's childhood love of The Marx Brothers, how he used comedy as troublemaking while growing up, what he learned from working with the disabled, and what lessons he took away from the crap-shoot that is network television. This episode is sponsored by Roast Battle on Comedy Central, Squarespace, Viceland, and Blue Apron.
Before Jane Lynch stole scenes in Best in Show, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Glee, Party Down, and everything else she's ever been in, she was told she would never make it at one of the country's biggest comedy institutions. Jane and Marc talk about shaking off that ill-fated prediction and finding success as a comedic performer of the highest order. This episode is sponsored by Basecamp, Seeso, Spotify Discover Weekly and Squarespace.
Writer Chuck Klosterman is always thinking. That's a good thing because his latest book is called "What If We're Wrong?" and you don't want someone who doesn't think raising that question. Marc and Chuck break down the ideas in the book by going all the way back to Chuck's childhood and leading up to present day to find out if things are better or worse now. Their conclusions are not as bleak as you might think. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, Seeso, Audible, and Ring.
James L. Brooks is responsible for something you love. Probably many things. Marc talks with the prolific writer-director-producer about all of it - The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Taxi, Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, As Good As It Gets, The Simpsons and more. They also talk about how Jim dealt with writer's block, what he considers his worst professional experience, and why he and Jack Nicholson had to send the crew home one day to make things right. This episode is sponsored by Viceland, ZipRecruiter, and Stamps.com.