City Pages
Marc Maron

“I don’t know how to have casual conversation with any real success,” says comedian Marc Maron, and he isn’t kidding. Onstage he’s brutally honest—mostly about himself—echoing, but never really overlapping with, the neurotic introspection of Richard Lewis and the arch vitriol of Bill Hicks. He brings that same pointed intellect to his podcast, WTF, which has become the kind of warped, hilarious version of the McNeil-Lehrer News Hour for the comedy community, a hub for inter-comedian discussion that recently included a lengthy examination of Carlos Mencia’s alleged joke thievery and a punchy exchange with funny-biz pariah Dane Cook. Maron’s specialty, though, is standing onstage delivering articulate, wry bits that intermingle the confessional and the psychoanalytical.

Though he’s proven himself with an eclectic resume that includes movies, TV, a book, two stints as a radio host, and several great albums (the most recent of which is the excellent double-disc set Final Engagement, from Stand Up! Records) and carved out a choice niche for himself in the comedy world, Maron has no fear of becoming too comfortable and cramping his style. “Everything is an ongoing struggle, so I’ll fuck things up,” he says. “We’re not running the risk of me becoming a perfect person.” Local comic Amber Preston, recently returned from the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival, will open. 21+. (Photo by Seth Olenick)
Sat., July 17, 9 p.m., 2010