Comedy Deep Dive: Marc Maron, WTF and the Podcast That Changed Comedy

Marc Maron recorded 1,686 episodes of WTF with Marc Maron. For the final one, he went back to Barack Obama, the guest whose 2015 visit to Maron’s garage became a defining moment in podcast history. In this Comedy Deep Dive, Johnny Mac tells the story of Marc Maron and WTF, from Maron’s turbulent years in stand-up and radio to launching a podcast out of his garage and becoming one of comedy’s most important interviewers. We revisit the unlikely rise of WTF, Maron’s reputation for being brilliant, combative and occasionally difficult, his years at Air America, and the interview style that separated WTF from the traditional celebrity publicity circuit. These weren’t five-minute junket conversations. Maron talked about failure, addiction, jealousy, depression, careers, relationships and comedy, often getting famous guests to tell stories they hadn't told anywhere else. There’s the extraordinary Robin Williams conversation that was eventually selected for preservation by the National Recording Registry. There’s President Barack Obama arriving at Maron’s garage with the Secret Service in 2015, a moment that helped demonstrate how powerful podcasting had become. And there’s Obama again, a decade later, sitting down with Maron for the final WTF. The story also includes Maron’s sobriety, the devastating loss of filmmaker Lynn Shelton, his From Bleak to Dark comedy special, the documentary Are We Good?, his acting career, and why WTF became something that countless podcasters tried to imitate but could never quite reproduce. After sixteen years, hundreds of millions of downloads and conversations with many of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment, Marc Maron decided he was done. So what exactly did WTF change? Questions this Comedy Deep Dive answers: Why did Marc Maron end WTF? How did WTF with Marc Maron begin? Why did Marc Maron record a podcast in his garage? What made Marc Maron’s interview style different? Why was the Robin Williams WTF interview so important? What happened when Barack Obama visited Marc Maron’s garage? Why was Obama appearing on WTF a landmark moment for podcasting? How did WTF influence comedy podcasts? Who was the final guest on WTF with Marc Maron? And why was WTF so difficult to imitate? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac--4522158/support. Today's DCN is brought to you by MyBookie use promo code DCN! Daily Comedy News is hosted by Johnny Mac and releases every weekday. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite app. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network. For transcripts and show notes visit www.dailycomedynews.com Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac is a daily podcast covering comedians, stand-up comedy, late night television, and the comedy industry. New episodes every morning. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.   Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com  For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says Uninterrupted Listening.  $4.99/month  John's Substack about media is free.