Marc Maron

Episode notes

Photo: Oluwaseye Olusa/HBO

CW: This conversation includes mention of death/illness of a partner. 

Marc Maron has been performing stand-up comedy for decades. He always figured that would be his legacy. 

That was until he started the mother of all podcasts: WTF with Marc Maron. 

The podcast came out of a very uncertain time in Marc’s life. He’d been a comic since his mid-20s and had been living a hectic life ever since. Maron would work the road, get a TV gig now and then. But, as he got closer to middle age, it didn’t seem like a sustainable lifestyle. 

Looking for a bit of stability, Maron took a job doing morning radio. That show got canceled. He got another job. Which also got canceled. But, his keycard still worked. 

So, he decided to take a leap of faith. Maron and his producer snuck into the office at night and started making a podcast. That show was WTF. 

After a few months, Maron moved to LA and started recording in his garage. And after a few more months, he was a phenomenon. 

Since 2009, he’s interviewed some of the most notable people around. Robin Williams. Michelle Yeoh. And even the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. 

But, even with the enormous success of his podcast, Maron didn’t leave standup behind. Far from it.

In February, he released his new special on HBO: From Bleak to Dark. 

Although Marc’s stage work has always been personal, this time around it’s particularly heavy. Partly because of the pandemic. But mostly because of the death of his partner, Lynn Shelton. She died of cancer in 2020. 

The result isn’t sad, per se. In fact, Marc seems comfortable with himself and the person he’s become in the wake of grief. He’s able to be frank and vulnerable. Yet, he’s still Marc. He’s a little bit silly. A little bit cynical. But not too much. It’s some of his best work. 

This week on Bullseye, Marc Maron reminisces on his life as a struggling comic and talks about his tremendous success as a podcast host. Plus, what it was like to get behind a mic after losing one of the most important people in his life. 

Marc’s comedy special From Bleak to Dark is available to stream on HBO Max. You can stream his podcast WTF With Marc Maron wherever you get your podcasts.