Marc Maron

28th March 2023

Marc Maron has been performing stand-up comedy for decades. He always figured that would be his legacy. 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 as a comedian: he’d work the road, get a TV gig now and then. But as he got closer to middle age, he realized that lifestyle wasn’t sustainable. So, he started making WTF. The success came shortly after, but Maron didn’t leave stand-up behind. Earlier this year, he released a new comedy special on HBO called From Bleak to Dark where he talks about the loss of his partner, Lynn Shelton. It’s some of his best work yet. 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.

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. 

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow
Video Editor

Guests

  • Marc Maron

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

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Senior Producer

Producer

Maximum Fun Producer

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Video Editor

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