Marc Maron on Podcast Grifters, Fascism & His Legacy

**Kara Swisher** (0:00)
I'm not anxious at all, actually. Do you know that?

**Marc Maron** (0:03)
You're not anxious at all?

**Kara Swisher** (0:04)
No, I'm a lesbian, so I'm not even saying.

**Marc Maron** (0:07)
So you've moved through anxiety?

**Kara Swisher** (0:09)
I never had it.

**Marc Maron** (0:10)
Never had it?

**Kara Swisher** (0:10)
No.
It's on!
Hi, everyone, from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. This is On with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher. My guest today is stand-up comedian and actor Marc Maron. You probably know Marc as the host of the podcast WTF, which just ended its run last fall after 16 years and nearly 1,700 episodes. On it, he interviewed everyone from President Barack Obama and Keith Richards to Carol Burnett and Robin Williams. In addition to the podcast whose critically acclaimed stand-up comedy specials, Marc has starred in a number of TV shows and films, including the Netflix series Glow, the Apple TV+ golf comedy Stick, and the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere. Now, Marc is the star and producer of a new film called In Memoriam from writer and director Rob Burnett. Marc plays Langston Stanfield, a talented narcissistic and arrogant actor who receives a terminal cancer diagnosis.
He becomes obsessed with making it into the Oscars In Memoriam montage and cementing his legacy as an artist, and is forced to confront failed relationships and many missteps in his personal life along the way. I want to talk to Marc because he's the OG podcaster. I love all his other stuff and I think he's an amazing stand-up comedian, but he was here early during the podcast days. He was even earlier than I was and I've been here a long time, and I just think he's really been brilliant. He's a great interviewer and I love his stand-up. I love his attacks of the tech oligarchs. So there's a lot for us to talk to. So let's get into the conversation with Marc Maron. I interviewed him earlier this week after the world premiere of In Memoriam at the Tribeca Film Festival. Our expert question today comes from comedian Tig Notaro. Stick around.
Thanks again to Odoo for supporting this show. Odoo wants to be your ultimate all-in-one, fully integrated platform to handle everything. Seriously, everything. Inventory, CRM, accounting, HR, and much more. No more shopping around or settling for expensive services that can only handle a fraction of your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you? Try Odoo for free at odoo.com. That's odoo.com.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:46)
Support for this show comes from O-Doo.
Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? Introducing O-Doo. It's the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one fully integrated platform that makes your work easier. CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce, and more. And the best part, O-Doo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you?
Try O-Doo for free at odoo.com. That's odoo.com.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:30)
New markdowns up to 70% off are at Nordstrom Rack stores now.
Stock up and stay big on shoes, tops, dresses, accessories, and more must-haves for summer. Join the Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack.

**Kara Swisher** (3:57)
Marc, thanks for joining me at an opening night of the Trebekah Film Festival Podcast stage for a live taping of On with Kara Swisher.
So, let's start talking about your careers. You spent decades working in stand-up before your podcast WTF took off. Now, you're doing some of your best acting work. You've said at your core, you're an urgent person. So, talk about urgency.

**Marc Maron** (4:24)
Urgency in a TED Talk way or just personal?

**Kara Swisher** (4:27)
Personal. You can TED Talk it if you want.

**Marc Maron** (4:30)
Yeah. The reason urgency is so important to us.

**Kara Swisher** (4:35)
Now, do an NPR voice.

**Marc Maron** (4:38)
I'm urgent and I think about it a lot.

**Kara Swisher** (4:42)
Okay. That sounds like you're going to the bathroom.

**Marc Maron** (4:43)
Go ahead. That sounds like NPR.

**Kara Swisher** (4:45)
Yeah.

**Marc Maron** (4:47)
I guess I'm an urgent person because I'm filled with anxiety and dread most of the time. So, everything starts in a panic and moves through in a panic.
I wake up in a mild panic. I don't know why.
I'm trying to resolve that. But everything is urgent because even things that I want to do when I know I have to do them, when I remember I have to do them, it's always like, oh, fuck, I have to. And that's not really a great way to enter something you want to do. I don't know if it's urgent as much as it is anxious.