It took Lewis Black 50 years to break through to mainstream audiences, but his passion was on the page for most of his life, specifically in the form of playwrighting. Find out what Lewis was doing before he became known for his sizzling rage and caustic insights on The Daily Show and in his stand-up comedy. This episode is sponsored by Comedy Central, the WNYC App, Silicon Valley on HBO, and Lumosity.
How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor first met Marc about nine years ago, fresh off landing the role of Ted Mosby. Now Josh sits down in the garage on the same day that his long-running series comes to an end. Marc and Josh talk about his personal and professional evolution over those nine years, as well as the many things that define him beyond his time on a hit sitcom. This episode is sponsored by GoToMeeting from Citrix and by Stamps.com.
Continuing the through line from the last episode, Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood tells Marc about the history of Southern Rock, particularly the strain that grew out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Hear why David Hood, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Jason Isbell play such important roles in that genre as well as in Patterson’s life and career. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, everything you need to create an exceptional website.
For a young guy, singer-songwriter Jason Isbell has already been down the road and back again. Marc finds out about Jason’s upbringing in rural Alabama, his days as a member of Drive-By Truckers, and how sobriety gave new life to his career. This episode is sponsored by NatureBox and GoToMeeting by Citrix.
Comedian Dan Vitale was a one-and-done cast member on a season of Saturday Night Live in the mid-80s. But to Marc, Dan was always someone to be admired for his raw and aggravated style of stand-up. Dan visits with Marc to explain what happened along the way, how he got so close to the brass ring, and how it slipped out of reach. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace and LegalZoom.
Marc has a soft spot for comedian Duncan Trussell thanks to a gesture of kindness at The Comedy Store. Now, in the garage, Marc gets a clearer picture as to why Duncan is such a nice guy. Duncan gives the details of the spiritual quest that helped him cope with the most difficult time in his life. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s, the best way to get a clean shave, and by Sirens on USA Network.
“People expect me to either defend or explain my generation but, because I feel 75 inside myself, I’m not really the right candidate for the job.” That’s what Girls creator Lena Dunham tells Marc when she visits the garage. Instead of carrying the burdens of an entire generation, Lena and Marc talk about modern art, feminism, filmmaking, dating and a morbid fascination with death. This episode is sponsored by PillPack, Sirens on USA Network, Stamps.com and LegalZoom.
Annabelle Gurwitch and Marc are dealing with being on the other side of 50 in different ways. The comedic actress and author returns to the garage to tell Marc how she’s coping with being a mom to a teenage boy, why she’s feeling excluded from the culture and what she’s doing to find solace. This episode is sponsored by Sirens on USA Network, Warby Parker, Audible and Comedy Central.
You may know Kevin McDonald as a member of the influential comedy group Kids in the Hall. But if you’re like Marc, you’re not aware that there’s an Academy Award-winning filmmaker from Scotland named Kevin Macdonald. This is the story of how Marc wound up talking to both of them in the garage, which was definitely NOT the plan. This episode is sponsored by Sirens on USA Network, LegalZoom and Stamps.com.
Billy Connolly brings his powerful charisma and propulsive storytelling to the garage. Find out how a working class lad from Glasgow, Scotland became a comic-actor-musician who dined with the Queen. Also, Adam Carolla drops by the garage to talk about the latest efforts to save podcasting from predatory patent trolls. This episode is sponsored by Sirens on USA Network, Squarespace and GoToMeeting by Citrix.
Comedian Allan Stephan is in the garage to challenge some of the conventional wisdom surrounding The Comedy Store. Allan brings another side of the story to Mitzi Shore’s rise and the infamous comic strike of 1979. Also, Allan talks about two of the defining relationships in his career - Sam Kinison and Roseanne. This episode is sponsored by Sirens on USA Network and by Stamps.com.
It’s not every day that Marc refers to a guest as “a handful.” But not every guest is Tom Arnold. The veteran comic and actor discusses the difficult past he had to overcome to make it into the business, as well as the challenge to define himself as more than just the guy who was married to Roseanne. This episode is sponsored by Vimeo, Catch a Contractor on Spike, Audible and Sirens on USA Network.
Author and journalist Jon Ronson provided Marc with a lot of conversation points through his books, including Them: Adventures with Extremists, The Men Who Stare At Goats and The Psychopath Test. Jon and Marc mine that material to discuss conspiracy theorists, hoarders and victims of public shaming. Also, Andy Daly pops into the garage after papering Marc’s neighborhood with fliers for his new Comedy Central series, Review. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, Stamps.com and USA Network’s new series Sirens.
Comedian Laurie Kilmartin writes dozens of jokes daily for Conan O’Brien, but she has no problem jumping into some serious material in the garage with Marc. Laurie discusses her struggles with an eating disorder, her transition from a road comic to a steady television writer, and the challenges of a single mom working in show business. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, GoToMeeting and Hover.com.
Mike and Molly’s Billy Gardell took the long road from stand-up comedy to television success. After years as a hardworking road comic, it was only when Billy’s life was at it’s lowest point - thanks to addiction, a crumbling marriage and a career he thought had bottomed out - that Billy got the big break that had eluded him all those years. This episode is sponsored by Vimeo, Stamps.com and Catch a Contractor on Spike.
One of the comics Marc has always wanted on WTF is Ron White. He gets his chance in the garage when Ron sits down to talk about his early life in the military, his hazy days breaking into the business, his eventual escape to Mexico and his involvement from start to finish of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which made him one of the biggest stars in comedy. This episode is sponsored by Comedy Central, Pro Flowers and Squarespace.
This episode is all about soap. Soap and religion and schizophrenia and firefighting foam and psychedelics and the drug wars and civil disobedience and the never-ending struggle to improve the way we live. But mostly soap. Marc talks with David Bronner about his grandfather’s famous creation, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap. David provides the details about Emanuel Bronner’s life and the legacy of a product that still mystifies millions of consumers. This episode is sponsored by Shari’s Berries, Stamps.com and ProFlowers.
When Langhorne Slim was first starting out as a singer-songwriter, his first appearance on live radio was with Marc. Now, more than eight years later, both Marc and Langhorne Slim are a little older and a little wiser during this chat in the garage. It turns out they share a similar process of discovering material and they have likeminded vulnerabilities when it comes to performing. And there’s also a great story about a chance encounter with Bruce Springsteen. This episode is sponsored by Pro Flowers and Shari’s Berries.