Martin Landau is an Oscar-winning actor with a lifetime of work on film, TV and stage. But he's also one of the foremost educators on his craft. Martin takes Marc through his early days in New York City at The Actors Studio studying under Lee Strasberg alongside fellow students like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, which led to Martin becoming a revered acting teacher in his own right. This episode is sponsored by Stamps.com.
Comedian Martha Kelly told Zach Galifianakis she cannot act. That didn't stop Zach from casting her as one of the leads on his show Baskets, but Martha's insecurity plagued her throughout life and, as she tells Marc, probably had something to do with her alcoholism, depression, eating disorder, and suicidal thoughts. Plus, Marc's buddy Dan Pashman stops by to talk about Bruce Springsteen. This episode is sponsored by Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, Dunkin' Donuts, Squarespace, and Blue Apron.
John Larroquette knows that people still identify him most strongly with Night Court, and he's okay with that. John believes things would have been different if he hadn't made his character, Dan Fielding, endearing beneath his cynical exterior. John and Marc talk about booze, recovery, sobriety, Stripes, The Librarians, and the one job that was so intense, John forgot his wife's birthday for the only time in 40 years. This episode is sponsored by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central, Katie Couric on Earwolf, ZipRecruiter, and The Great Courses Plus.
Roger Corman made hundreds of films and gave huge opportunities to filmmakers who became the best Hollywood has to offer. Now, at 90 years old, Roger joins Marc to look back at his career of high concepts and low budgets. Plus, hear from a young director, G.J. Echternkamp, who just went through the full Corman experience while making Roger's latest film, Death Race 2050. This episode is sponsored by the new series Six on History, Hint Water, and Casper.
Before James Hetfield formed Metallica, his musical awareness was shaped in equal parts by classical music, Aerosmith and the desire to kill disco. James talks with Marc about the band's continued growth, his recovery from not only addiction but also anger issues, and his belief that bands need to reconcile no matter how bad the break-up. This episode is sponsored by Workaholics on Comedy Central, Colony on USA, Hint Water, and Stamps.com.
Martha Plimpton says she learned how to act on the job. She talks with Marc about her childhood roles in movies like The Goonies, how those paved the way for her work on Broadway, and what she does to overcome crippling stage fright. Plus, Marc's friend Laurie Kilmartin stops by to talk about how she was able to take overwhelming grief and turn it into a new comedy special. This episode is sponsored by the new series SIX on History, Squarespace and Stamps.com.
Marc leaves the cozy confines of the garage and heads to New Jersey (where else?) to talk with The Boss. Just two Jersey guys hanging out, talking about dads, depression, fear, fulfillment and the future. Bruce tells Marc how and why he constructed "Bruce Springsteen" and what he's learned about the struggle we all go through to become who we really are. This episode is sponsored by UNDP, Hint Water, Blue Apron, and Audible.
Singer-songwriter David Bromberg is a human bridge between at least a half-dozen different styles of music. David and Marc talk about the pivotal evolution of modern music, as folk transitioned into rock, and all the people David worked with over the years, including Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, The Band, The Grateful Dead and Reverend Gary Davis. Plus, David explains why he quit for 20 years and developed a highly specific obsession. This episode is sponsored by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and Loot Crate.
Marc makes a pilgrimage to Las Vegas for a sit-down with Sammy Shore, a comic with a long show business life that doesn't quite have the ending he planned on. Sammy tells Marc about starting his career as Shecky Greene's partner, becoming the opening act for Elvis, starting The Comedy Store, and how each of these successful points of his career seemed to fall apart every time. This episode is sponsored by Sonos and Casper.
It's not entirely accurate to say this episode has never been heard by anyone before. About 700 people were in the room at the Now Hear This podcast festival in Anaheim this past October to hear Marc and his producer Brendan McDonald reveal the secrets behind WTF. It's the first time Marc and Brendan ever did anything like this together in front of a live audience. This episode is sponsored by Squatty Potty.
A lot of former child stars have been in the garage, but Derek Trucks wasn't so much a child star as he was a prodigy. At the age of nine, Derek was a guitar wizard. He talks with Marc about avoiding the pitfall of becoming a novelty act and evolving into a versatile practitioner and appreciator of music, with help from several notable mentors along the way. This episode is sponsored by Squatty Potty, Sonos, Blue Apron, and Audible.
Annette Bening attributes her longevity in acting to stopping when she wanted. She talks with Marc about being able to put the brakes on her career when dealing with the responsibilities of parenting. They also talk about privacy, winning (or not winning) awards, Warren Beatty, and the many influential people Annette worked with who are no longer with us, including Garry Shandling, Mike Nichols, John Candy, and Robin Williams. This episode is sponsored by Joule from ChefSteps and Stamps.com.
Every so often Marc gets together with Tom Scharpling of The Best Show to figure out life's big questions. They record these conversations and release them as The Marc and Tom Show. This one was recorded almost four years ago and was never released. For the first time, hear Marc and Tom talk about painful high school experiences, times they've fallen victim to con artists, what they plan to do during the apocalypse, and more. Featuring theme music by The Tokeleys. This episode is sponsored by Squatty Potty.
Comedian Billy West is a master of voices and one of the preeminent voiceover artists working today. Billy tells Marc about his need to escape into characters while growing up in a chaotic home. It was a retreat from reality that led to success later in life with Ren and Stimpy, Futurama, The Howard Stern Show and countless other projects. And it all hinged on his lifelong love of The Three Stooges. This episode is sponsored by Children International, MeUndies, and Squarespace.
Casey Affleck says he doesn't want fame or stardom. So how's he handling it now that the spotlight keeps getting hotter? Casey talks with Marc about growing up in Massachusetts, maturing as an actor, living in the public eye, having kids, dealing with an alcoholic dad, and creating his performance in Manchester by the Sea. This episode is sponsored by Children International, Squarespace, Stamps.com, Blue Apron and Squatty Potty.
In September 2016, Marc recorded a conversation with the legendary Jerry Lewis. Until now, no one has heard it other than those in the room. This was supposed to be a full-length episode of WTF, but the interview was compromised and there were no plans to release it. Marc explains what happened as we present this never-before-heard conversation. This episode is sponsored by If She Only Knew from Kensington Books.
Comedian Shane Mauss saw his career gathering steam only to stall out and make him feel like opportunities were passing him by. Then an accident that left him with two broken feet coincided with another journey. One that involves neuroscience, psychedelic drugs, and an altered perception that led to a career rejuvenation. This episode is sponsored by SimpliSafe, Sonos, Carnivore Club, and Squarespace.
As Dana Carvey puts it, he gave a Heisman to fame, essentially putting himself on the sidelines of showbiz for 15 years. Dana and Marc talk about the string of events that happened after SNL and Wayne's World that prompted Dana to reevaluate what's important in life and how he's developed a new perspective on his early years. This episode is sponsored by Sonos, Joule by ChefSteps, Casper, and Stamps.com.