Sonic Youth founding member Thurston Moore is not just an influential figure in the evolution of Noise Rock and the no-wave art scene. He’s a chronicler of subversive music and other forms of artistic expression, as detailed in his memoir Sonic Life. Thurston talks with Marc about living on the Lower East Side in the ‘70s and ‘80s and the people who were part of the scene, including Patti Smith, The Ramones and Thurston’s future bandmate and wife Kim Gordon.
Rory Scovel is back in the garage, fresh off premiering a new standup special on Max that Marc found extremely funny. Now at a point in his life where his smack in the middle between feeling young and feeling old, Rory talks with Marc veteran comic to veteran comic about their philosophies on building a comedy hour, riffing, flying by the seat of their pants, re-doing older material, getting jokes from other comics and the intent behind filthy jokes.
Hear Marc’s conversations with past WTF guests who are nominated for Oscars this year: Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright, Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, America Ferrera, Mark Ruffalo, Yorgos Lanthimos, Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig, Rodrigo Prieto, Lily Gladstone, and Robbie Robertson.
Ben Mendelsohn is a prolific actor with a dynamic range, and yet most of his training came from watching movies as a young kid in Australia and learning from the stars he saw on screen. Ben and Marc talk about their shared love of AC/DC, the social gravity of Australia, and the enjoyment of doing nothing. They also dive into some of Ben’s notable roles in Animal Kingdom, Babyteeth and his portrayal of Christian Dior in the series The New Look.
Mae Martin is Canadian, has a background in sketch comedy, spent a lot of time doing standup in England, and is non-binary. And yet, despite a life that couldn’t seem more different than Marc’s, the two of them have a surprising amount in common. Mae and Marc share stories on their struggles with addiction and compare notes on how they work through their vulnerabilities on stage. Also, Marc pays tribute to one of his comedy heroes and inspirations, Richard Lewis.
Richard Lewis was a comedy hero and inspiration to Marc. They spent their first extended time together in 2011 for this conversation about Richard's life and career. Richard died on February 27, 2024 at age 76.
Lily Gladstone knows that people project all manner of emotions and intentions onto her when she gives a performance. Lily and Marc talk about why that happens, including the reaction to her Oscar-nominated performance in Killers of the Flower Moon. They also talk about the time Lily was thinking about giving up acting just as Kelly Reichardt cast her in Certain Women, why it was so important for her to play an incarcerated mother on Reservation Dogs, and why she believes every role she takes becomes an Indigenous role, regardless of the original intent.
Rodrigo Prieto is the cinematographer of two of last year's most celebrated films: Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon, for which he is Oscar-nominated. Rodrigo talks with Marc about finding the right look for multiple Martin Scorsese movies as well as his strategy for achieving what Greta Gerwig called "artificial authenticity." They also talk about Rodrigo's work with Spike Lee, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Ang Lee, Julie Taymor, Oliver Stone, Cameron Crowe, Pedro Almodóvar, and Ben Affleck, his visual contributions to films like Babel, Frida, Brokeback Mountain, and Argo, as well as his own film which he just directed.
America Ferrera didn't expect that her performance in Barbie would lead to an Oscar nomination but few things in life have gone in a straight line for the daughter of working class immigrants from Honduras. America and Marc talk about how she encountered stereotypical typecasting even at a young age but saw that her work was making a tangible difference in how people saw themselves on the screen. They also talk about how America satisfied her desire for a career in international relations, her feelings about being part of cultural conversations dictated by others, and that Barbie monologue.
Before Mark Ruffalo became the Hulk, he deeply understood what it felt like to be two people in the same skin. A high school wrestler and a member of the drama club, a surfer and a punk rocker, a person with a family history of bipolarity. Mark and Marc talk about how he used this duality in many of his roles, including his Oscar-nominated turn in Poor Things. They also talk about his recent testimony to Congress, his fear of doing SNL, and the terrifying health scare that turned his life upside down just as his career was taking off.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph is in the midst of the highly competitive Hollywood award season, but the competitive fire always burns strong within her. From high school basketball to her time on a track scholarship to her foray into opera to the theater program at Yale, Da’Vine is always aiming for the top spot. She talks with Marc about nailing her Boston accent for The Holdovers, the reason she stopped singing, and the opportunities she’s making for herself in light of all the award talk.
Ed Zwick’s career as a director, writer and producer in Hollywood lends itself to the full memoir treatment, complete with stories about stars behaving badly and development disasters. But Ed’s new book also serves as a guide to mentorship in a business where every bit of help counts. Ed and Marc discuss some of his most successful productions, like Glory, The Last Samurai and thirtysomething, as well as some of the lumps he took along the way. Plus, Marc pays tribute to the late Mojo Nixon.
John Oliver is one of those people who just gets Marc. It’s not surprising, considering John has become one of the sharpest observers of the American way of life. Back in the garage after almost twelve years, John talks with Marc about having what he calls a functional version of a nervous breakdown during the pandemic, finding hope in a painting of rat erotica, and the process of putting together Last Week Tonight as it returns for its eleventh season.
Laurie Kilmartin can make comedy out of the darkest situations in her life, from her father’s hospice care to her mother dying of Covid to being targeted by Fox News and the right wing for making an abortion joke. The latter became the foundation for her latest special, Cis Woke Grief Slut, and Laurie talks with Marc about how comedy can survive information bubbles and the lack of a shared national dialogue. They also talk about getting to a point in their lives where it’s time to let things go.
Marc's 2014 conversation with Wayne Kramer, co-founder of the legendary rock group MC5, covering the ‘60s, jazz, Iggy Pop, the White Panther Party, prison, drugs and more. Wayne died on February 2, 2024 at age 75.
In the thirteen years since Bobby Lee was last on WTF, he and Marc have grown to like each other more and more. For one thing, Marc taught Bobby how to tell time. But aside from that, they’ve shared a lot together as two veteran comics regularly working the same clubs, dealing with sobriety, and coming to terms with the changes around them. Marc and Bobby compare notes on relationships, podcasts, grudges, and having happiness for the success of their peers. To an extent.
Jon Cryer has been in show business for most of his life and has seen the changes, both rapid and gradual, within the industry. Jon talks with Marc about his early stage work, his breakthrough in film with Pretty in Pink, and his great success on network TV, which he just returned to with the new sitcom Extended Family. They also talk about the wild ride shared by anyone who was in the orbit of his former co-star, Charlie Sheen.
Moshe Kasher already wrote a memoir about his years as a teenage substance abuser growing up in an orthodox Jewish family with two deaf parents. Now Moshe’s back to talk with Marc about his second memoir, Subculture Vulture, which deals with how he put his life together since those teen years, including getting sober, embracing rave culture, finding standup comedy, becoming a husband and father, and the identity crisis along the way.