Before discovering comedy, A. Whitney Brown dropped out of the eighth grade, bounced around reform schools, had a criminal record, and spent time in jail. Now, after a career that saw him do standup on Carson, write for SNL during its late-‘80s renaissance, and help launch The Daily Show, Whitney says he’s happy to be out of show business. Marc caught up with Whitney at his home in Austin, Texas to talk about his life, his leisure and Mark Twain.
Joe Mande’s past appearances on WTF involve him being a sort of merry comic prankster, like back in the heyday of Twitter when he was trolling politicians and corporate brands on a daily basis. But in today’s polarized social environment, Joe and Marc talk about how tricky it is to be a modern day troublemaker. They also discuss their shared love of Michael Clayton, courtside basketball, and Joe’s hand in the making of the show Hacks.
Chris Pine is in the position to offer Marc some advice. As the first-time director of the new movie Poolman, Chris gives Marc practical tips as Marc entertains the possibility of directing a film. But Chris also provides Marc with some insight into why people like them still feel a need to keep going despite their clear measurements of success. They also talk about Star Trek, Hell or High Water, Chris’s dad Robert Pine, Denzel Washington and the eclipse that was happening during this conversation.
Before Tiffany Haddish rocketed to stardom with Girls Trip, she saw Marc at the back entrance of The Comedy Store and told him that she was going to be on his podcast one day. Today is that day. Tiffany and Marc talk about who she was in those days before worldwide fame, how she came up in the foster care system, how she found her voice at comedy camp, and how she wound up navigating the new world of being a major celebrity.
While watching Neal Brennan’s new Netflix special, Crazy Good, Marc learned new things about Neal despite knowing each other for 30 years. They sit down to figure out how things have changed for them, whether they are truly feeling better in their lives, and why they are still pursuing some version of success they can’t quite pinpoint. Neal also shares some insight he received directly from Bono that might answer some of their questions.
Nearly 30 years ago in the alt-comedy scene of New York City, Marc crossed paths with an evangelical country singer named Tammy Faye Starlite. She’s the alter ego of lifelong New Yorker Tammy Lang, who stormed the city’s cabarets and clubs with her own form of performance art and musicality. Tammy and Marc reminisce about the days at places like Luna Lounge, the creation of the Tammy Faye Starlight character, and why she started performing as real singers, like Marianne Faithfull and Nico.
Paula Pell is often celebrated as one of the funniest people alive by some of the other funniest people alive. The world is finally getting to see what they mean thanks to Paula’s standout role on Girls5eva, but for years she was comedy’s best kept secret, writing legendary SNL sketches, doing punch-up and script doctoring for major movies, and contributing to hit sitcoms and award shows. Paula tells Marc why it took her a long time to feel comfortable being in the spotlight as a performer.
When Marc asked Jimmy Carr to be a guest on WTF years ago, Jimmy admits he wasn’t ready for it. He was already an established comedian at the time, but he felt like Public Jimmy was one thing and Private Jimmy was another. Now years later, Jimmy believes that age and experience have allowed him to get out of his comedy comfort zone and explore more personal truths, as he does in this talk with Marc and in his new Netflix special, Natural Born Killer.
When Malcolm McDowell left behind Liverpool to pursue acting in London, he didn’t imagine it would be the start of 60 years as a performer. Malcolm talks with Marc about his extraordinary career, including his work with Stanley Kubrick on A Clockwork Orange, the pornographic fate of Caligula, and stories about Lawrence Olivier, Alan Bates, Peter Sellers, Robert Altman, Mick Jagger and more. Malcolm also explains why he fell hard for Newfoundland while making the series Son of a Critch.
Alex Edelman is the kind of comic who makes Marc immediately anxious. But it’s quickly apparent that Marc is reacting to the fact that he sees so much of himself in Alex. They’re both still dealing with complex feelings about their Jewish identities. They both paid their comedy dues doing road gigs in Boston. They both experiment with long-form storytelling, wondering if they’re doing one-man shows or standup, or if there’s a difference. They hash all this out as they discuss Alex’s new HBO special, Just For Us.
Carol Burnett turns 91 later this month and is still going strong with a featured role in the new series Palm Royale. But Carol is quick to remind Marc that the great success she achieved happened in part due to the kindness of strangers. Carol and Marc talk about the mysterious benefactors who helped her get to New York where she found success on the stage, then on television, and then with her own variety show. They also talk about her friendship with Lucille Ball, collaborating with Julie Andrews, and the closeness of The Carol Burnett Show cast.
Standup comedy transformed Dina Hashem’s life. So why is she at a point, right after releasing her acclaimed first special, where she cares less about standup than ever before? Dina talks with Marc about her isolated upbringing in New Jersey, her revelatory first time doing comedy, and why she has a hard time recognizing herself in her own special. Dina also talks about drumming, skateboarding, and writing for The Daily Show.
Celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist Alejandro Escovedo made one of Marc’s favorite albums, the 1992 solo record Gravity. But the raw, intimate poetry of that album came from a real place of grief and anguish in Alejandro’s life. They talk about what led up to that point, including his early bands The Nuns, Rank and File, and True Believers, and the rocky road afterward when Alejandro’s health took a turn for the worse. They also discuss his new album, Echo Dancing, and why he chose to reinterpret his own work.
David Krumholtz lives and breathes Hollywood because, according to him, he has no other choice. The prolific character actor got what he considers a once in a lifetime break at age 13, so he needed to honor whatever fates gave him that opportunity by devoting himself entirely to acting. David talks with Marc about what he’s learned from co-stars like Judd Hirsch and Alan Arkin as well as directors like Christopher Nolan and the Coen Brothers, and he also reflects on his leading man status in the new film Lousy Carter.
Tig Notaro’s new comedy special is called “Hello, Again” which serves as a reintroduction of sorts, considering how much has changed in Tig’s life over the years. Tig explains to Marc how her previous tough, no-nonsense demeanor gave way to a different side after surviving cancer and falling in love. They talk about how Tig’s relationship developed with her wife Stephanie and why, after being pushed to the brink by illness, she just wants to raise her family and do work that’s important to her.
This is Eddie Pepitone’s 25th appearance on WTF, by far the most appearances on the show for anyone other than Marc. And yet Eddie and Marc have never had a full length one-on-one talk in the garage. They attempt to do so in this episode, despite of Eddie’s aversion to linear logic and his aggressive style of comedic free association. Will they stay on track? Will they be able to follow through on at least one thought? Find out as they also try to come up with a central concept for Eddie’s upcoming comedy special.
Dave Attell and Marc have known each other for 35 years but really only converse at length on this podcast. Back on WTF after 14 years, Dave explains why he’s still on the road all the time as he gets set to premiere his new Netflix special, Hot Cross Buns. Dave and Marc also marvel at the current comedy boom in comparison to some of the down times they’ve lived through and they both share notes on what it’s like to be sons taking care of elderly parents.
When Todd Glass was on WTF back in 2012, he decided to do something that changed his entire life. Now, twelve years later, Todd is looking to change the way he does comedy for the rest of his career. Todd tells Marc about his new stage show, The Event of a Lifetime, why he wants to do it forever, and the challenges he’s facing while putting it on its feet. They also talk about the state of comedy today, the benefits of tour buses, and hugging.