BONUS Ask Marc Anything #21
Here we go.
I got your questions.
Let's get into it.
Is there a question you would never ask of a guest?
And have you ever regretted asking a question on your show?
Yeah, in the moment, I think I've regretted asking questions, but usually it's followed by whatever discomfort it causes or awkwardness or if it makes the cut.
So there's nothing in particular that stands out in mind as a question I regretted asking.
I've usually bounced back from them.
And sometimes even if I regret it, it doesn't mean it was bad for the interview.
Is there a question I would never ask a guest?
I don't know.
There's not one in particular.
It's usually guest to guest.
I'm not that...
I'm not really that curious or courting of controversy or sex life details.
So there is no set question.
I would never ask a guest.
What's the ratio between you asking for guests to come on your show versus they asked to come on your show?
Well,
I don't know.
You know, we get people who now and for years now have been out on press tours who are willing to come on and do what I do as opposed to a junket stop.
So I would say I would say that the ratio is more much more leaning towards guests, you know, wanting to come on the show because we get pitched a lot of guests.
Which late film director would you like to have talked to on WTF?
Well, I would like to have talked to Billy Wilder.
He seems like an interesting guy and a tremendous mind in an intellectual sense.
But also Kubrick, I think, would have been interesting, but I probably would have been in too deep with him.
Who else?
Who have I been watching lately?
I think Elia Kazan would have been interesting as well.
That's a few off the top of my head.
Would you ever consider having Louis C.K.
back onto the podcast and dive into all that has occurred since your last fallout?
Well, no.
Not really.
The fallout was primarily on his side.
I think I handled his situation as well as could be expected and still sort of, you know, making myself available to be his friend.
And...
He just cut me out entirely for whatever reason.
And and I don't I'm OK with that.
We didn't speak for years.
And recently we we saw each other at the Comedy Cellar and we had a nice conversation and it was pretty normal.
And it seemed to be back into at least a polite place.
But that's fine.
I'm good with that.
I saw your interview with Larry David in D.C.
in 2024 and was wondering if you are friends with him and if you see him on occasion.
Yeah, I mean, we've texted a couple of times here and there, and I do see him on occasion.
It's a rare occasion, but I wouldn't say we're friends, but, you know, I can text him.
That's kind of a friend, right?
Have you made any headway towards a Jonathan Richmond interview?
No, I have not.
Zero.
It was talked about with Jerry Harrison.
I've talked about it on the show, but there's been no move forward with that.
What was the impact of the Patrice O'Neill episode and what are your feelings about it in hindsight?
I think it's a very popular episode.
I think it's a very thorough and good kind of...
audio portrait of who that guy was.
I loved talking to him.
I thought that he was at times a problematic guy in the way he thought about things, but he definitely had a way of thinking about things.
And when some of his jokes that were the most provocative landed as a performer, no one was really as good as him.
And his whole being and presence on stage was something completely unique and powerful.
I feel in hindsight that, again, like I said, I think it's a very thorough and great representation of Patrice.
I think it's a great...
testimony to who he was.
I like that it's out there.
And again, you know, some of the things that he talked about and some of the ways he frames things are not the way I would and may be problematic to me or some others.
But that's who he was.
And I'm glad we had that time.
What is your most underrated Dylan record?
And you can't say Planet Waves.
Well, I was very excited and am still very excited about Infidels.
Now, Infidels, I'm not even sure when that came out.
I think it was in the early 80s, maybe 83 or something.
And I remember being thoroughly excited about Infidels.
you know, that record coming out.
Because it had Swy Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare as the rhythm section.
It had Mark Knopfler producing and playing guitar on it.
It had Mick Taylor playing guitar on it.
It was just a very interesting bunch of musicians.
The sound was very spare and kind of produced with a lot of punch to it.
And some of the songs are the greatest songs.
I mean, Sweetheart Like You,
It's one of the best songs.
It's one of the best Dylan songs.
Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight.
You know, Joker Man's on there, which is OK.
License to Kill I like a lot.
A Man of Peace.
I mean, I think it has to be Infidels.
And I don't really know where that stands in terms of how Dylan albums are rated.
But that's that's one for me.
How does your approach to practicing music and practicing your comedy differ?
Or does it arrive by the same style of observation and learning?
You know, I'm fairly stagnant in my evolution on guitar.
Like, I don't...
challenge myself to learn many new things on guitar.
I kind of stay in this similar space that I've always been in.
I think I'm okay in that space.
I have learned some new scales here and there, but I don't practice in the same way.
You know, stand-up is my job and it's my primary means of expression.
And I take a lot more chances with stand-up.
I try new things in stand-up.
I feel more adept at stand-up because I've sort of defined and
live in my craft.
I think I'm a very limited guitar player, but I enjoy doing it.
But I don't practice in the same way because I don't do new dangerous or things or take risks with guitar other than just trying to play it publicly.
Did Trey Anastasio play any of your guitars in the garage?
And if so, was it recorded?
He did not.
He did not play any of my guitars.
He complimented my guitar playing, which, you know, that was nice of him.
Do you use any effects, distortion, reverb, et cetera, on your guitar when you record for the show?
I have over the years, but I'm not really an effects guy.
Lately, I've used this Echoplex, this MXR, I think put out an Echoplex pedal.
I've used other things.
I've used phasers before and sometimes a tube screamer.
But generally, I'm going straight into one of these old tube amps for the distortion.
That's mostly what I do.
I think I'll use the Echo sometimes, the Echo Plex.
What are some of your favorite Skynyrd songs, especially deep cuts?
Good question.
Well, fuck it.
We can just go album for album.
Off of the first album, pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Big fan of I Ain't the One.
Tuesday's Gone, of course.
I guess Give Me Three Steps would be a well-known one, not a deep cut.
Simple Man.
That's a great song.
Poison Whiskey.
Yeah.
So on that album, those are the deeper cuts that I like if they are actually deeper.
Let's see.
Second Helping.
Big, huge fan of Call Me The Breeze.
And even just as big a fan of Swamp Music.
That might be a deeper cut.
Swamp Music is great.
I love the groove of Swamp Music.
Fucking love it.
And Call Me the Breeze, just the best.
The guitars on that are just the best.
Nothing fancy.
Well, you know, I like On the Hunt a lot.
And, well, Whiskey Rock and Roller, that's, I think that's not a deep cut.
Yeah.
Saturday Night Special, not a deep cut.
I think on that one, On the Hunt, is probably the one I would choose.
Now, give me back my bullets.
Not a celebrated Skinnered record, but man, some fucking great songs on that one, right?
Same Old Blues, great song.
Double Trouble, great song.
Searching, great song.
Cry for the Bad Man, awesome.
Give Me Back My Bullets is one of my favorite Skinner records, and it doesn't really get the attention it deserves.
Now, on Street Survivors, I know a little with, I believe, Steve Gaines playing the lead kind of jazz jump blues riff on that.
I love that fucking song.
I loved it.
And Ain't No Good Life, great.
Great song.
Great song on that one.
And then, you know, on the live records, that's probably enough.
I mean, there was a record that was put out.
It was kind of a weird record that had some studio stuff from early on.
And I don't see it here in the list, but it was like, I have the album, but it was like, it was like, you know, outtakes.
And I wonder if they have, is it under compilations?
Let's see.
Because that was something.
No, I don't see it here.
Huh.
That is odd.
It was like, I can't remember, maybe it was called Before and After or something like that.
But there were definitely some outtakes on there from real early stuff.
But I hope that's...
Enough Skinner talk.
That's the longest talk we've had on this session of this.
How accessible are you to your fans when in public?
If I saw you at an airport, I wouldn't want to interrupt or bother you.
But as a longtime fan, I would like to say hello.
Thoughts?
I don't have a problem with it.
Most of my fans are of a kind, of a type, of, you know, you're all generally polite people.
And yeah, I'm open to it.
You're all okay.
Are you coming to London anytime soon?
I don't have any plans.
Maybe we'll throw some dates together for for the fall or later in the summer.
When are you coming back to New Haven, Connecticut?
I was just there on this tour before I had to take a break from it.
But I'll be back, I imagine, if I keep doing stand up.
Will you ever do any live shows in Florida?
Probably not.
Are there any states in which you have not done stand up?
That's a good question.
Hold on.
Let me look at a map.
There are definitely states I haven't done stand-up.
Let's see.
Washington, yes.
Oregon, yes.
California, yes.
Arizona, yes.
Nevada, yes.
Utah, yes.
Idaho, yes.
Montana, I don't know.
Wyoming, yes.
Colorado, yes.
New Mexico, yes.
North Dakota, yes.
Maybe once.
South Dakota, I don't think so.
Nebraska, yes.
Kansas, yes.
Oklahoma, yes.
Minnesota, yes.
Iowa, yes.
Missouri, yes.
Arkansas, no.
Louisiana, yes.
Mississippi, no.
Alabama, no.
Georgia, yes.
Tennessee, yes.
Kentucky, yes.
Illinois, yes.
Indiana, yes.
Ohio, yes.
Wisconsin, yes.
Maine, yes.
New York, yes.
Pennsylvania, yes.
Rhode Island, yes.
Connecticut, yes.
New Jersey, yes.
Delaware, I don't know.
Maryland, yes.
Yes, in Delaware, yeah.
Washington, D.C., yes.
West Virginia, yes.
Virginia, Virginia, I don't know.
South Carolina, yes.
North Carolina, yes.
Florida, yes.
So I think Montana...
Um, I don't know that I've done Montana and I definitely haven't done Mississippi and I have not done Arkansas and I have not done Alabama.
Um, those aren't really on purpose.
I, well, I guess I just don't know what kind of draw I would have, but, but yeah, so most of them done most of the States.
Would you ever consider doing a bonus episode on your childhood trauma?
Don't I do every episode on that?
Um,
How have you healed and haven't been able to heal?
And maybe some lessons and wisdom you've taken from all of it.
I think it could help people with similar issues.
I'm doing a bit of stand up on that now, but I think I talk about it in bits and pieces.
No, I'm not.
Yeah, I'll consider it.
It's getting pretty scary out there.
How are you feeling about leaving the country, at least temporarily?
I feel great about it.
I'm still waiting on word from...
Canada on a PR visa.
I don't want to have to, but, you know, either psychically or physically, I already feel psychologically unsafe, but, you know, physically unsafe is yet to happen.
And I imagine that would be the line to cross.
Which aspects of your personality helped you to become sober?
Well, I think one of them was competitive in a way.
The other was like, you know, the realization that that the way I was living was untenable and that I wasn't getting anything out of it.
So I don't know what aspect of my personality that is, but believing that is sort of essential.
That this isn't going to get any better.
You can't seem to stop.
So what are you going to do?
You're going to stop.
So I don't know what aspects of my personality.
I imagine willpower, if that's an aspect, had something to do with it initially.
But that always it doesn't always stick.
The competitive element, I think, was very important.
in that once you get some days sober, you don't want to lose them.
And if you're going to meetings and stuff and people aren't keeping their day count, you're like, I don't want to be one of those people.
So I did want to win in terms of my day count.
My favorite episodes are when you talk about sobriety with your guests.
Which interviews have been the most impactful in discussing sobriety for you and why?
Well, I don't know.
You know, I feel like, you know, any of the sober guests that I have, we have that conversation just about, you know, how life is certainly better.
And I think any of the sober conversations I have to sit across from somebody who's been through it, whoever they are, is always impactful.
But also the people that I've had on that are still, you know, fucked up.
I mean, I've had a guest come in here that seemingly couldn't get through an hour of conversation without bringing a beer cooler in.
You know, I have had another guest on here sipping straight vodka out of a water bottle.
And when you start to notice that, I had another guy who was unable to...
get through an hour without having weed.
I've had a couple of people actually have brought beers in.
One was just trying to instigate something, but the other needed it.
So those are the most impactful, to not be tethered to that and need that.
And when you see or are with somebody that can't stop or does need it, it fortifies your sobriety, but also pulls out a certain amount of empathy and desire to help.
Kind of.
I mean, you can only help people that want help.
Have you considered going cold turkey on using social media?
Personally, I deleted all social media after Zuckerberg's recent pivot towards Trump.
And I got to say, I don't miss it at all.
Well, I don't know.
I've not had Facebook in, I think, decades.
I don't have any of the apps on my phone anymore.
I don't do anything on Twitter other than post the episodes, really.
I'm pretty active on Instagram only because for promotional reasons, but that has its liabilities with kind of scrolling and stuff.
But I do think about losing it.
But I think until I'm done with Instagram,
needing to promote myself i can't really do that i'm on tiktok but i i have zero engagement with it i'm on blue sky too and i don't i just post the shows on there and also on thread so the only one i'm really involved with that kind of fucks my brain is instagram but until i don't need to self-promote i think i i'll probably remain on them i i would like to get out from under it though just the the reels part
Have you ever been single for an extended period of time?
Yeah.
Sure I have.
I've definitely been single for extended periods of time.
Not for long because somebody usually sticks.
Do you like cuddles?
Not really.
What is your favorite Sam Lipsight book and why?
Well, I'm a big fan of The Ask.
I think that one was partially or maybe it was another one.
It might have been Homeland.
One of them, I think, was partially written in my old apartment.
I think that was an early one, though.
But The Ask, I just I like the world.
I like the art world.
I like the nature of the guy's place in the world.
I like where it goes.
It just seemed to be grounded in a reality that was kind of complex and something that seemed genuine to me.
I love No One Left to Come Looking for You, his latest one, because it's got such a great pace to it.
And the world, again, the Lower East Side in the early 90s was relatable.
Homeland, I like a lot.
The subject, Steve, is challenging, but that's a good one.
Which other ones are there?
Oh, what's the sort of new age one?
Fuck.
Hark?
I like that one, too.
But I think the ask for me is really the best one in terms of...
from me.
Tell me more about the benefits of walnut oil and how it has helped your body.
Look, I don't know.
There's not much literature on it, but the small amount of tests that have been done kind of support it.
I just think that anything that you get from walnuts
or pecans or hazelnuts or any of the nut oils that are good.
And for being a plant-based guy, you need those omegas from somewhere.
And then I just realized, well, why not kind of double up on them or make them a regular part and not just worry about eating nuts, get to the oils themselves.
But I do think, and again, I can't really...
It's not conclusive, but I think it's helped my inflammation a lot.
I think it's helped my mental acuity.
I believe that it's probably good for my heart health.
But I've also been doing pecan oil a bit as well.
And I just don't see how you can lose.
I think any of the benefits of nuts in general, walnuts and pecans specifically, which are many, how is it not going to be just as good with the oils?
And a lot of people think that, well, you're not getting the fiber of the nuts.
It's like, don't worry.
I'm getting plenty of fiber.
But the most notable things are mental acuity to some degree, or I can feel the process of my mind a little differently.
And also just inflammation, joints and stuff.
I have arthritic toes and the pain has been much limited.
And that might just be plants in general or the oil benefits.
You refer to standing in line as this as you refer to standing in line as standing online.
I've never heard anyone else say that before.
Is it a New Mexico thing?
Well, I don't know.
I have no idea where that came from.
It's not I don't decide to do it.
It's just something that I do.
Maybe I got it from my parents who are from Jersey.
I don't know.
Do you have MAGA nutbags in your family or friends that inexplicably vote Republican?
If so, how are you navigating those relationships now?
Well, you know, they know who I am.
I know who they are.
I don't have many friends, friends.
And, you know, the family I have, you know, I don't I don't we don't talk politics too much.
My dad just likes to get a rise out of me.
But I have a couple of friends who are Republican voters for specific reasons, and they know how I feel about it.
And I know how they feel about it.
And I'll poke at them a little bit and
They'll poke at me a little bit and it's okay.
It's usually okay.
Yeah.
So that's how I deal with it.
The two people in my life that I'm actually close to who voted for Trump, kind of for a specific reason, the same one, which is faith.
You know, I don't...
I let the good overwhelm the bad.
I'm a resident of Astoria, Queens since 1991.
What was your favorite part of living in Astoria?
Dude, I just... I'm sorry, you may not be a dude.
I liked all of it.
I like getting off that train at 30th Avenue and walking by those...
those fruit and vegetable stands and just seeing them full of different types of people from all over the world at all hours of the night buying vegetables.
I like the whole culture of diversity out there from block to block.
You were almost like you could go around the world.
I enjoyed looking at the Greek cafes because it almost seemed like
It was the late 70s or 80s, a kind of Euro fashion thing, drinking those interesting coffee drinks.
I liked the Egyptian bakeries and restaurants around the corner on Steinway.
I liked all the Greek food.
I used to go to Uncle George's, which was not even one of the good ones, and Kiklides.
I liked the Neptune Diner.
I just liked the whole vibe of it.
I liked my neighbors.
I liked living in a building full of all kinds of different people.
And to me, it was a great sort of, it was really the melting pot and what really felt like what New York, you know, represents.
What's your favorite poem?
Oddly, the poem I go back to the most in my mind and it's not complicated.
You know, I, you know, look, I can, I can, you know, read Ginsburg and, you know, but when I, I think about poems that somehow the one that comes up in my mind a lot is,
is, you know, just, I don't know if it's a place to rest or what, but, or, you know, I go back and I think about it, and there's not a lot to think about, but it is the one that resurfaces over and over throughout my life, and that's The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams.
And I don't know why.
You know, I remember talking about it in a class a million years ago about the time it came out and where painting was at the time and the idea of the imagery.
It doesn't matter any of the analysis of it.
And none of it matters.
But that is the one that I revisit.
I'll read it for you.
The Red Wheelbarrow.
So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens.
Yeah.
It's still, I find comfort in it.
Thanks for asking.