BONUS Ask Marc Anything #15
Check, check, one, check, two.
Hey, hey, hey.
Here we go.
Do I need a water?
I might need a water.
Here we go.
Here we go with the questions.
This is our 15th Ask Mark Anything.
I didn't think there was that many questions or that much to know at this point.
But let's do it.
Okay.
Um, these, okay.
First of all, all these questions are from full Marin subscribers.
Here we go.
I'm kind of surprised that you don't own all your specials and sell them on your website and stuff.
Is that just too risky or expensive?
Or do you just get what you need from the Netflix and HBO and all the others?
Well, that's a good question.
I mean,
I think I own one of them.
I think they come back around.
The Epic Special, I think, is in my hands, and you can purchase that.
All the albums from the specials, I think I get the money from.
I'm not the kind of guy that's going to self-produce and put it on YouTube because I have absolutely no YouTube presence, and I just can't handle...
sitting there looking at the number of views or any of that stuff.
And I've never really built a YouTube presence out there.
So generally what I like to do when I can, which has been a knock on wood, um,
the way it's been and the way it will be is I like to be paid for this special by a streamer or a network and be given production money, be given a production budget and a salary for the special.
And, and usually I think I've been paid for,
I'm not greedy.
And I know there's a lot of people gunning for the big prize.
But if I'm paid fairly, I accept that.
And I just don't want to work as hard as to worry about putting things up, doing this or that.
I imagine it's I'm not going to make a fortune.
So so what happens ultimately is it's not that it's too expensive or too risky.
I'm just I don't want the extra work.
And like this new hour I'm doing looks like HBO is interested.
So that'll be the way it'll be.
And when they're not interested anymore, I'm done.
What's your favorite bit you're doing right now?
Well.
I don't want to give it away.
There's a couple of bits about, you know, passing out on the mountain.
And then there's another bit about a bad babysitter my brother and I had when we were kids.
That is a very surprising and multi-leveled bit that's really turned into a centerpiece of the show.
And it's rooted in trauma, but it's, you know, when you get to the point where I'm at, where I got to dig deeper because I'm not really...
a general observational guy.
It's all kind of got to move through me.
And I think because of the special I did in dealing with grief, it's kind of given me a certain amount of confidence to navigate darkness in a different way.
And the babysitter bit is the bit.
Aside from all the creative aspects, how would you write the job description of being a comedian?
The stuff no one ever considers and isn't purely fun to think about.
Well, there's a job description, but there's also sort of like what it takes.
I think the job description still holds in that if you are a professional comedian, you should be able to do that job
in almost any environment that has been set up properly, and even in environments that aren't set up properly.
It's on you to not do the job.
I would say that the job description is to be funny in situations where you are paid to be funny, and sometimes those situations can be just fucking awful.
Did you know Dean Wareham from Galaxy 500 in your Boston days?
Yes, but I think he was with a band.
I knew him in New York, and I think he was then, I think his band is Luna.
Am I wrong?
With his wife, Brit, they were around a lot during the alternative comedy days in Luna.
And yeah, we all knew them.
I've always been too nervous to go to a standup show for fear of being heckled as standup comedians often do in the movies.
I bought front row tickets to see you and now I'm worried.
Are you ever mean to or heckle your audience?
I think you're getting the heckle thing backwards.
The audience heckles, the comedian responds.
So if you don't really fuck with me, I won't fuck with you.
And if I do kind of talk to you, it won't be mean.
It happens, but I don't look for it and I don't invite it usually.
But just get it straight.
The heckle, the heckler, that's on your side.
Audiences used to mainly laugh and applaud.
Now so many people feel the need to woo, to demonstrate their approval.
In your performing experience, when did audiences start wooing, and what do you think of it?
I can't stand it, and I draw attention to it immediately and shut it down as soon as the first woo happens, because I believe a woo is not a response to a joke.
They usually happen in moments of silence or in between jokes or...
Or when something is said that's not necessarily funny, I still think laughter and some applause is the way people respond to jokes.
I think wooing is something that is primarily to seek attention by the wooer.
I mean, I get it, but I'm very hard on it.
And I try to shut it down as quickly as possible when I have a wooer because it's disruptive.
It's not celebratory.
usually after a certain point.
Do you keep up with Ben Sidron?
And if so, how's he doing?
I think he's okay.
We don't talk too much.
We text occasionally.
He sends me stuff he's done.
I'm not always quick to respond, but he seems all right.
He still seems to be engaged in generating and playing.
So yeah, he's doing all right.
You typically say positive things about your guests' work, and they typically and graciously say thank you.
Paul Giamatti was especially gracious in this regard.
How do you feel about guests who never say thank you when you compliment them?
I don't notice it.
Sometimes they're humble.
Sometimes they're like me.
They might just let it roll off them, but I don't notice it.
Has your consumption or appreciation of filmed entertainment significantly shifted after so many conversations with actors, directors or industry professionals?
Are you more critical, more open to content outside your general tastes or more tactful talking about a film since you might have the talent on the show in the future?
Well, yeah, I definitely my consumption and appreciation has changed.
you know, dramatically in terms of, you know, learning more about actors, learning more about how they do it.
That makes me watch acting differently.
Directors, learning what they went through and what their choices were and how they made something and what they intended changes the way I look at films.
Industry professionals, I don't know what that means, but yeah, I've talked to a stunt guy and a makeup guy.
So yeah, I mean, I'm a little more appreciative of that.
I don't know if I'm more critical, but...
But I am more open to content outside my general taste because a lot of times I watch stuff that I wouldn't necessarily watch because I have a guest on who's in it or made it or is involved with it.
And that's opened my mind more.
And I do enjoy more types of movies than I did previous.
And I see more movies than I did previous.
Also, what's the other part of the question?
Am I more tactful talking about a film since you might have the talent on the show in the future?
Yeah, I'm both more tactful.
not so much in how I talk about the film.
I'm always relatively diplomatic, but maybe not.
I don't usually keep that in mind, but I am tactful when I talk to people in the film.
If I didn't like the film overall, I try to focus on them or the, um, the aspects of the film that I found, um, impressive or, or, or not, uh, bad.
I, it's more about tact, uh, when I'm talking to people, uh,
who are involved with a project that didn't really resonate with me or I thought was not great.
But I can usually find a way to do that.
Have you made up with Dean Del Rey?
Yes, we're okay.
We text occasionally.
We don't hang out as much as we used to, and we're not involved in each other's lives, but we're okay.
Do you ever get disappointed to learn that one of your guests doesn't listen to WTF, particularly if it's someone you know?
Never.
Never.
I don't expect anybody that I talk to to necessarily be a fan.
I'm always very surprised when they are, not because of lack of confidence or anything, but I just never know.
But I do know that some of them will act like they listen, but they've clearly just listened to a couple of episodes in preparation to come do the show, which I appreciate.
Did you ever think of things after the person has left that you wish you would have followed up on?
Sure.
I mean, but that happens.
That always happens.
I mean, it doesn't always happen.
But there are some things that, you know, I wanted to talk about and it just gets away from me.
And ultimately, I'm just sort of like, yeah, but you know what?
We talked for an hour or more and there's plenty there.
But that happens.
It happens often.
Have you considered doing any more on-the-road episodes like The Visit to the Creationist Museum or The Trip with Eddie Pepitone?
Well, yes.
I actually just did one in the car when I was traveling with Claire O'Kane, who was opening for me, and we did a car episode.
That should be coming up soon.
I like doing them.
Me and Brendan did...
The bonus stuff after Jude Law, it was like, oh, yeah, this is kind of an interesting way to do it.
And the conversation with Claire was great.
It's definitely a different quality, not just audibly, but now people converse when you're in a car and the driver's holding a mic and trying to focus on many things and also checking on the levels occasionally.
So there's a certain amount of fear, I think, on behalf of the guest.
Yeah.
When I did that one with Maria, I mean, we had to navigate some real, you know, windy roads.
When you started the podcast with Brendan, what were your thoughts about what was needed for this new enterprise?
What did you think you needed from a producer?
I just knew I needed Brendan.
In terms of...
production requirements and how it was done.
It was like, oh yeah, Brendan knows how to do that.
In terms of what I needed, I just needed Brendan to do it.
I've been working with that guy since he was in his 20s.
I'd never done radio before when I met him, so I've had complete confidence and regard for his work, but it was never...
There was never any... There was no, like, you know, what producer am I going to get?
No, it's just... It's always been... I need Brendan to do that.
And Brendan does things I don't even know what he's doing.
I just know he's very good at it.
And he keeps me... You know, the thing I learned...
with, you know, how radio works and how this works is that, you know, a good producer is intuitive in terms of, you know, the talent who is me and nobody knows my brain better than Brendan.
So when I need, you know, he'll put together...
Kind of just a one pager of bits and pieces of things that might be interesting to me about a guest and all the other stuff, the technical stuff.
No idea.
It was always Brendan.
That's just the way that my life went in this business and couldn't be happier.
Do you have any rituals for decompressing after a particularly intense interview?
I'm referring to shows during which your guest bears their soul with a harrowing incident from the past, like Rosie Perez and Amy Mann.
Well, yeah, I mean, I got to know that they're okay when they leave.
And then, you know, I kind of just do what anybody does.
I sit down, I have a coffee, maybe something to eat.
and maybe take a little nap or reflect.
But my primary concern is that they feel supported in the conversation and that they're okay to go home.
But usually they are, and we're all surprised.
I just want them to feel okay about it and know that if they're uncomfortable with anything, we can edit things.
And then I just take a break, man.
I just sit down.
Or, you know, make a sandwich or something.
You know, what people do.
When you're in New York, do you ever check out the local repertory cinema scene at theaters like the Film Forum or IFC Center and the Metrograph based on your descriptions of some experiences at L.A.
theaters like the New Beverly?
I think you might really dig some similar New York offerings.
Sure.
I go to movies when I'm in New York for a while.
I go to the Film Forum.
I love the Film Forum.
I always check what's playing at the Film Forum.
I used to like the Sunshine Theater, but that's gone.
I'll go to IFC Center, but that's not really a repertory house, is it?
It's more new films.
But yeah, if I have time to go to the movies, I definitely go to those places.
I always check the Film Forum.
Do you have a guilty pleasure movie or maybe just a movie you like that most people think sucks?
Sure.
There's a few.
Many people know them.
Devil Wears Prada.
I'll watch that anytime.
Anytime.
I'll watch the first Analyze This podcast.
Anytime I'll watch that.
I'll watch that movie with Anne Hathaway, the intern with Robert De Niro.
I'll watch that.
Um, what other like really guilty pleasure ones?
I don't know, but those have always been, you know, the one, the other ones are not bad movies, but I imagine most people wouldn't assume that I'd enjoy the devil wears Prada, but I love it.
And I love, uh, analyze this and, uh, and you know, I'll watch, um, what else will I watch?
Um,
Yeah, I mean, those three, and obviously a couple of them are Anne Hathaway heavy, so there's that.
I'm going through a Coen Brothers filmography rewatch and just revisited A Serious Man.
I don't think I was able to really appreciate and connect with it until now.
This made me remember that you've said you auditioned for the movie.
Do you know what role you auditioned for?
Yeah.
Yeah, the lead.
But there was no chance of me getting it.
I mean, I didn't audition for the Coen Brothers.
I didn't make it very far in the process.
But, yeah, I love that movie.
And, you know, as a Jew, it definitely speaks to something.
And it is one of their great movies.
But, yeah, I don't mean to imply that I had a shot at that thing.
Yeah.
How do you mic your guitar amp?
Like, what kind of mic?
What kind of amp?
And where do you place the mic on the amp?
Well, I was told you just put it kind of right in front of it, a little off to the side, maybe angled a bit.
I use a Shure 57 right into the board.
And I'm either using that 53 Deluxe or...
Now, I've got this little Princeton, but most of the time in here, it's that 1953 Fender Deluxe with a, I guess it's an SM57.
I don't know if the SM, it's a Shure 57, which I think is a standard one people use.
But I guess people use everything.
But that's what someone told me to use.
That's what I use.
Are there any other instruments you can play or what instrument would you learn if you had time?
I can do okay on a harmonica, basic blues shit, but other than that, I don't think about learning other instruments.
I should probably pick up a bass at some point.
Stone's question, is there Satanic Majesty's request a cheap Sgt.
Pepper knockoff or a low-key masterpiece?
I don't really sense that...
You know, sonically or production-wise, it was anything like Sgt.
Pepper's.
I think it was just the time.
And it's like, I don't know if it's a masterpiece, but it's their contribution to that era of psychedelic sounds.
I like it okay.
Hey, Mark, what kind of pick do you use?
I generally use the V-Pick Ed King, which is a ridiculously thick, large, triangular pick, buddy guy size.
I use those.
I also use these blue.
Some guy makes picks out of old poker chips.
What's that guy's name?
Hold on.
Bluebird picks because he makes the big triangles and they're out of these antique poker chips that are great that I use those bluebird picks or the V pick Ed King model.
Who or what has made you laugh the hardest in recent memory?
That's a good question.
I laughed pretty fucking hard.
At the fart scene in the dream, what was that called?
Oh, what's that movie?
Hold on.
Dream Scenario with Nicolas Cage.
That got me going.
Wow.
Like one of those ones where I, you know, I didn't see it coming.
And it just, it delivered.
In terms of comics, I get some good laughs.
or at least good laugh acknowledgement in terms of how comics laugh from, from Fahim Anwar.
I enjoy him.
He's always, he's always working angles.
He reminds me of a tell when he was young where he's just, you know, compulsively writing bits and his brain's just on fire looking for an angle.
So I enjoy watching him.
But those two, those got me laughing pretty good recently.
When you catch a cold, what are your go-to remedies?
I've given up on most remedies.
There were times where I would eat garlic oil, oregano oil, anything to sort of counteract a cold.
And I just decided that they don't work.
And, you know, I just keep liquids going.
And I think this vegan diet...
has helped my immune system somehow because I got a little cold like last week and it went away pretty quick and it felt like it was going to stick.
And they usually stick with me for a week.
You know, you feel it come in and then you're pretty fucked for three or four days and then it goes away over a couple of days.
But this went by pretty quick.
And I think the only thing I can track it to is...
is the vegan diet.
And I do take a regular batch of vitamins.
But, you know, when I have it, you know, I'll do Sudafed and I'll do NyQuil to go to sleep for a few days and then, you know, ride it out.
I've lost faith in any sort of home remedies or big ideas about oils and tinctures.
I know you enjoy cooking.
Have you ever thought about doing a cooking show, maybe cooking with guests?
I know Kreischer does that.
I'm not that broad a cook, and right now I'm only vegan.
I don't know.
I just like cooking for myself.
I don't need it to become work.
Given your tendencies for anxiety and dread, I'm interested to hear which was more anxiety-provoking in the lead-up to it, interviewing Obama or sharing a stage with Slash.
I don't know.
I felt pretty good about both of those.
I wasn't that I don't get that much.
I didn't have that much anxiety about there's a lot of prepare preparation for Obama.
But, you know, I felt pretty level about it and playing with Slash.
I thought I was all ready to go.
And then we finally got on stage.
The guy who set up the amp kind of fucked me on the volume and the sound.
And that was disappointing because I was ready, man.
I was ready to jam.
You know, I know I'm not that great a player, but I was ready to go on that tune.
So I wasn't that freaked out.
And both of those guys are pretty humble guys.
And they were, you know, I didn't get any attitude from them.
So I stress out more just, you know, week to week with guests that you wouldn't even assume I'd stress out for.
Having recently lost one of our 11-year-old cats, his buddy is left behind and feeling a little lonely.
We are considering getting a kitten, but New York State recently enacted a law that prevents cats from being declawed.
Bringing a new kitten into the home with claws has us a bit concerned that things will get destroyed by the little bugger.
Any advice?
Yeah.
Take the hit.
The idea that you even consider declying a cat is slightly disturbing.
It should be outlawed everywhere.
Declying cats is horrendous.
And if you love cats, you just got to love them more than your furniture.
You know, get them as many scratching posts and stuff as you can, but they're going to pick a piece or two of furniture that's just over time going to turn into a, you know, a cat toy or a scratching post.
And, you know, that's just part of owning cats.
I mean, yeah, you got to suck it up.
That's just cats.
I've just started dating a very funny, lovely woman who happens to be a recovering alcoholic.
She's very open about her struggles and is very active in my city's recovery community.
I'm the type of person who is by nature very supportive, but I also don't want to be overbearing.
Just wondering if you had any advice on how to be there for someone who's facing their inner demons.
Yeah, it's got, you know, they're doing it.
You don't need to do anything.
You don't need to freak out.
I mean, if you're very supportive to the point where you think it's your responsibility, you know, maybe go to an Al-Anon meeting.
But...
You know, I mean, she should have boundaries around that, which I'm sure she does.
And I'm sure she's not expecting you to fix her.
And also just sort of, you know, being interested and letting her dictate, you know, how much she wants to let you into that process is the way to go.
You know, don't freak out or feel like you have to change your behavior.
Just ask her, you know,
You know, figure out what the boundaries are and figure out, you know, what she wants in relation to her recovery.
And if you can't help yourself but to intrude or kind of impose yourself into it somehow or feel responsible, I would go to an Al-Anon meeting.
Did you have any sober heroes when you first kicked the booze and drugs?
I just celebrated three years sober from alcohol and weed.
And that's thanks in large part to inspiration from you and some others like Stephen King being so open and sharing your recovery journey.
Was there anyone famous that helped or inspired you when you first got out?
No.
Not really.
I was always, you know, happy to see people at meetings, but I didn't have, you know, I was, you know, in trouble.
And, you know, someone in the rooms who was also a comic, who was also someone who I was in love with, you know, kind of got me engaged.
And I stay engaged.
And I've had a couple of good sponsors over the time.
And I've met people that are also sober.
I'm glad we have that in common.
But there was nobody...
other than that woman who taught me how to do it and was an inspiration to me and made me feel like I could.
When you were describing your childhood basement bedroom, how did your cousin know to look in a ceiling panel and find drugs?
Well, like I didn't notice, but there was definitely something up in there because it was in a fluorescent light thing and the cover of the fluorescent light had been off.
And I wasn't quite tall enough, but I would look up there and I remember there was stuff up there, but I guess I was too young to really investigate it.
So it was visible.
They were mostly, I think, miniature liquor bottles.
And I don't know how the cover of the light got removed, but I could see something was up there when I was a kid, but I didn't know the extent of it.
But it was pretty visible if you just walked into the room.
I think that's it.
Yeah.
Thanks for asking, folks.
Thanks for asking.
Thanks for the questions.