BONUS Ask Marc Anything #3
Thank you.
Here's what this is.
You know what this is.
This is me.
It's Mark.
It's Mark Marin.
And these are questions that were sent in to me by you for this bonus content questions for Mark bit.
And I'm just going to go through them.
OK, here we go.
Hi, Mark.
Love the podcast.
I've got to ask, what's the beef with Mike Birbiglia?
All right.
It's not really a beef as much as it is an annoyance.
I've known Mike Birbiglia a long time.
I knew him when he started.
I knew him when he used to kind of follow me around and say how much he liked my one man shows.
And I think I inspired him to do one person shows.
But there was always something about him that was hidden and annoying to me in that, you know, he plays this kind of aw shucks doofus-y type of guy.
But, you know, he's very focused.
He's very ambitious.
He's very calculating.
And that's all very professional.
But I don't see any of it in his aw shucks kind of doofus persona.
Like, I think it's a little disingenuous, which, again, is sort of what a lot of...
performers do but I just always felt that he was always a bit opportunistic and always looking for you know for ways to further himself even when he was interacting with me or you or whoever or whoever that's just my take on him I think he's a good comic we've we've we've definitely done stuff together I've done I've been in his movie he's hosted this show before he's interviewed me
But at some point, it just it really it kind of went south and it was really always more of that reason.
You've been pretty vocal on your feelings towards the Rogan crew lately.
Have you ever heard a response from anyone in it?
I don't know if I've been vocal on the Rogan crew.
I do make reference to the social impact of Rogan's audience and also somewhat of Rogan.
But in terms of the crew, I don't know.
Am I hard on the crew?
I was on Segura's show.
That was fine.
And I guess I busted Rogan's balls on that.
I saw Bert Kreischer last week.
That was fine.
I see Theo Vaughn when he's out here.
That was fine.
I don't know who his crew is really, but no, I haven't heard anything from the crew.
I don't know that I'm indicting anybody.
The problems I have with him are public and have to do with his impact on culture and somewhat in the responsibility he takes for that or not.
That's all.
The Rogan crew.
If you mean his audience, no, we don't really have the same audience.
And the guys we do share, they get it.
All right.
Just curious what street you lived on in Astoria.
I was on 36 between Astoria Boulevard and 28th in 2000 to 2001.
Were we neighbors?
Yeah, kind of.
I was on 37th Street and 30th Avenue, I think.
It would be just off of 30th Avenue on 37th Street.
So kind of neighborhood.
You were like a few long blocks away.
All right.
Other than Irish soda bread and smoked sturgeon and brisket, what have you been cooking or baking lately?
I don't do the soda bread.
That was a flurry.
A lot of times I have a flurry of baking or cooking.
to sort of try to master or know how to do something, a good recipe for something.
Baking is bad for me because I do it and I have to eat all of it.
The sturgeon thing passed.
The brisket I do occasionally.
It's a big job and you need a lot of people to eat it.
Generally, I cook fairly regularly.
I'll roast whole chickens in the smoker, in the Traeger pellet grill.
I cook cedar plank salmon out there.
I do a lot of greens.
I just sauteed some collard greens with garlic and oil.
I do that.
I ribbon the greens, the collard greens, and quickly saute them.
I don't do the kind of boil them forever and stock with a slab of pork hock.
I do.
I've been doing broccoli lately.
I roast cauliflower.
I enjoy making these carrot salad.
That's vinegar.
Is it vinegar?
It's lemon and cumin based Moroccan carrot salad.
I'm doing a couple different cabbage salads.
And, you know, that's and a lot of fish do some petrol soul sometimes.
But yeah, I don't do the soda breads anymore.
I can't bake.
I like to bake a chess pie occasionally.
I might bake a pumpkin pie.
But I got to have people to eat it.
Which filmmaker, alive or dead and not named Albert Brooks, would you most like to talk with?
Funny, I'd like to talk with Albert about comedy in a broader sense.
But...
Well, David O. Russell, I think.
And, you know, I think even though Scorsese is kind of well-trodden, that would be good.
I think David O. Russell would be peculiar and interesting.
I don't know.
I don't think a lot about directors.
I just assume they're very difficult for me to get.
And I've had a few.
But I'm kind of curious about David O. Russell because I find his, in terms of the younger directors, I find his movies provocative and different in terms of each one seems very different than the last.
What is your rig setup when you jam with your band?
Pedals, amps, guitars, picks.
I don't use hardly any pedals.
Occasionally I'll use an Echoplex, an MXR Echoplex.
I've been enjoying putting daisy chaining my 53 Fender Deluxe amp with my 1965 Fender Champ.
So I got a lot of tube action with those two together, get a nice tone to it.
Guitars, I've been playing my 1960 Les Paul Jr.
quite a bit.
And for picks, I use a V-Pick.
That's the brand, V-Pick.
And I use their Ed King Pick, which is a large, rounded triangle that's very thick.
It's got to be at least a millimeter thick, at least.
There you go.
How do you share your wonderful podcast with the hearing impaired?
And if you don't already, have you considered this?
I'm a grateful listener for years.
We don't have our own method of doing this, but if listeners have suggestions of good services to use, we're certainly open to it.
What's your relationship with Louis C.K.
now?
We don't have one.
He I for some reason, I don't think he liked the way I handled his debacle, which I thought was diplomatic and actually in a way that a friend would do.
And he he he felt I don't know what he felt.
You know, we don't we don't really talk about it.
And I have no I don't feel any I don't I don't feel bad with how I handled it.
So it's not really open for negotiation.
He did send me an odd email complimenting Lynn Shelton, whose film he just watched.
And we saw her name.
He he sort of framed it as like, I just wanted to know what it would be like to be loved by someone like that.
Very odd email that we kind of went back and forth and just, you know, I decided and he was fine with it that, you know, there is no there's no there's no way through.
But I did run into him recently at the Comedy Store and he was pleasant.
Have you seen Louis' new movie?
If so, what do you think?
If not, why not?
I did not see it.
I don't know why not.
I mean, there's a lot of things I don't watch made by people I know.
I just didn't find myself interested.
If you could only choose one, but you could be great at it, would you, one, play music, two, act, three, keep doing the podcast, four, retire?
Well, you know, I'm...
I'm good where I am.
I mean, I think doing the podcast and comedy is great, and I think that retiring is something I will and would like to do eventually.
So it's a weird question.
I already do a couple of them great.
So, you know, comedy and the podcast, I'm pretty great at that.
What do you feel about comedians that get canceled when they're accused of sexual harassment, assault, but then come back to Comedy Club six months later, i.e.
Brian Callen, Chris D'Elia?
Look, you know, they've definitely, it seems some of these guys have paid the price and will continue to pay the price.
But if there are people that still want to see them and there are clubs that are willing to book them for the people that want to see them, after a certain point, what are you going to do?
They're going to go somewhere and the people that want to see them will still want to see them.
But I do not think that any of them have not been punished.
On the recent live music mixtape bonus content, John Popper slayed harmonica and vocals as usual.
But who is backing him up on guitar?
His bandmate himself, you.
By the way, those nine songs together is now a favorite album of mine.
Oh, thanks.
I'm glad you like that bonus content.
So it was actually his guitar player from Blues Traveler, Chan Kinchla, was playing.
You've been pretty candid on your interest of moving to Canada at some future date.
I'm interested to know if you'll try to have a chat with our prime minister on the podcast if you do.
I would chat with him now if he could push my application through.
So reach out to him for me.
Actually, there's no hurry.
It's all going to time out well if they let me in.
When are you moving to Vancouver?
Better yet, Bowen Island.
A great place to live with your cats.
No wild predators, including coyotes.
I don't know.
If my permanent residency gets approved, I will start to think about where I want to live and be a little more serious about looking for a place to have a residence.
Have you crossed paths with Gallagher since your infamous podcast from the early days?
No.
But I did want him to do an episode of Marin.
where he dies mid-interview.
I thought that would be hilarious and he could do a good job at it.
It didn't happen.
I can't remember if he got back to me.
I can't remember if he turned me down.
I can't.
But I do remember reaching out to him to do that.
I think he did.
I think he did.
I think it gave him the willies.
I don't know.
I can't remember exactly what happened.
Been listening, been re-listening to your old podcast.
It seemed like you and Adam Goldberg had a fun rapport.
Are you still friends?
No, that friendship didn't really manifest.
There was a while, we're not not friends, but I think that, I don't know why, you know, he's got two kids and I don't think his, his wife is friends with an ex of mine.
And I don't know, sometimes when relationships end, you know, that shit ends.
In an episode you mistakenly mixed up the Kevin McDonald's.
Did the director have any idea you didn't know who he was?
Also, have you ever thought about interviewing him again, or was he upset by the mix-up?
I have not thought about interviewing him again, and I imagine he was upset with the mix-up.
I don't know.
What would be your best arguments with comedian Patrice O'Neill?
Thank you.
Well, if you listen to that old episode of ours, look, he has a way of thinking there.
You know, I disagree with some of it.
It doesn't matter if you disagreed with Patrice.
But I think that I don't know.
I don't seek to argue necessarily.
Patrice was a monolith of his own point of view.
Some of them dubious, all of them entertaining.
Hey, Mark, we talked a bit after your show in Lincoln.
I think I helped you win a bet by being a Jew in Nebraska.
I appreciate how graceful you were with your time.
Two questions.
Did you enjoy any of the records I gave you?
And if so, which ones?
If not, no hard feelings.
Two was the mug from the synagogue useful.
I hope it was is helpful.
Honestly, I listened to all those records from bands from the area and I enjoyed all of them.
Some of them were very interesting.
I don't have them in front of me, but I did listen to them all.
The mug, I appreciate it.
I enjoyed it while I was in my room that night, but it did not make it home.
I only have so much room, people, when you give me gifts.
Did you watch any professional wrestling during GLOW for research?
Were there any matches or whatever that stuck out to you?
And did you gain any appreciation for the sport?
I did gain appreciation for the sport.
I watched no matches to prepare for GLOW.
I did watch the documentary on GLOW, but my character was not a wrestling fan in any way.
But I wouldn't have watched anyways, I don't think, unless I was a wrestler, but that wasn't going to happen.
But I do have an appreciation for it, absolutely.
Have you gotten Beefheart yet?
Yes.
It's all in Howling Wolf.
Have you read Game of Thrones?
No.
Since you are star of stage, yes, and screen kinda.
Has it been rough and mean?
Is it a long way to the top?
God loves you.
Deal with it.
Lawton Smalls.
How are you, Lawton?
Um...
Has it been rough and mean?
At times.
Which format brings you closer to finding out the answers about yourself in the world?
Stand-up comedy, playing guitar, or interviewing people?
And if you could only do one regardless of income earned, which would it be?
I would say that stand-up brings me closer to finding out answers about myself and the world.
But interviewing people gives me an opportunity to engage in empathy and learn about other people and then learn about myself through that.
But in terms of like...
My brain, it's stand up in terms of sort of collective experience.
It's my brain and interge interacting with people and things.
I don't know if that.
So there's no one thing.
Which of your interviews, conversations on the pod unexpectedly had the biggest impact on me?
On you, me.
Look, man, I answer this the same way all the time.
There's so many that in the moment resonate with me.
There's very few that don't.
And for many different reasons.
This would be an entire bonus content thing would be to go through the podcast episodes that move me because there's so many.
Have you ever had a moment in your career being at acting, music, stand up, giving an interview or some other satisfying performance experience where you knew immediately that you'd absolutely nailed whatever it was that you were trying to do?
Yeah.
You know, honestly, my first Letterman, which was it was nervous.
I was nervous.
But my first Letterman landed pretty beautifully.
And it was almost a timeless experience.
I'd made choices.
You know, the jokes were tight.
But I just remember it was one of those first things.
That was the first big thing, really.
And it was a very important thing to me.
And I did feel like I nailed it.
And I watch it and I nailed it.
I don't know if it's really me or fully formed me, but it is a guy doing stand-up on television because I made a choice not to have a mic standing there and to do it like the old days.
And yeah, it's kind of interesting, but I did feel that.
I think I felt that then too.
But there's been other moments here and there for sure.
But that was definitely a good one.
I just watched you in Two Leslie.
Brilliant.
Do you have a role or type you haven't played that you're itching to try?
Look, I'm open.
I have very limited experience in acting.
And I was excited to try that.
I think that by taking the risk...
And doing the accent and doing somebody that was seriously not me, it gave me some confidence and it made me open to try other things.
I don't know exactly who or what I'd want to play, but I'm definitely open to trying things more so than I was before to Leslie.
Can you briefly walk us through the pre and post garage interview experience?
Do most guests show up with assistants or handlers?
Do guests hang out before and after interviews?
Generally, you know, I kind of freak out for a day, day and a half and, you know, kind of try to figure out in my mind and through their work what I'm going to do in terms of.
What do I want to know about them as people?
How am I going to engage and be interested?
What is it about them?
So that's my solitary process.
Yeah, well, they don't always have handlers and they don't always have assistants.
Sometimes people come with people.
Sometimes people come by to make sure they got there.
If it's a studio rep or label rep or something, sometimes they bring their wives.
Sometimes they get an assistant or a rep is here.
But usually what happens is they come.
I say hi.
We walk through my house.
You know, I ask them if they want something.
Maybe I'll make them coffee or if they want water or carbonated water.
I got them out here.
We don't talk too much.
We hang out as much as as long as it takes for them to use the restroom or or look at my house and say something.
And, you know, five minutes, eight minutes max to get out here to the studio.
After the interview, you know, we go back into the house.
If there's other people there, we all kind of talk for a second.
Then I give them a mug, a Brian Jones mug, and then we do a selfie and, you know, say goodbye.
So that's usually how it goes.
How's that?
I really enjoyed listening to you on Air America.
What can you tell us about that experience?
Holy shit.
That was an insane experience.
We were doing a breaking, a sort of morning comedy show with breaking news and news that had, like, it was an interesting show because we had to do the news.
And we had to do the comedy.
So we had writers.
There was people there in the morning.
I would wake up at two thirty three o'clock to get there by three thirty or so to be on the air at six and to crunch the news and work the bits.
We overworked our asses off and there was no sleep.
I swear to God, I was up at two thirty three to get there.
And then we were off the air at nine.
And and we do a little post and I was just shattered all day long by, you know, I go home usually feeling like I had the flu every day.
And I would, you know, sometimes go home, watch movies, try to eat something barely functioning on weekends.
I tried to do stand up, but you're never correct anymore with that schedule.
And I had to be in bed by eight thirty nine o'clock or I would freak the fuck out.
But.
And then I wake up in the morning and I would get two huge Dunkin Donuts coffees or at least one.
And I have a bag of M&Ms.
And I do that every morning.
I just get on the air, drink that Dunkin Donuts coffee, eat the M&Ms until I was jacked.
It was crazy.
But that was where I learned how to do this.
So it was kind of amazing.
I remember very little of the experience because it happened in a zone where I should have been in waking consciousness.
Oh, here's a long one.
Hey, Mark, I'm probably reading too much into what I hear, but I have this feeling over the years that you have some pent up, complicated feelings about Bob Dylan.
Whenever you interview somebody who has some association with Dylan, like most recently Jan Wenner, I hear this suppressed eagerness in your voice.
Like you just want to ask so many questions, but you also don't want to blow your cool or sully the opportunity you have to talk to somebody who's connected to him.
I guess you must go through feelings like this about a lot of inaccessible people.
I hear it when you talk about Jack Nicholson or Gene Hackman or Tom Waits, too.
But there seems to be something special about Dylan.
And then I've heard you say wistfully from time to time that you'll probably never get to interview him.
And over the years, it feels like that wistfulness has gotten the slightest edge of resentment.
Look, I'm sure I'm just projecting all kinds of my own feelings into what I hear you saying.
So I apologize if this is annoying.
I guess my question for you is...
You've tried, right?
In lots of different ways.
But have you have you stopped?
Can you give it another go?
Maybe take a more direct approach?
Why not put all the effort you can ask everybody with every connection?
Just give it your best shot and try to get the man to talk to you.
Is it a matter of pride or do you just feel defeated or something else?
I'm sure I speak for thousands of us when I say that that interview would be a real pinnacle, a landmark.
We all know that the guy doesn't give interviews and so on.
And we all know that that isn't really true.
It's just that he's selective and thoughtful about who he talks to and also apparently really busy.
But I think if someone would just get him or Jeff Rosen to listen to a few of your shows, he'd understand that you are a person who will have a real worthwhile, unique conversation with him.
You must want it, right?
Can you make it happen somehow?
Can we in some way help you?
With apologies, one of those zillions of people who imagine they know you more than is obviously possible.
Wow, dude.
Wow.
Look, man, I do have mixed feelings about Bob as he gets older, but I also know that he's Bob and he's mythic and monolithic and eternal.
And the truth is, we tried to get Bob Dylan for the 1000th episode.
And I met Jeff Rosen years ago.
And I interviewed Jacob, but here's the deal, Bob Dylan is Bob Dylan.
But I was told maybe write him a handwritten letter.
I wrote him a handwritten letter.
So it starts off, Bob Dylan.
I didn't say Bob.
I didn't say Mr. Dylan.
It's handwritten on a legal pad and then scanned and sent.
Bob Dylan.
I've been talking to people in my garage for a while now.
People enjoy listening to the conversations.
If you feel like talking, I think it would be interesting for both of us.
I've talked to Barack Obama, Neil Young, Mel Brooks, Keith Richards, William Friedkin,
Lucinda Williams, your son, Jacob, Roseanne Cash, Sean Penn, John Hammond Jr., a guy who makes soap, Harry Potter, Al Gore, and Cheech and Chong.
That's just a few.
I'm inviting you to be our 1000th guest.
I'm just over in Glendale.
Let me know.
Thanks.
Mark Maron.
See what I did there?
I tried to mix it up and kind of, you know, be kind of funny and have some sort of alliteration going, a little poetic thing.
Put a lot of thought into this.
A couple of drafts.
I wanted it to be a package.
I wanted it to be a handwritten package.
And went nowhere.
Just didn't even... Probably didn't even see it.
And then, you know, I was told to just call Jeff Rosen.
So I called Jeff Rosen...
And I was like, look, man, we met a long time ago.
And look, he knows that people know the show.
And I called Jeff and I said, look, and he's like, of course, I remember you and I know the show and whatever.
I said, well, what are the chances, man?
I want Dylan to do this 1000th interview, my 1000th episode would be important to me.
What are the chances of that happening?
And Jeff Rosen said, zero, zero chances.
And I'm like, why?
He's like, because, you know, he doesn't he's got no axe to grind.
Doesn't feel like doing interviews.
He's not great at interviews.
The last interview he did was for the AARP.
It's just like he just doesn't do them.
You know, it just there's no reason.
And I'm like, what about you?
Do you want to do an interview?
And he's like, why do you think I've had this job for as long as I've had it?
I don't talk.
Okay.
So that's the deal.
I'm not sure it would be a great interview.
I'm not sure.
You know, it would have to be specific on a day that he felt like it, because he's not a great interview.
But he's Bob Dylan.
I'd like to sit with him.
Tom Waits, too.
I don't think, from what I've heard, I don't think Nicholson is...
In his correct mind to do to do this kind of stuff anymore.
OK, so that's that.
Of course, I'd like to talk to him.
I don't think it's going to happen for a lot of reasons.
None of them being the show.
None of them being me.
Most of them being he doesn't, you know, doesn't have to and doesn't really feel like it most of the time.
Where's your favorite spot to eat in Los Angeles?
I don't know.
I, I mostly cook, but lately we've gone to a, you know, we tend to go to that one, that woman's restaurants.
Uh, there's one, I don't know her name, but joy on York in Highland park is a Chinese place.
And she's got another place called pine and crane, which we go to.
I do.
I like bod mosh on, uh, on Fairfax across from Cantor's.
I like Cantor's sometimes, um, uh,
but Badmosh is an Indian place that I enjoy going to.
We go to Scaff's over here in Glendale for the Persian, the kebabs and whatnot.
Recently went to Angelini Asteria, which has been around forever, and it's just spectacular.
Italian food.
And, yeah, I don't know, for sushi...
I don't really go out much for sushi, but I do like that sushi park place in the mall when I do go.
Those are the ones that we go to when we go.
Could use a good Korean place.
When Republicans refuse to certify elections they lose next month, how quickly do you think our society will unravel?
It's on its way.
You know, I don't know.
I don't know how, you know, I guess...
a little quicker or maybe at the same pace how do you deal with users on your show is it hard talk is it hard to talk to them knowing they use booze and shit no not at all i've had people that needed to to drink here um i think i think one of them sober now tony millionaire brought beer uh kevin smith smoked weed i don't i don't none of that shit bothers me
Did your trip to the fringe strain your relationship with Kirk Fox?
Why hasn't he been on the show?
You guys must have some history in common.
I don't know.
You know, Kirk is an odd guy.
It was the fringe didn't strain our relationship.
We didn't really have a relationship.
We barely knew each other.
And I see Kirk around.
We're OK.
He's not a very forthcoming guy.
It never, you know, and I think we just have an understanding around that.
You know, I don't think he's willing to do the conversation I want to would want to have.
And I get that.
I can respect that.
Is there any significance that you are doing your special December 8th in New York?
No, there isn't.
I don't know.
What is that day?
I think it's a sad day.
Is that the day Lenin was shot or something?
There was no significance.
I'm delighted to hear that you recently visited Clayquot Sound, Tofino, my favorite place on Earth.
Where in Canada are you most interested to visit and why?
I just have been going where I go to work.
But I would like to go to Newfoundland.
I would like to go to more of the islands over there.
I'd like to go up into the mountains on the west side.
And yeah, I'm open.
I haven't done a lot of research yet.
Would you like to host SNL?
If so, would you be nervous?
And what type of sketches would you like to do?
Hi from Mexico, by the way.
Sure, I'd love to do SNL.
I would love to host SNL.
It's not going to happen.
That ship has sailed.
I don't think I'd be nervous.
I'd be excited.
It's a long time coming if it ever came.
Imagine you get nominated for the big acting awards.
How would you feel or what would it mean to you?
It would mean a lot to me.
I want a prize.
I like prizes.
Who doesn't?
Have you ever watched the Dominion documentary or any other documentary about factory farms?
No, I did.
I I something changed my mind about fast food years ago.
It was a fast food nation and also in terms of agriculture.
A strip I saw in World War Three Illustrated, which was a sort of a comic magazine, political comic magazine in New York back in the day.
I haven't seen them.
I don't know what happened to them, but obviously they're not around anymore.
But yeah, I still eat meat.
I know it's bad.
Do you or did you ever feel any type of imposter syndrome when starting out?
And how did you learn to deal with it?
I don't know exactly what that is.
Imposter syndrome.
I don't think I ever felt it.
I think I felt my influences at times, and I think that there have been times in both my writing and in my stand-up where I'm like, you know, I've got to shake the influence of so-and-so because it's, you know, it's too prominent.
But a lot of times you go through different phases where you're influenced by people to get to yourself, and they kind of peel away.
But they sneak back in here and there.
I'm not sure what imposter syndrome is, but I don't think I felt it, no.
Should I look it up?
I can look it up.
Here we go.
Psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.
Oh, so that's the catcher right there.
Obviously, I've doubted my skills, talents, or accomplishments.
But I never was afraid of being exposed as a fraud because it was kind of a mono talent.
It was just stand-up.
And, you know, I was the guy talking.
I didn't think I was a fraud as a stand up.
There were times where I was insecure and I didn't think I was very good.
But I don't know.
I don't I don't think I'm a fraud at anything because I contextualize most things like I'm learning how to act.
I'm OK at guitar.
I'm good at doing my style of conversational work.
interview, and I'm good at comedy.
But I don't think I'm pretending to be anything.
Hi, Mark.
If you still have any nerd cock tease left, would you consider bringing some to your London dates?
That's hilarious.
There's so many decisions I've made and executed that I have no understanding of why I thought anyone would give a shit.
I think that's why I'm not an arena act.
But thank you, Adam.
What's your recipe for cabbage salad?
Well, it is... It's that woman whose book that is.
What is it?
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
Samin Nasrat.
It's her cabbage salad.
The one I do with the purple cabbage.
The other one is just the recipe for Cortito, which is basically cabbage, carrots, Mexican oregano, some type of pepper, red pepper, or...
jalapeno pepper dried bread or sliced jalapeno and some sliced thinly sliced green onion in vinegar and water it's the best those are the two I make but one is hers and one is I don't know whose it is I got it on the internet and that's it for the questions for Mark I hope that was whatever you wanted it to be
Thank you.