Episode 257: "Weird Al" Yankovic

On this episode of WTF, Marc talks to "Weird Al" Yankovic. They talk about hoarding, Weird Al’s musical heroes and, later in the episode, tragedy. More specifically, the singular most traumatic thing that has happened to Weird Al. On April 9, 2004, he got a phone call from his wife in tears telling him that both his parents passed away from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. The flue in their house was closed and they had the fireplace going. He then talks about how he could barely function but he had a show to do that night. He went on stage and did the show, pretending like everything was fine, but afterwards he would just go and collapse. He says that his music and the outpouring of support from his fans helped him get through that time. 

Episode 85: Dane Cook

Dane Cook is the interviewee on this episode of WTF.  Dane has a very large persona on stage but he says how he used to be off stage is very different. He talks about coming to New York, how scared and shy he was and his social anxiety. He and Marc delve into where the contempt for Dane started and the dark times he came upon when he was becoming incredibly successful; he had to watch cancer take both of his parents in a year.  They also talk about the stealing accusations against Dane. He says that the things he did and what he was accused of taking were not verbatim and that they were just coincidentally similar thoughts. This has only made him want to work harder and create something original again that people look at and go “that’s Dane’s”. 

Episode 209: Charlie Day and Glen Howerton

On this episode of WTF, Marc talks to two of the creators and cast members of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; Charlie Day and Glen Howerton.  They talk about how they were both theater geeks when they started acting and how they all came together (Charlie, Glen and Rob McElhenney) to create the show. They started by just shooting stuff for fun and then they expanded on one of their videos which would go on to become the seed of what It’s Always Sunny would become. They also talk about Rob McElhenney’s weight gain for the show; he gained 50 pounds to make his character Mac funnier.

Episode 186: Jimmy Fallon

On this episode of WTF, Marc pays the current host of Late Night a visit. Jimmy Fallon has been the host of Late Night since 2009 and will take over the tonight show after the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Jimmy talks about his Dad’s time in the Navy, his Dad’s beard in the navy and their love of music. He also goes into what it was like working with the musicians he loves on his show like The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. They then touch on how Jimmy’s 1^st audition for SNL was a flop, his time there and how Will Ferrell would try to make him laugh and break character. 

Episode 163: Conan O'Brien

On this episode of WTF, Conan O’Brien pays a visit to Marc’s garage.  The two talk about Conan’s childhood, how a run in with an Italian street gang ended up with his nose being turned into a “bag of bones”, and growing up in a large Irish catholic family. They also demystify Harvard, where Conan went to school and was a part of their comedy publication called the Harvard Lampoon, and discuss his career.

Conan has been a writer for The Simpsons and SNL and has hosted Late Night, The Tonight Show and his current show Conan. He touches on all of this in this episode and the late night war that cut his time on The Tonight Show short. After The Tonight Show, Conan went on a tour called The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour which he says helped him through that tough time and got him out of his head. Conan says life’s been a weird ride and it’s getting weirder all the time. 

Episode 94: Mike Birbiglia

On this episode of WTF, stand-up comedian Mike Birbiglia sits down with Marc. Marc and Mike have had a rocky relationship in that past and they get into why that was early on in this conversation. Mike also touches on how what he does involves a lot of failing and dying on stage to see what works and what doesn't.

Mike has a REM behavior disorder that causes a dopamine deficiency that makes him act out his dreams. This has resulted in incidents where he thought his bookshelf was a winner’s podium that led to him climbing on top of it to claim second place in dust-bustering and promptly falling off onto his TiVo. The event that made him get help for this condition was when he jumped out of a hotel window because a missile was locked on to him in his dream. His most recent special is fantastic and one of my favorites in recent memory; it’s called My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend and is available for streaming on Netflix. 

Episode 81: Tig Notaro

In this episode of WTF, Marc sits down with Tig Notaro, a stand-up comedian of 14 years. Tig reflects on Katrina and the outpouring of support she received when she was gathering supplies and a U-Haul to take down to help aid survivors and not knowing whether or not her family that lived there was still alive. She also touches on how much she hates the “it’s hard for women in comedy” mentality and talks about how genuine a person Sarah Silverman is.

In 2012, Tig was diagnosed with cancer in both breasts and underwent a double mastectomy. Before this, she contracted a life-threatening illness called C. diff and then her mother passed away in a freak accident and then her diagnosis came. Three days after she was diagnosed she performed at the Largo. Towards the beginning of her set she says, “Tragedy plus time equals comedy. But I don’t have the benefit of time. So I’m just going to tell you the tragedy and know that everything is going to be okay” and she goes on to talk about the tragedy she’s been dealing with in an incredibly honest, personal and genuinely funny half hour called Live.