On… the WTF podcast

I just started listening to a podcast, and like everything else that I discover about six years after everyone else, I’m OBSESSED. (No, it’s not that Serial podcast. I know everyone is talking about it, but I honestly get too freaked out just thinking about it, let’s move on, no seriously, stop it, let’s move on.)

I tried listening to a couple of NPR podcasts before but they seemed to be just very annoying people talking about movies/music/books/”culture”. I thought they were being pretentious fuckwits but couldn’t argue back. So I stopped listening. (I know hate-listening is a thing, like hate-reading and hate-Instagramming, but I don’t do it. Not to be all hippie-ish about it, but that negative energy shit like totes drains my chi. For the same reason, I don’t watch reality TV and I don’t read gossip magazines. Sorry, back to the point: I wasn’t into podcasts.)

Then I discovered WTF. The host is a comic named Marc Maron.

He interviews comedians, writers, actors, directors – basically, people creating something, usually comedy. He is an exceptional interviewer. Charming, funny, self-aware. He seems to make each person feel like he connects with them uniquely and finds them extraordinarily interesting and charming. And so, as a result, they ARE interesting and charming.

Some interviews work better than others, but I almost always come away thoughtful and with a very definite and specific understanding and appreciation of each person. It’s one of those makes-you-love-humanity-more things: everyone has a story. And right now, when much of the internet seems to be permanently premenstrual, picking fights and being a bitch to everyone it meets, that is pretty damn valuable.

So now, naturally, I have a mild Marc Maron obsession. I pretend that we’re on a friend date (a totally platonic friend date, come now, I’m married, I have two tiny ginger sons, and he like wouldn’t even ask me out you guys, helplessgigglebitingmyfinger) and he’s asking me questions about my life and I’m being all scintillating and hilarious and thoughtful. This is, I’m aware, VERY FUCKING LAME OF ME.

Anyway, I figured you might like it too. There are over 500 interviews. I pick them out at random. You need an app like this for your iPhone, then look up ‘WTF’ and the last 100 interviews are free. Or do as I did and realize quickly that you’ll need the official WTF app for premium access to every interview ever.

A good interview to start with is Dax Shepherd. (He’s an actor, you know him.) He’s a great raconteur, he seems like a truly lovely and smart guy. I also really enjoyed the interviews with Elizabeth Banks, Nick Frost, Natasha Lyonne, Laura Dern, Nicholas Stoller, Bill Hader, Diablo Cody, Robin Williams (this one is really wonderful, though it will probably make you cry), Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, Molly Shannon, Josh Radnor, Hank Azaria, Jon Favreau, John Oliver, Danny McBride and um there are more but let’s start with them. You’ll enjoy them.

There are other interviews that are okay-but-not-amazing, and a few where I came away thinking ‘well that guy is a total dick’ or ‘I would SO not have a drink with that woman’. But I won’t tell you their names because you know, karma (see above re: negative energy shit totes draining my chi).

Anyway. Enjoy. Mwah. x

 

 

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3 thoughts on “On… the WTF podcast

  1. Ann

    Love WTF, the Dax Shepard interview was hilarious! The story about how he and his friends did a lawn job on the neighbors! Also love Radiolab, This American Life, Ted Radio Hour….

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