Maron - General Discussion

[yeswedo]

General discussion?

[Milburn Stone]

I hope someone is watching this show besides me. It will probably never be anyone's favorite must-see show, but it always rewards viewing. I really like following Maron's struggles, which I have a feeling are not so different from the struggles of people who don't have their own TV shows.

 

There seem to be many shows now that explore the psyches of their comedian-stars (Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, etc.), but none other than Maron that I can think of that do it strictly within the traditional "half hour sitcom" format and do it so well.

[DXD526]

This show is uneven, but when it's 'on', like last week, there's nothing better on TV. What an amazing episode, funny and insightful. It had a really hokey message - never give up despite what life throws at you - and it could have been a really hokey, eyeroll-inducing ep. Instead it delivered the laughs and even an uplifting ending. When Marc brought a new stray in the house and called to his other cats to behave because he's bringing in a guest...well, I got all choked up. 

 

Looking forward to tonight's ep. It will be hard to top last week, but even a sub-par Maron is better than just about any other current comedy.

[Milburn Stone]

Looking forward to tonight's ep. It will be hard to top last week, but even a sub-par Maron is better than just about any other current comedy.

 

Glad to find a fellow-fan. (And I'm looking forward to catching up in my Maron viewing.) I love Louie, but it bears observing that somehow Maron is able to put together a self-exploratory comedy that digs deep while staying entirely within the realm of realism, rather than surrealism, fantasy, flashbacks, etc.

[zxy556575]

Both shows feature sadsack losers, but somehow Maron doesn't bother me while Louis does. Go figure.

 

I was glad to see the last of Jen, not so much because of her character but because watching bad relationships that are bad in a true-to-life way makes me sigh in a depressed way.

[Mindymoo]

I am really enjoying this season so far, especially in comparison to last season. I just liked it last season, but was sort of "take it or leave it" with it. This season, however, I am really into it. All of the episodes have been really great, and the dispatching of Jen so soon was a pleasant surprise, as hard as it was on Marc. This last episode broke my heart though. That poor cat deserved better.

 

Marc can be a neurotic mess, but his love and compassion for animals really endears me to him. Since I tend to be a neurotic mess half the time (my wife sometimes lovingly calls me the female Woody Allen) and am a huge cat lover, I get him.

[AnnieBeez]

I listened to the Giovanni Ribisi episode yesterday. Maron's Scientology questions really made me uncomfortable.  

[DXD526]

For the second time this season, one of Marc's comedy friends comes on the show and behaves like a total asshole! First it was Ray Romano in the premier, acting like a thoughtless, self-centered jerk, and this week Caroline Rhea, as a thoughtless, self-centered, horny jerk. Is guest starring on Maron becoming some sort of cleansing experience?

 

Marc agonizes over whether to ask CR out, and when he finally calls her, she's like, "Sure! Bring condoms!" Hee.

 

This show is starting to feel like a big game of Truth Or Dare.  

[Sader87]

Another big fan here....have long enjoyed Maron's stand-up, podcasts etc. 

 

I loved the ep with the dual marriage counselors....so funny!!!

 

I also love your take on these shows Milburn Stone....can we do "boards on boards" talk here???? Great seeing/reading you ovah here.

[formerlyfreedom]

Okay, we've got an episode topic live for tonight's show, so go over and have at it, folks! Thanks!

[possibilities]

I like this show a lot, because of the small things. Like his love for cats-- which on TV seems to be a rare trait outside of lonely children we have to cry over (stray cat, stray child, both eating out of the dumpster-- I'm sure I've seen that on an After School Special) and lonely women people like to laugh at. Or just the everyday drama of leaving your ex's stuff on the curb-- not for spite, but actually in an effort to avoid confrontation-- which typically backfires.

 

He seems to borrow plots from other comics (like Tig Notaro's "I have cancer" and Louis C.K.'s avoidance of a beat down, and the device of using Romano the way Episodes uses Matt LeBlanc). I'm not sure how I feel about that-- even if he puts a twist on it, he brings it very close to the line of direct plagiarism. It's not quite a spoof, not quite an homage.

 

I do wonder how a supposedly washed up and/or failed comic owns his own house. But I let that stuff go on TV shows routinely, because they all seem to feature people living mysteriously beyond their means.

 

I also appreciate that it's not all or even mostly about dating. they dispensed with the crappy relationship and didn't immediately switch gears into random hook ups-- bravo! That material has been explored so much that it's stale as hell. His mundanely insane family and his cast of sort-of-friends is more amusing to me, along with the nostalgia hook up from a few weeks ago. He seems quite realistic about his romantic prospects and (unlike Louie) not overly interested in the endless quest for nubile validation of the unsadness of his sack.

 

Actually, the unflinching realism of most of the episodes, even bluntness, is somewhat refreshing to me. Most TV, even TV that isn't trying to be surreal, is glamorized to the point of delusion. Maron seems to be pursuing a "triumph of the depressive over the more depressed" in a way that feels very much like a blow for proportionate humanity.

Edited July 3, 2014 by possibilities

[possibilities]

The backpack made the episode.

[DXD526]

This season continues to be both weird and hilarious. I'm going to try to work, "It's horrific; it's like a car crash falling onto a train wreck", into a conversation as soon as possible.

 

Let's get some NPR in this bitch!

[Milburn Stone]

I'm curious what LA neighborhood his TV house is in. I assume it's the same neighborhood we sometimes see his Mom power-walking in. Looks like an older neighborhood, so I'm guessing somewhere in the Hollywood Hills or LA Basin, rather than The Valley, but I don't know LA well enough to pin it down. Maybe someone here does.

[Dewey Decimate]

I'm loving this show so much more since the end of the Jen storyline; something about the situation felt unreal (though, ironically, I know it was based on real life), and I found the actress bland. The most recent eps have been especially good. Not sure why I want to immediately compare it to Louie, but the latter I've gotten tired of in the last season or two. Too much wishy-washy behavior from a lead who despite seeming quite spineless, often expects things from the out-of-his-league women he magically encounters. I far more identify with - and can root for - a self-centered, but not quite self-absorbed protagonist who sometimes rages off the handle, but doesn't completely abandon all logic and reason (ex. realizing his deadbeat buddy would not be the best person to leave with a backpack full of cash). Plus, he loves cats.

[Monty]

I enjoyed the most recent episode a lot. The strawman morning zoo characters were sufficiently annoying that Maron's rant felt justified. And then the show was full of legitimate radio people like Phil Hendrie, who really does all those voices when he broadcasts.

 

And as a bonus, there wasn't any romantic subplot!

[zillabreeze]

I don't want to like this show, but I do.  Even though I didn't know who he was, I started from the first epi and just can't quit it.

It the vast wasteland of TV comedy, I am usually content with a couple of laugh out loud moments each episode.  I think it is improving and quietly coming into it's own niche.

Count me as another that can't dig Louie.

[zxy556575]

I don't want to like this show, but I do. Even though I didn't know who he was, I started from the first epi and just can't quit it.

 

What was your prejudice against liking it? Not snarky, just curious.  :)

[Milburn Stone]

I'm not completely caught up, but have seen Mouth Cancer Gig, and I have to say, it was one of the best half hours of television I've ever seen.

 

Part of the credit has to go to Bobcat Goldthwait, who directed it.

[zillabreeze]

Lardonia- it struck me at first blush kind of Louie "sad sacky" that's all. It didn't take long to see it wasn't !

[Milburn Stone]

Mouth Cancer Gig was my favorite episode!

 

Yeah. It worked as genuinely absorbing drama, it worked as comedy, it worked as social commentary, and it worked as an examination of the human condition. All without resorting to surrealism as Louie so often does. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

[bilgistic]

I usually like Maron (the show) and Marc Maron (the man), but this last episode struck me as gross and super self-indulgent. I was repulsed at the sex scenes with Marc and the realtor, and that kind of stuff never bothers me. It was just so stupid--them wheelbarrowing across the floor and later, her banging (heh) the piano keys as they were having sex. Ugh. Ridiculous. If it was supposed to be satire, good...job...?

Marc's relentless bitching-slash-humblebragging about spending four grand on an amp (or whatever) was about all I could take--at least he played J.D. McPherson (the song at the beginning, and the first one he played at home)--that was the only good thing for me in this episode. Oh, and the white cat! Is that Monkey or LaFawnduh?

[Sader87]

Loved the last ep with Bob Mendez and Bill Burr.....this show is just getting better and funnier....happy for Marc, looks like he was found his niche and subsequent success with his podacast and this show.

[Judois]

I had to give Giovanni a lot of credit for putting up with that. I don't get Scientology but I don't think a guest needs to basically defend it.

[DiabLOL]

I was really looking forward to this season. I absolutely LOVED the first two but the first episode of Season Three really bored and disappointed me. I sincerely hope things pick up. Anyone still watching?

[Soobs]

I am still excited for this season even though the first episode wasn't the best. My favorites are episodes that involve his family or him and or his assistant wandering around getting in trouble. I also live where they film, so maybe I like seeing my neighborhood on TV too.

Edited May 24, 2015 by Soobs

[biakbiak]

I always need to remind myself that David Crosby was chosen as a sperm donor when people ask neurotic firmer addicts as good genetic material.

[Milburn Stone]

I am still excited for this season even though the first episode wasn't the best. My favorites are episodes that involve his family or him and or his assistant wandering around getting in trouble. I also live where they film, so maybe I like seeing my neighborhood on TV too.

 

Have only watched this episode so far, but I agree with you. Something unpleasant about this one, although it did give a glimpse of pathetic "old Hollywood" in the form of the talent agent. But other films and shows have done that. (I don't mean as in Sunset Boulevard, I mean like the normal day to day of how old lower-tier Hollywood worked.) I seem to recall David Lynch has explored this...

[Dewey Decimate]

I've enjoyed the first few eps. Can't help but compare it to Louie (fairly or unfairly), and Maron IMO comes out quite favorably in comparison. I'm utterly tired of Louie running into surreal situations - including ubiquitous sex repeatedly dropping in his path - and his laissez faire passivity to it. Much prefer Maron's "wtf? are you seeing this?!" reaction - funnier to me and much more in line with how I as a viewer see it.

[zxy556575]

Does anyone know if the Boomer Lives logo means Boomer came home or is it meant more as a rallying cry?

 

I prefer Maron to Louie as well, although they both share the same bleak outlook about comedy gig road trips.

Edited May 28, 2015 by lordonia

[Lone Wolf]

Does anyone know if the Boomer Lives logo means Boomer came home or is it meant more as a rallying cry?

 

I prefer Maron to Louie as well, although they both share the same bleak outlook about comedy gig road trips.

I think (unfortunately) that it's a rallying cry. In a Dispatch From The Head dated 10/15/12 Maron coined the phrase when he said, "No sign of Boomer yet, but Boomer lives! I've decided that." Then in a 6/12/13 Flavorwire interview he mentioned again that Boomer had disappeared.

Me? I like Louie and Maron equally for different reasons. I think Louie's more layered, but I identify more with Maron personally.

[zxy556575]

I was surprised Marc ended up editing out the personal discussion with Michelle because it would have been much buzzier show with it in, but good for him. Growth! But (a) he should have kept the chair, and (b) those were drapes, not curtains.

[Mindymoo]

I was surprised Marc ended up editing out the personal discussion with Michelle because it would have been much buzzier show with it in, but good for him. Growth! But (a) he should have kept the chair, and (b) those were drapes, not curtains.

I was surprised too, but it was really considerate of him and it was nice for him to just back off from his ex and abide by her request rather than air all of their dirty laundry. I was hoping he would call back Mary-Lynn Rajskub though. I love her.

[DiabLOL]

I found Maron's acting even worse than usual in this ep. The actress who played his wife was awful as well. So far my disappointment with this season remains.

[DXD526]

I was hoping he would call back Mary-Lynn Rajskub though.

 

I think when he's calmed down and is thinking rationally again, he will. At least, I hope he will. He owes her a major apology. She just had the unfortunate timing to call at a really bad moment, but wow, he was nasty to her. It was hard to watch.

 

And the question about the fate of Boomer was answered, unfortunately. Poor kitty.

 

I also was surprised at Marc editing the juicy personal bits from the podcast, but was so glad he did. Leaving it in would have been really mean-spirited, and would have made me really dislike him, to the point that I don't know if I could have kept watching. Glad he made the right decision.

[NancyDrew]

I found Maron's acting even worse than usual in this ep. The actress who played his wife was awful as well. So far my disappointment with this season remains.

Totally agree and was thinking the same especially during the scene where he is supposed to cry and break the chair.  TERRIBLE.  Not sure if his acting dragged hers down but it was BAD.

[Franklin Mac]

I think it was lazily directed, and terribly edited. I was wondering if it was trying to homages the amateurish style of self-improvement videos or just quickly slapped together.  Normally, the show is great and they utilize Marc's inexpert acting skills.  I ain't giving up on the show, though.  I'll be back next week, for sure.

[editorgrrl]

The acting was deliberately bad during the "Ex-Pod" flashbacks to show they were subjective memories.

And cleanshaven Marc looked a lot like Andy Kindler.

[opus]

Curiosity made me check out the age difference he cast for the ex. It was 15 years.

[DiabLOL]

Mary-Lynn Rajskub deserves way better. A call from Maron would do her no favors.

[Lone Wolf]

I was going to say this when the Romono ep aired, but there was significantly less activity on this forum then: I need to own Ray Romano/Bruce Bruce's house. Immediately. At which time I will disappear into same, never to be seen in public again.

Also, Dave is indeed a dick and a horrible friend, and is possibly the worst friend anyone has ever had in the history of human friendships. I would cut him out of my lifelike a malignant tumor.

"See you later, Kyle." "Nope."

[zxy556575]

For whatever reason, Marc realizes Dave is horrible and still does nothing. All in service of comedy, I suppose, but it doesn't make me like the fictional Marc any better.

 

The racial storyline was well done, I thought. I've never considered that there might be different comedy clubs/circuits for blacks and whites, or at least different audiences on different nights.

[Soobs]

For whatever reason, Marc realizes Dave is horrible and still does nothing. All in service of comedy, I suppose, but it doesn't make me like the fictional Marc any better.

 

The racial storyline was well done, I thought. I've never considered that there might be different comedy clubs/circuits for blacks and whites, or at least different audiences on different nights.

 

And the fact that black comics have to have two acts in order to build a career. That's a lot more work.

 

Sometimes I get confused with this show and Louie. Are we supposed to be rooting for them? I guess it's supposed to be nuanced like life. Sometimes I also feel like I get a big enough dose of that vibe from life.

[editorgrrl]

Sometimes I get confused with this show and Louie. Are we supposed to be rooting for them? I guess it's supposed to be nuanced like life. Sometimes I also feel like I get a big enough dose of that vibe from life.

I find Maron more enjoyable than Louie, but less so than Jim Jefferies' Legit. All three shows were born from standup routines, and all three characters struggle to be better men.

Edited June 8, 2015 by editorgrrl

[Lone Wolf]

And the fact that black comics have to have two acts in order to build a career. That's a lot more work.

There was a reality-based show on Oxygen called Funny Girls, about some female comedians who were trying to make it big. Two of them were African American, and one of the plot lines actually addressed how they had to tailor their act. I would think any good comic would need to that, though, e.g., there are jokes that won't play in every part of the country.

Sometimes I get confused with this show and Louie. Are we supposed to be rooting for them? I guess it's supposed to be nuanced like life. Sometimes I also feel like I get a big enough dose of that vibe from life.

I find it easier to root for Louie than Maron. Louie seems to have a lost-soul vibe with things just happening to him that are are out of his control. Things might happen to Maron, but his anger and bitterness keep hiim from being a victim.

[zxy556575]

Oy, Marc. Along with anger management, take some acting lessons.

 

I was rooting for the cop to arrest him, if that's the feeling the show is trying to engender for its protagonist.

Edited June 13, 2015 by lordonia

[biakbiak]

So I really hope they first offered the parts to Kumail and Jonah but that Kumail was too busy with Silicon Valley and Jonah has already been on not playing himself because that was so weird to recreate their show without them.

[Lone Wolf]

Oy, Marc. Along with anger management, take some acting lessons.

 

 

Yeah, that scene of him reacting to the car blocking his driveway was just embarrassing.

 

OTOH, I appreicated the story about the 2 monks.  Like Maron, I'm glass-half-empty, and frequently feel like Steve Martin in Planes Trains & Automobiles going through life. Unlike Maron, I'm interested in self-improvement and I'm going to remember the point of that fable.

 

Good job, show.

[DXD526]

Some great ruminations on anger this week.

 

Marc: "I have a river of rage running through me at all times. It's just really up to me as to whether I put the kayak in the water."

 

(To his beleaguered personal assistant): "I hope you understand that when I'm yelling at you, I'm really just yelling at the situation. It just so happens that I'm using your name and pointing at you."

 

Marc couldn't pay me enough to be his assistant. Who needs the abuse?

[Milburn Stone]

For whatever reason, Marc realizes Dave is horrible and still does nothing.

 

I thought the anger-management episode was one of the best in a long time.

 

It's been apparent for some time that Dave is such a horrible friend mainly because Marc is so much more successful than he is and Dave can't stand it. Dave probably thinks, "We started out together; we're equally talented; how did he end up so much better off than me?" That jealousy was made explicit in this episode but it really didn't have to be. Anyway, I think Marc continues to tolerate Dave being the worst friend in the history of human friendships mainly because Marc understands the jealousy that drives Dave to be so horrible.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Milburn Stone