The Greatest Television Ever: The Series Finale of "Maron" brings a Great Show to an Untimely End

Tonight marks the series finale of the IFC show, "Maron". Depending on who you ask, this was either IFC's choice to cancel the show, or it was Marc Maron's choice to end it after 4 seasons. Either way, this is an upsetting end for me. I really, really like this show. "Maron" centers around the life of comedian/writer/actor/podcaster, Marc Maron. It is a heightened version, but nonetheless, it was pretty much autobiographical. From the series premiere to tonight's finale, the show has been very funny, but also more realistic than any reality show on TV right now.

The first season was pretty much about how Maron and his podcast, "WTF" was blowing up. People were recognizing him and, in typical Marc Maron fashion, this made him uncomfortable. He did not like the spotlight being on him. Even more so though, he didn't feel that he deserved the spotlight. It was a great way to start a series about his life because his podcast was really blowing up at that time. Sure, he didn't have President Obama on yet, but he was getting some pretty famous people to appear on the show. The first season also talked about how his friends, the great Dave Anthony and Andy Kindler, were either jealous or didn't think Marc Maron deserved all the attention. There were funny and real moments during that first season that were just fantastic.

Season two found Marc with a new, very young girlfriend. She was controlling and wanted a baby. While this may sound like a big departure, it was still a very good through line for the season. Season 2 found Maron trying, and failing, to relate to his girlfriend's very young group of friends. Maron was trying to be hip and cool, but he also knew that he was older and he didn't want to do young adult things anymore. He wanted to play his guitar, do his podcast, play with his cats and listen to records. Maron's parents were more involved in this season as well. This really showed how the person Marc Maron came to be. His dad was a crazy man that lived in an RV that never showed any real love towards his son. His mom, retired and living in Florida, was a tough, no nonsense women who always told Marc that he was fat. This was also very good stuff. We also got to meet Marc's brother this season and more of the characters in his life. Season 2 was a big step up from season one, and I loved season one. The second season ended with him and his girlfriend splitting up, but it was definitely for the best.

In season three Marc Maron really starts to explode. His podcast is bigger than ever. He is getting deals done and doing some of the best work of his career. Friends and family even respected the fact that he was getting the acclaim he deserved. This all came to a head wonderfully and tragically in the season 3 finale. Maron finally got his own talk show, but he had previously hurt his back trying to stay in TV shape, thus leading him to a pill addiction. If you don't already know, Marc Maron, both the person and the character, is a recovering addict. Some shady doctor decides to give him oxycotin for his back, and being the addict he was, he got hooked right away. During the taping of his pilot episode, he was so high, he passed out. This was a harrowing season finale to a comedic show. It was dark, but funny, as only Maron and his writing team could do.

The start of this fourth season found Maron living in a storage unit and fully addicted to all pain pills. He looked rough. He had an unkempt beard that was shaggier than mine. He was sleeping with a nurse, who was keeping a cancer patient alive, so he could get pain pills from her. Dave Anthony, who I cannot stress enough how great he was on this show, finally gets him to go to rehab. Maron had screwed enough people over, and he needed help. The scenes that took place in the rehab were funny, poignant and terrifying. He was put in a rehab with a bunch of young, rich white kids and that seems to be one of Maron's biggest pet peeves. He hated this, but he did what he needed to do to get better. We, the audience, also come to see that Dave Anthony has become a big time guy in Hollywood, but it was all due to him stealing Marc's life. It was, much like the whole series, very funny and very weird. The scenes between Dave Anthony, Marc Maron and Amy Smart, who played Anthony's wife, were so bizarre, but I couldn't look away. While going through recovery, Maron is doing his apologies to the people he had wronged, and we come to realize that he fathered a kid as a sperm donor. In the penultimate episode, Maron leaves town to find this kid. He ends up in the hometown of the child, is about to leave, but changes his mind and stays.

Tonight we get the conclusion to this whole series. I'm excited, but also sad to watch the finale. I truly hope it was Maron's decision to end this show. I know it's going to be great, but I could have watched so much more of this. Well, at least we will always have "WTF" to listen to. Thank you for four great seasons of television. "Maron" will be missed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Like "WTF" Ty hopes his podcasting career takes off in season two. Catch the first episode of our second season where The X Millennial Man talks about great dogs. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The SeedSing (half) year in Pop Culture: The Top Five Podcasts of 2015

Time to remember the mic's best guests

Continuing my week long best of 2015 countdown today I'll pick my top five podcast episodes of the year. I'm a very, very big fan of podcast, mostly comedy podcast. Comedy podcasts are very well represented in this countdown, but there's one pretty serious, not very comedic episode that tops my list. I could've easily done a top 25, 50 or even 100 for this topic, so paring it down to five was tough. Here it goes.

My number five podcast episode of 2015 was the return of "Go Bayside" when they critically deconstructed the "Saved By the Bell: Hawaiian Style" movie. By they I mean the excellent and very hilarious host, April Richardson and her equally as funny best friend, Millie De Chirico. I was so pleasantly surprised and happy when my podcast app showed me that there was a new "Go Bayside". I put time away to go on a hike so I would not be bothered while I listened. April Richardson took a long time off after she finished doing all the pertinent episodes of "Saved By the Bell", but she promised to return to do this movie and the one when Kelly and Zack get married. This episode made it well worth the wait. Richardson and De Chirico come out hot from the start, just chastising the racism in this movie. It was so funny. I loved how upset they both got t the fact that there was a principal's convention in the exact same spot of Hawaii that the students were vacationing in. They couldn't fathom a world that in all of Hawaii these people picked the same spot to vacation in. I couldn't agree more with them. They constantly bad mouthed Kelly's vacation boyfriend for being a creep and this actor totally deserved it, he was terrible. My favorite thing in the whole episode was how they kept going back to the piece of paper that the hotel lease was written on that was literally, a plain sheet of paper. They kept asking why this wasn't a more important document that they would keep in a special place and I found myself asking the same questions. It's baffling. This was such a great episode of my all time favorite podcast and I can't wait until April Richardson does the wedding of Zack and Kelly on what I assume will be the final episode ever of "Go Bayside".

Number four is the episode of "Doughboys" where they talk about In and Out Burger. "Doughboys" has been my new favorite podcast and this episode takes the cake. In most episodes, there's a back and forth between Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger and the guest just chimes in with whomever they are friends with. It's all very funny, but this episode was bizarre in the best possible way. Their guest was Armen Weitzman. Comedy fans know who Weitzman is, and how weird he can be, but he was off the handles in this particular "Doughboys". He would go back and forth between talking about the food to talking straight nonsense. While I was listening, I was enthralled at how wacky this episode was becoming. Even Mitchell and Wiger seemed to be taken aback at where all this was going. They even stopped their bickering towards each other and let Weitzman go on some long, strange rants. The best part was Weitzman explaining why his basketball podcast with Mitchell never came to fruition. This was the most bizarre thing in a completely absurd episode. I loved every second and I've listened to it multiple times just to hear the craziness. Not every episode is like this one, but I'm glad they have this, because it's one for the ages.

Coming in at number three I have "The Bill Simmons Podcast" episode with Michael Rappaport. As we all know by now, Simmons was fired from ESPN, took a social media hiatus for a couple of months and finally announced he'd be returning with a podcast and a TV show soon. The podcast was first and his early episodes were with friends and former athletes. It was basically the same thing as the "B.S. Report". Then, he had Michael Rappaport on and it was magical. He talked about everything fro his love for Knicks basketball to Rocky's trainer being a ladies man. He professed his love for Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis, calling him the "Latvian Gangster". He also kept calling Latvia, Lativia. He added an "I" that didn't need to be there. He also pushed Simmons to say something bad about ESPN. I loved how he was all in his business trying to get Simmons to say anything about his firing and what led to it. Simmons didn't say anything on air, but I like to imagine he crushed ESPN off air. Rappaport was a great relief from all the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics love that flooded the first month of Bill Simmons new podcast. He was lively, constantly cursing and just being himself. I loved it and I know most of his listeners did too. I can't wait for part two because there needs to be a part two.

My number two podcast episode was Comedy Bang Bang's fourth edition of "Farts and Procreation". This was bittersweet. Harris Wittels unfortunately overdosed and died the week before this episode came out. It was tragic and he has been greatly missed. He died way too young and had a horrible addiction problem. I didn't even know him and I miss him, so I can't even imagine what was going through Scott Aukerman's head when he did the intro. Well, his intro was an absolutely beautiful homage to his friend. He spoke of the good and the bad times they had and their close friendship. These two were very good friends. I'll admit, the intro brought me to tears. Then, they played their annual episode and it was as funny as one could've hoped for. Wittels, Chelsea Peretti and Adam Scott were as goofy and funny as they were on the previous three. Aukerman did his thing as the host, keeping the pace. Wittels did his classic "Harrison's Foam Corner" where he tells jokes that aren't ready for the stage yet and it was, once again, riotous. Peretti and Scott were great too. This was a great sendoff to the great career of Harris Wittels that was cut way too short. This is another episode I go back and listen to because it reminds me how truly talented Harris Wittels was. He was a great comedy writer nd he will be deeply missed.

And that brings us to my number one podcast episode of 2015, the "WTF with Marc Maron" episode where he interviewed President Barack Obama. This was a watermark moment in podcast history. I know that Obama was on other podcast, but not a comedian's podcast that thousands of hard core comedy fans listen to. This was a huge deal to me because I am an Obama supporter and I'm a Maron fan, so put those two together, I'm immediately on board. Maron did a great job with the interview, asking him all types of questions. Obama was even better, answering everything and telling more. He spoke of his father not really being around. He spoke of his love for his mom. He praised his wife. He talked about being a dad to teenage girls. He came off as a regular guy, not the President and I loved that. This was easily the best one hour of podcasting I listened to every year. And, I'm glad it was Maron that got the interview. He's gotten some big time people to be on his show, but he got the President and to people of my generation, this was great for us to hear this powerful man sound like an everyday guy. Maron and Obama did a great job with this episode. I mean, how could anything else be number one beside this episode.

So there you have my top five podcast episodes of 2015. Come back tomorrow where I wrap it up with my top five sports moments of 2015.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Next year his top five podcasts will all be ones he is a featured guest on. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik. 

Marc Maron's interview of Lorne Michaels was mostly gristle and very little steak

Sometimes a sword, sometimes a surrender flag

Last Monday, Marc Maron finally got his white whale.

He had an interview with Lorne Michaels. Saturday Night Live has been a big obsession for Maron. He has interviewed many SNL cast members. He is always very forward with these people. He wants to know about their audition. He wants to know about fellow cast members. He wants to talk about certain hosts and musical guests. But, most importantly he wants to know about Lorne Michaels. He has so many questions about Lorne Michaels. It can get uncomfortable at times and you can hear in some of the interviewees voices that they're uncomfortable with the barrage of questions about Michaels. Sure, most of them aren't on the show anymore, but they don't want to speak ill of Michaels. In most cases, he gave them their break, and without him, they probably wouldn't have a real career.

I, for one, like when Maron pushes the envelope. I like all the questions, because I want to know too. I'm from Saint Louis and New York and SNL are like mythical beings to me. I have a real love hate relationship with SNL, and I want to know all I can. I like to hear from these people about their experience. I like knowing that SNL is a cutthroat place to work, and you have to stay on your toes if you want to keep your job. But, much like Maron himself, I want to know about Lorne Michaels. He is a mysterious show biz person and he seems to be a real hard ass. He, at least on the surface, doesn't seem like a guy that takes crap from anyone. He's a star maker and may be a career ender, if you cross him.

I've been listening to Maron's podcast since the beginning. I'm a big fan of his and I look forward to listening to his podcast every Monday and Thursday. He's gotten pretty big recently as well, the interview with President Barack Obama putting him on everybody's map. I weirdly looked forward to this interview as much as I did the Presidents. As I stated before, I love SNL and I was very interested to see how hard Maron would come at Lorne Michaels. Maron has had a bone to pick since he wasn't picked to be on the show when he auditioned back in the 90's. He's brought this up a lot, so when I saw that Lorne Michaels was going to be on last Monday, I figured he would press him hard on this, and a lot of other things. The fact he wasn't picked for SNL has always been a big bone of contention for him. I figured, finally, some closure.

Then, I listened to the interview. It was fine. Maron asked some questions and Lorne Michaels answered in kind. But, the questions were softballs in my opinion. He just kind of lobbed some stuff to Michaels and he answered very predictably. It kind of felt like Maron was told by Michaels people that he could only ask certain questions, and to not push him too hard on the tough questions. The interview was like an appetizer. It was good, but not filling. We just got the tip of the iceberg. This was a two hour interview also, so the fact that nothing was pressed on Michaels, in two hours, left me disappointed. When Maron did ask about his audition and the process of not being selected, Michaels gave a very typical answer. He told Maron that "his voice wasn't right for the show". Yeah, no duh Lorne Michaels. Maron is a foul mouthed comedian. He is filthier than Norm Macdonald on his filthiest day. Maron assumed that he would be a Weekend Update guy, and while that fits his identity, his style isn't a good fit at SNL. We all already knew this. This was no revelation.

After they settled Maron being passed over, the rest of the interview was very blasé. It was like a pat on the back session after that. Lorne Michaels praised Maron's comic voice and what he's done with the podcast medium. I say again, we all know what he's done. They talked about doing an internet show before the internet was popular. Not that big a deal. Maron never really asked any really tough questions. When it comes to Lorne Michaels, he couldn't have been more congratulatory of himself. He gave himself the credit for young generations wanting to be on TV and do comedy. He credited himself for making Jimmy Fallon a late night star, something which makes me angry because I cannot stand Jimmy Fallon. He said that he's never forced anyone out of SNL, and that he's still friends with "pretty much everybody". He couldn't have been more pleased with himself. I understand what he's done for late night TV, and how big he made SNL, but show some humility. He claimed that while he wasn't the guy in charge for 5 years, he never watched the show. I believe that, because he comes off as arrogant, so why would he watch something he had nothing to do with?

I guess, overall, I was just disappointed with the interview. It left so much to be desired. And even at the end, when Maron does his usual sign off, he said he got closure. I don't know, because as a listener, I felt like he could've gotten so much more out of this once in a lifetime interview. My excitement was dashed pretty early on in this WTF episode, but not all of them can be winners. I think even Marc Maron would agree with me about this. I should also temper my expectations because, not every interview is going to be President Obama's interview. I love WTF and I'm a big Marc Maron fan, but this episode just left me wanting more.

Oh well, this Monday he has Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe on. Hopefully, this one will be better.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He figures Lorne Michaels should have more humility after the Donald Trump SNL appearance last week. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Comedy is thriving with podcasts. Get the best with the new app Howl.

Where do I turn the dial to hear this great comedy?

As all of you know, I'm a big, big fan of podcasts. 

I listen to podcast ranging from sports to comedy. Comedic podcasts are where my bread is buttered. I love listening to funny people being funny. There's something great about podcasting that allows these comedians and comedy writers to be funny in a free flowing environment. There's no real structure. Sure, you have an intro and an outro, but what happens in the middle is the best part. You get to hear these people use improv. That's so cool, because a lot of these people are great improvisors. People like Doug Benson, Scott Aukerman, Mike Mitchell, Nick Wiger, The Sklar Brothers, Paul F Tompkins and Matt Gourley are all great comics and actors, but on podcasts, they shine. Podcasting gives them the ability to do whatever they want. No notes from network executives, or people telling them to wrap something up. They have free rein. 

Podcasts have also introduced me to very funny up and coming actors and comedians like Lauren Lapkus, Jon Gabrus, Hayes Davenport, Sean Clements and even an old timer like Brendon Walsh. Ben Schwartz is so hilarious whenever he and Scott Aukerman do their "solo bolos" on Comedy Bang! Bang!. Actor Adam Scott is very, very funny during his appearances on multiple podcasts. Nick Kroll is a comedy powerhouse, especially with his many different characters on Comedy Bang! Bang!.  How Did This Get Made introduced me to Paul Scheer, June Diane Rapheal and the extremely funny, Jason Mantzoukas. I had barely ever seen or heard from Andy Daly until he started to pop up on different podcasts and now he has one of the best shows on TV, "Review". I could go on and on and on.

The main reason I'm writing today is to tell you about the great new podcast app called Howl. Howl gives you unlimited access to every single Earwolf, Wolfpop and WTF With Marc Maron that's ever been recorded. That means every episode of Comedy Bang! Bang!, How Did This Get Made, U Talkin U2 To Me, Analyze Phish, what I'm trying to say is, you get every single episode of every single Earwolf show. On most podcast apps, you get the last six months. On Howl, you get every episode ever, and the old ones are remastered with no commercial interruption. Same thing goes for the fairly new sister network of Earwolf, Wolfpop. You get Maltin on Movies with Baron Vaughn, I Was There Too, The Canon and so on and so forth. Every episode ever and the old ones are commercial free.

That would be enough for me, but they also give you every single WTF with Marc Maron. On his free app, he only gives the last sixty episodes for free. Howl gives you every episode ever. That's right, you can go back and listen to the two part Louis CK episode, voted best podcast ever, commercial free as many times as you want. You can hear Marc Maron interview Robin Williams. You can hear him from his start, interviewing his comedy buddies all the way to his high point of interviewing President Barack Obama.

Now, this app does cost money, but it's only 5 dollars a month. That's not much at all considering what you're getting. There is also shows that are only part of the premium Howl app. New shows from the Sklar Brothers, Lauren Lapkus and Jermaine Clement just to name a few will be on the premium app soon. There's also a TON of comedy albums available. You can hear albums from comics like Jen Kirkman, Doug Benson, Jim Gaffigan, Nick Kroll, Aziz Ansari and many, many more. I know, this sounds like an add, but it's not, I really just love this app and I think comedy podcast listeners will too. This is the holy grail for comedy podcasts. All these hours upon hours of uninterrupted shows is, in a word, phenomenal. It's a nice way to give back to these people that give us all this free content. Five dollars a month is nothing, and it's totally worth it. I love the Howl app and I'm really happy to have it. This is the first movement in the future of podcasting and I couldn't be happier about having all this content. Keep up the great work people of Earwolf, Wolfpop and WTF.

You guys have a fan for life.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and co-host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He did not get paid by any advertisers for writing this, . Follow Ty on twitter .

Cloves and Fedoras: Ty gives praise to Marc Maron, King of the Podcasts

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture (or older pieces).  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known. 

When it comes to podcasting, one of the pioneers has to be Marc Maron.

He was one of the first people out there to start a podcast. His show, WTF With Marc Maron (you can find it here), was there in the beginning and continues to run strong, with two episodes every week. One on Mondays and one on Thursdays. The episodes will be there every week, it's like death and taxes, WTF will be there for you to listen to two times a week. IFC even gave him a TV show which is loosely based on his life as a comedian and podcaster. That's how popular his show is. Marc Maron has had pretty much every important person in comedy, from people like Eddie Peppitone, to heavy hitters like Louis CK. In fact, his episode with Louis CK was voted best podcast episode ever in a publication last year. WTF With Marc Maron has featured character actors like Kevin Corrigan on and he's had huge stars like Will Ferrell. He's had legends like Dick Van Dyke and Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner on. He's also had former big time stars such as Pauly Shore on his show. Some episodes went away from comedy and highlighted musicians. Marc Maron has interviewed smaller guys like Mark Oliver Everett(E from the Eels) to big time rock legends like David Byrne. He's brought on countless other people, he's done over six hundred episodes of WTF.  

This coming Monday, June 22nd, he's got the biggest, most important interview that any podcaster will ever have on their show. This Monday, he will be interviewing The President of the United States, Barack Obama. I cannot tell you how excited I am to listen to this episode. First of all, I voted for and support President Obama. I'm so happy that he's a smart, cool and hip enough President to realize how big a deal podcasts are to a younger generation. I'm also pumped that he's letting Marc Maron interview him. This is huge. People may forget that Maron was a part of the Air America family when they had a radio broadcast. So, he's no slouch when it comes to talking politics, but after at least three plus years of listening to WTF, I'm pretty sure politics will only be 10 to 15 minutes of the hour long interview. I'm hoping he asks President Obama stuff like, if he enjoys stand up comedy, or what it was like being a young kid growing up in the Midwest. Basically, I'm hoping, as hard as it's going to be, that Marc Maron treats this episode like every other WTF. President Obama is the most powerful man in the United States, but he's also a person with a story to tell, just like we all are people with different stories to tell. This is a huge deal for the millennials since the majority of us listen to podcasts everyday. To have someone as important and powerful as President Obama appear on a podcast is a huge deal. I cannot express that enough. IT"S HUGE. Please, if you're a conservative, a liberal, an independent, or whatever else there is out there, listen to WTF on Monday and I think you will see that we are all just people with stories, even if you happen to be the President. 

Thank you Marc Maron for doing this interview, you are a pioneer and you just keep getting better and better. You're the man.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for Seed Sing.  He is getting ready to co-host his own podcast The X Millennial Man. Follow him on twitter @tykulik