Marc Maron Weaves Sadness

As a standup comedian and radio host, Marc Maron has never shied from talking about subjects that are discomforting and taboo. In a new interview with Punchline Magazine, Maron discusses the role emotional honesty plays in his comedy:

You make no secret out of wanting to
weave some sadness into your stand-up material. Are there some bits you
do that you feel are bigger downers than others?
Well, I
don’t know if stripping people down to the fact that life is short and
usually it ends up disappointing you is necessarily what people are
looking for in entertainment. But lately, if you fuse that with a
little frustration and anger and not just strip it down for no reason,
then something good seems to happen.

Whether or not people are
willing to go there, that’s up to them. And if they’re not they could
just laugh at me, like ‘That guy’s crazy.’ I seem to be more
philosophical than whiney. The questions I always ask myself when I get
off the stage is, ‘Jeez was that really necessary? Did I have to do
that? Did I help the audience at all or are they going to leave feeling
worse?’

Sometimes people leave my show saying, ‘that guy was
hilarious’ and other times they say, ‘I hope that guy’s ok.’ And either
way, I’ve engaged you in something. If it’s the latter, I’ve forced you
into the position to care. And some of you are selfish so maybe that
was new for you.

For more, check out Marc Maron: Heartbreaking Comedy.