Interview: Marc Maron on Anti-Woke Comedy, the Liberal Sense of Humor & Riyadh

Comedian of the Year Marc Maron speaks with Consequence’s Wren Graves in a wide-ranging conversation focused around comedy, culture, and the interplay between them. Maron begins with his take on comedians performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival before diving into a deep discussion of the corruptive influence of money in comedy and the manosphere. Maron criticizes comedians who parrot right-wing talking points and label it anti-woke comedy. He preaches on the power of comedy to amplify voices and broaden our thinking, and also reflects on his own development as a comedian, growing beyond cheap shots and shock humor to explore a more personal and vulnerable style of comedy. Later in the conversation, Maron shares his thoughts on digital culture and how too much screen time affects our brains. He then opens up about his experiences with dementia and how it changed his relationship with his parents. He also touches on some of his favorite podcast guests, the projects he’s working on for the future, and even his musical output and intake. Spoiler alert, Maron’s a Geese-head. 00:00 - Intro 00:16 - Riyadh Comedy Festival 01:07 - The influence of money 01:47 - The power of cultural criticism 02:40 - Evolving as a Person 03:15 - The manosphere and defining comedy 05:00 - Evolving as a Comedian 06:52 - Political comedy 08:19 - The creative process 10:49 - Response to Panicked. 11:19 - The liberal sense of humor 11:53 - Getting through to people 12:38 - Digital culture and the brain 14:13 - Dementia 15:28 - The staying power of comedy 15:50 - Legacy, relevance and fame 16:45 - Being recognized 17:00 - Favorite WTF guests 17:27 - Listener interactions 17:58 - Future work 18:31 - Performing music 19:04 - Maron on Geese 20:23 - Outro Subscribe here for more! https://bit.ly/2RZJXTc​​​​​​​ Get more of Consequence http://consequence.net/ Facebook: http://cos.lv/QJFI30rnuXQ​​​​​​​​​ Twitter: http://cos.lv/zAxA30rnuXL​​​​​​​​​ TikTok: http://cos.lv/KZdI30rnuXJ​​​​​​​​​ Instagram: http://cos.lv/QJFI30rnuXQ Twitter: https://bit.ly/2RS5g8Z