Maron

What a great show.

Marc Maron is one of the funniest comedians we have.

I would have watched a whole lot more of this show.

A few years back, when I have seen/heard Marc Maron speak outside of his comedic persona, I have found him to be whiny. Honestly, a bit boring, a real tattered mess of a person, riddled with issues and an unbearable underlying narcissism. Me this, me that, explicit or implicit. Unfunny as getting a prostate exam and a root canal all on the same day, maybe even at the same time. So when I got around to seeing his comedy, I expected it to be boring AF. But that's not at all the case!!! Don't get me wrong, when I see him do comedy, I see the exact same person, but he's really, really, funny. Marc weaves it all into his rambling, meandering flow that seems so effortless, so off the cuff, it puts me in a thrall. I half can't believe this is the same guy. It's really something to see. I was talking with a latina friend of mine about Pablo Neruda one day and a bit later in our conversation we got to talking about Marc, because his name came up when I was saying something I'd heard in one of his specials. She said, "I've never seen his comedy, what's he like?" I said, "He's not like anyone who's hot in comedy today, so comparison is hard. He's not easy to describe, he just starts talking and the thread goes every which way, but he keeps you laughing if you just hang in there with him." Then I said, "He's kind like Neruda, in a sense. You know how Neruda can just look in a room and focus on anything, a cutting board, some onions, a pair of slippers, and ta-da, reel off a poem that is captivating even if deceptively simple and with no apparent effort. Marc's comedy is something like that. Pablo finds poetry practically anywhere and Marc finds laughs." She goes, "Wow. He should get to write a review or something for him."

I'm a person who gets more laughs out of cynicism and pessimism(sp?), than the average kind of guy.

I'm not a pessimistic person in real life, not even close. I'm one of those people who will look for the slightest shred of hope and optimism in the most little things, but when it comes to comedy, I like the "negative" approach.

Much like Louie, from Louis. C.K. this comedy show focuses on the "negative" parts of life. And let's all be honest...we all had those moments. What makes the difference is, how we let those moments affect us in our every day life. If you are an hopeless optimistic like I am, this show will do it for you, just like Louie does, but if you are a cynical "the world sucks" kind of person, this show still works for you, much like Louie does. Because no matter how optimistic you are as an individual, you have to be realistic and see that this "negative" approach" hits a nerve in current society. It IS funny and it makes some good points in what is wrong with our current society. Compared to "Louie" though I have to say, that Maron has a little less emphasis on the "negative" things on life, so if Louie was "too negative" for you, give Maron a try, it has a slight more up beat nature to it, than Louie.

But even as a person who wants to see the positive in all things and won't let "that kind of reality" bring you down, you have to admit they got a point.

This doesn't make it any less funnier. For me personally, comedies that draw their "comedy factor" out of every day life situations, feel more genuine and more "heart felt" than any of those generic sitcoms out there that air every season, like New Girl, or "stuff" like that.

If you want to feel a real connection between the show and your every day life, give this show a chance. It might not be a revelation, but it is well worth watching and if you liked shows like "Louie" or "Happy-ish", this show is just for you.

Give it a try.

It's hard to separate my fandom from WTF and this show to give an honest review, but I'll give it a shot. My initial reaction was to stop after the first episode. Frankly, Marc's acting was a bit hard to watch at times. But knowing his ungodly knack for comfort on the radio, my guess was that he would get better. My patience paid off. You see a mostly steady increase in his confidence as each episode progresses, though I'm not convinced they were all shot in order.

Marc has the ability to both draw you in and annoy you in the same sentence. Gregory House couldn't do this any better. But that is his real life. What might seem like a tense moment for some, as Marc often confronts those friends (and enemies) he has on his podcast, is simply his bread and butter. He operates in a world of bitterness, jealousy, and chaos. He openly admits his frustrations with life and the decisions he makes, yet recognizes his unhealthy habits.

Much of this comes through on the show but in a far less depressing manor. What some may consider as "Hollywooding" (odd thing to say about IFC) Marc's life, I would say is a necessity to making this story watchable.

The cameos (especially for fans of comedians) are another part of the show that lifts what could have been dark and depressing sitcom, into a competent story of a neurotic entertainer. And while this fictional world parallels Marc's life in some ways, it manages to keep it's distance at times.

This is no Louie. It does not try to be. Both shows are very different. Surprisingly, Maron would seem to me more appealing to a broader audience than Louie, though I hate to compare them. Louie's show reaches a level of dark that I think most people will not appreciate, though it obviously has a large following (and yes, I am a fan).

For now, this show belongs on IFC. If Marc's acting continues to improve, Maron could really benefit from a network change. I would encourage everyone to give it a shot (It's on Netflix!), to see if it's right for you.

I only watched the first episode of Maron, not because I didn't like it, but because I didn't like it *enough* to commit. It follows the Louis C.K. approach of a shambling storyline, a fictionalized version of the protagonist comic, and a generally downbeat sensibility.

There are so many series of this sort nowadays that I'm beginning to think Louis C.K. is a comedy subgenre, and honestly, it's one I don't quite connect with. I like my comedy a bit more polished - I prefer the detailed stories and rat-a-tat jokes of 30 Rock or Arrested Development to the bitter musings approach of something like Maron.

That's not to say the series isn't funny, because at times it is. The first episode begins with a funny, painful scene of Maron hitting on a mortified veterinarian, and Dave Foley's guest turn as himself is quite amusing. But it's a wandering show about an unlikable guy, and ultimately that's a subgenre I cannot fully appreciate.