Special Event: Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark
February 14, 2023 3:11 PM - Subscribe
Maron's latest comedy special.
Appropriately titled. Now streaming on HBO.
Appropriately titled. Now streaming on HBO.
I loved it! I loved that he let Lynn Shelton be her own presence -- it just wasn't about his own man pain but also about her as a person! He does still feel very brave and honest and he's letting his messiness out. I like it.
As I said, I was never a huge fan of his before (I watched the stream he did with Allie Brosh however long ago that was). I mean, I watched GLOW and GLOW was good but he was never my favorite part.
I kind of love him now.
posted by edencosmic at 6:53 PM on February 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
As I said, I was never a huge fan of his before (I watched the stream he did with Allie Brosh however long ago that was). I mean, I watched GLOW and GLOW was good but he was never my favorite part.
I kind of love him now.
posted by edencosmic at 6:53 PM on February 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
“And now we’re just kind of half-waiting for the stupids to choose a uniform.
*vaguely uncomfortable applause*
Ummm. I don’t know. Are you nervous?”
That stool is always it’s own character in these.
I slept on his work for years: I had a guest at a coffee shop I worked at constantly telling me to check him out, and of course I am a contrarian at heart, so I didn’t.
Looking back on his work I kind of think recent Maron is best Maron. Could just be me.
posted by hototogisu at 8:42 PM on February 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
*vaguely uncomfortable applause*
Ummm. I don’t know. Are you nervous?”
That stool is always it’s own character in these.
I slept on his work for years: I had a guest at a coffee shop I worked at constantly telling me to check him out, and of course I am a contrarian at heart, so I didn’t.
Looking back on his work I kind of think recent Maron is best Maron. Could just be me.
posted by hototogisu at 8:42 PM on February 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
That uniform joke was a stunner - I laughed, and then laughed even more as it sank in. Then I felt like crying at the truth of it.
Loved almost all of this; his vulnerability, sure, but also the fearlessness and willingness to be offensive in a funny, cringey way. Rebranding abortion clinics as "angel factories" and imagining fundamentalists standing outside cheering on women is a riff a lot of "edgy" comedians couldn't pull off, but he did.
Great quick hour and change. Love that he just dove right in without a bullshit opening prelude, or even an announcer. Just walked out and started his set.
posted by mediareport at 9:50 PM on February 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Loved almost all of this; his vulnerability, sure, but also the fearlessness and willingness to be offensive in a funny, cringey way. Rebranding abortion clinics as "angel factories" and imagining fundamentalists standing outside cheering on women is a riff a lot of "edgy" comedians couldn't pull off, but he did.
Great quick hour and change. Love that he just dove right in without a bullshit opening prelude, or even an announcer. Just walked out and started his set.
posted by mediareport at 9:50 PM on February 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Seems Joan Didion has become the go-to author for the grieving. I remember when it used to be Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, but now all the cool kid mourners are really into Didion.
I really loved this. Fucking humming birds.
posted by Stanczyk at 7:19 AM on February 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
I really loved this. Fucking humming birds.
posted by Stanczyk at 7:19 AM on February 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
With End Times Fun and this one, Maron's the comic for folks who've been through some shit. Which is all of us.
His transition from funny asshole to empathetic wise man has been a wonder to behold. Like the way he's come to terms with his father and chose to "enjoy the sweet spot" of his decline.
posted by whuppy at 8:31 AM on February 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
His transition from funny asshole to empathetic wise man has been a wonder to behold. Like the way he's come to terms with his father and chose to "enjoy the sweet spot" of his decline.
posted by whuppy at 8:31 AM on February 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
This was pretty great. Like many people, I didn't know about Maron for a long time; I think I may have heard of him first when his podcast started blowing up, or maybe when he had his eponymous show Maron, which was pretty great. Haven't seen End Times Fun yet, but I loved Thinky Pain, and this new one was pretty great.
I loved his bit on anti-woke comedians just wanting to say their version of the same three things, especially since some of those people are probably people he knows or is/was friends with (i.e. Louis CK, whose work I haven't watched since his public disgrace, but I've heard he's on the anti-PC bandwagon now -- Wikipedia tells me that Maron broke off his friendship with CK). "Voices from the Near Future" was also amazingly bleak and funny: "How close are the fires?!" And "Angel Factories" was just... yeah. That was awesome. The letter from the guy who said that there's a finite number of angels was the cherry on top.
The Lynn Shelton section was very nicely done. He managed to be funny, edgy, and heartfelt; few comics can walk that line.
Oh, and talking about how having pets is harder than having kids, because you know that one day you're going to have to kill them; hilariously dark. Honestly, I could probably just recount every bit from this and say, "Yeah, that was hilarious."
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:40 PM on February 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
I loved his bit on anti-woke comedians just wanting to say their version of the same three things, especially since some of those people are probably people he knows or is/was friends with (i.e. Louis CK, whose work I haven't watched since his public disgrace, but I've heard he's on the anti-PC bandwagon now -- Wikipedia tells me that Maron broke off his friendship with CK). "Voices from the Near Future" was also amazingly bleak and funny: "How close are the fires?!" And "Angel Factories" was just... yeah. That was awesome. The letter from the guy who said that there's a finite number of angels was the cherry on top.
The Lynn Shelton section was very nicely done. He managed to be funny, edgy, and heartfelt; few comics can walk that line.
Oh, and talking about how having pets is harder than having kids, because you know that one day you're going to have to kill them; hilariously dark. Honestly, I could probably just recount every bit from this and say, "Yeah, that was hilarious."
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:40 PM on February 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
Oh, and how could I forget such gems as "Canadian professor of misogyny" (best description of Jordan Peterson EVER) and "It's not gay to eat your own cum if it's cooked!"
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:48 PM on February 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:48 PM on February 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
I saw one of the dates leading up to this show--it was just him for at least 2 hours (if not more). One of the best shows of my life, and certainly in 2022. The hour was enjoyable, but doesn't hold a candle to him REALLY going at each topic (when I saw him, every night is different). Wild to watch his career for the past decade+.
posted by armacy at 8:29 PM on February 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by armacy at 8:29 PM on February 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
Listened to this at work--enjoyed it a lot.
His bits about grief make me feel less alone.
posted by luckynerd at 3:39 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
His bits about grief make me feel less alone.
posted by luckynerd at 3:39 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
I got as far as "eating the grilled elk heart filled with your own semen" and had to nope out. Maybe the jokes that followed weren't as lazy and gross?
posted by Clustercuss at 3:37 PM on March 18, 2023
posted by Clustercuss at 3:37 PM on March 18, 2023
I finally watched this today and really enjoyed it. The throwaway bit about comedy at Auschwitz really got to me, because of course it’s true - and then I looked, and it’s actually true (CW - Holocaust jokes both by victims and also for some reason about them). The way he treated Shelton’s death was really lovely - and a fantastic setup to a great punchline. I hope somewhere she laughed.
Best of all I loved the bit about the two old men. It was a really funny insight - and also a great metaphor for how he’s still trying to work things out himself.
posted by Mchelly at 3:28 PM on May 3, 2023
Best of all I loved the bit about the two old men. It was a really funny insight - and also a great metaphor for how he’s still trying to work things out himself.
posted by Mchelly at 3:28 PM on May 3, 2023
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But earlier, I was never a particular fan of Maron. However, I feel like he's someone who's done the work and has actually wanted to learn. He has known he's a mess but he's wanted to become a better person. And unlike a lot of other Gen X comics, he's going to try to improve and not just double down on ... whatever stupidity most people double down on.
I admire his capacity to be vulnerable and just put it all out there. More men need to do that.
posted by edencosmic at 6:11 PM on February 14, 2023 [6 favorites]