Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper are musicians with wildly different backgrounds but a unifying love of the blues. Charlie was there at the birth of rock and roll. Ben grew up immersed in music while his family ran a landmark music store. They tell Marc how their shared interests led to their musical collaboration and their new joint album. Plus, Mark Oliver Everett, also known as E from the band Eels, returns to the show after a five-year hiatus to talk about Garry Shandling, Tom Petty, becoming a parent, and the new Eels album. This episode is sponsored by Archer: Danger Island on FXX and SimpliSafe.
Episode 905 - Bill Simmons
Writer, producer and podcast pioneer Bill Simmons is a man whose life, career and worldview have changed in real time with the evolution of Internet. Bill talks with Marc about some of the checkpoints in that evolution, including why he walked away from a big break in TV when he was writing for Jimmy Kimmel, why he thinks he was considered ‘difficult’ at ESPN, and why his HBO show wasn't what he thought it would be. They also talk about Magic Johnson, Grantland, Letterman, divorce, documentaries, and Andre The Giant. This episode is sponsored by Comedy Central, Squarespace, and Casper.
Episode 904 - Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander was one of countless New Jersey kids who couldn't resist the lights of Broadway on the other side of the river. When he became a steady working actor on the New York stage, Jason was totally content with how things turned out. But then he just so happened to get cast on a show that became the most successful sitcom of all time. Jason talks with Marc about Seinfeld, life after Seinfeld, magic, acting, directing, and the McDLT. Actually, there's a surprising amount of talk about the McDLT. This episode is sponsored by Stamps.com.
Episode 903 - Neil Patrick Harris / Michael Imperioli
Neil Patrick Harris credits his New Mexico upbringing with helping him weather the ups and downs of being a child star. It's also something he has in common with Marc. In addition to their memories of being teens in Albuquerque, Neil and Marc talk about Dougie Howser, How I Met Your Mother, Broadway, the secrets of hosting award shows, and magic. Also, Michael Imperioli returns to talk about his debut novel and why Lou Reed is a character in it. This episode is sponsored by Comedy Central, Amazon Music, and Stamps.com.
Episode 902 - They Might Be Giants
John Flansburgh and John Linnell tell Marc the unlikely story of how a couple high school friends became a two-man band at the height of the New Wave performance art era in crime-ridden New York City and somehow carved out four decades of mainstream success as They Might Be Giants. The Johns also talk with Marc about children’s music, selling out, the early days of MTV, Malcolm in the Middle, and more. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, Spotify, and The Black Tux.
Episode 901 - Sean Penn / Lynn Shelton
Sean Penn wrote a novel to slow things down. He fell out of love with making movies, he is disillusioned by the culture, and he finds it hard to draw hope from current events. Sean explains to Marc how writing makes him feel like he's not part of the noise, how he finds strength from the Parkland students, and how an upcoming movie made him feel like he could actually rekindle his love of filmmaking. Also, Lynn Shelton returns to the garage to talk about directing her new movie, Outside In, and explain what it's like to direct Marc. This episode is sponsored by Barry on HBO, Spotify, and SimpliSafe.
Episode 900 - Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte makes an appropriate guest for the 900th episode of WTF because he clearly has about 900 episodes worth of stories to tell. They can't get to all of them, so Nick tells Marc the ones about football, farming, irrigation, Martin Scorsese, getting arrested, Marlon Brando, Tropic Thunder, Danny McBride, The Thin Red Line, and an epic prank involving Sean Penn and Woody Harrelson. Also, for Episode 900, Marc commemorates the last days of the Garage at the Cat Ranch. This episode is sponsored by Barry on HBO, Spotify, Just For Men Beard Care, and Amazon Music.
Episode 899 - Nell Scovell / Bill Hader
Nell Scovell has written for a Murderers' Row of television comedies - including The Simpsons, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Murphy Brown, and Newhart - created Sabrina the Teenage Witch, wrote for Vanity Fair and Spy Magazine, and co-wrote the mega-hit book Lean In. But as she tells Marc, and outlines in her new memoir, Nell also worked hard to change attitudes in male-dominated writers rooms and challenge the lazy biases of Hollywood. Also, Bill Hader returns to talk about his new show Barry, where he plays a hitman not unlike himself. This episode is sponsored by Comedy Central Tuesdays, Krypton on SyFy, Stamps.com, and Spotify.
Episode 898 - David Mamet
David Mamet's love for Chicago shows up all the time in his works, including his new novel which is called, yup, Chicago. The prolific playwright-director-novelist-screenwriter talks with Marc about his Chicago roots and how he learned a lot about drama by watching the improv actors at Second City. They also talk about David's theories on acting (very few are good at it), William H. Macy (one of the very few), Eugene O'Neill (he wasn't that great), Shakespeare (he was), and marriage (you can take a mulligan on the first one). This episode is sponsored by Ricky Gervais: Humanity on Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Music, and IFC Films' The Death of Stalin.
Episode 897 - Ted Danson
Ted Danson is one of the most visible and familiar actors of the past four decades, and yet he still describes himself to Marc as "a phony," "a fraud," "an outsider," someone with "no real talent," and "too chicken" to do theater. Ted explains why such insecurities still exist for him, even after a lifetime of doing a job he loves. Ted also tells Marc about the quirks of being Larry David's friend, the reason CSI was a challenge for him, and his unique perspective on Sam Malone. This episode is sponsored by Spotify, Tearing at the Seams by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, and Babbel.
Episode 896 - David Oyelowo
David Oyelowo got America’s attention with his instantly-iconic portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the film Selma. But this classically trained actor was making history on stage years prior, becoming the first black actor in the U.K. to play an English king in a major Shakespearean production. David talks with Marc about the importance of bringing his cultural background and life experience to roles of all stripes, including his character in the new movie Gringo, who was not initially written as a Nigerian immigrant. This episode is sponsored by The Death of Stalin, Squarespace, and Spotify.
Episode 895 - Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone made a decision after she achieved fame with Basic Instinct. She wanted to build a way forward in Hollywood without being typecast. Sharon tells Marc how she navigated that part of her career, leading to projects like her recent multimedia mystery series Mosaic and collaborations with artists she always admired. Sharon also talks about the family incident that forced her to mature at a young age and gives her opinion on Hollywood's reckoning with sexual harassment and abuse. This episode is sponsored by Big Questions with Cal Fussman, Dear Franklin Jones, Just for Men, and Stamps.com.
Remembering Barry Crimmins
Comedian and activist Barry Crimmins passed away on February 28, 2018 at age 64. Here are Marc's conversations with Barry on WTF. First, from Episode 443, a one-on-one talk with Barry in June 2013. Then, from Episode 626, a talk with Barry and Bobcat Goldthwait in August 2015 upon the release of Call Me Lucky, Bob's documentary about Barry.
Episode 894 - Bill Janovitz / Danny Lobell
When Marc was a young comic living in Boston, Buffalo Tom was one of his favorite bands. Buffalo Tom frontman Bill Janovitz joins Marc in the garage to talk about the band's rise from the pre-Nirvana days of indie rock to a point where huge mainstream success remained just out of reach. What happened after that? Also, Marc's buddy Danny Lobell returns to talk about turning his life and standup routines into a comic book in the style of one of his heroes, Harvey Pekar. This episode is sponsored by IFC Films' The Death of Stalin, Zip Recruiter, and SimpliSafe.
Episode 893 - Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence takes a break from being one of the biggest movie stars in the world to stop by the garage and talk with Marc about Kentucky, cats vs. dogs, older brothers, Winter's Bone, The Hunger Games, David O. Russell, Darren Aronofsky, Amy Schumer, learning a Russian accent for Red Sparrow, and living a relatively private life for someone with a very public profile. Jennifer and Marc also compare their respective symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Spoiler: There's a lot of overlap. This episode is sponsored by The Black Tux and Casper.
Episode 892 - Duncan Jones / Brendon Small
Filmmaker Duncan Jones put his philosophy degree to good use when he started making science fiction films. Now on his fourth one, Duncan tells Marc how he tries to crack life's big questions through sci-fi stories, including Moon and his new movie Mute, which he likens more to Robert Altman's MASH than to Blade Runner. Duncan also talks to Marc about the burdens of having a famous parent - his being David Bowie - when you're trying to carve your own path. Plus, comedian and metal guy Brendon Small returns to the garage to talk about his new Galaktikon project. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace.
Episode 891 - Heather Graham / Sebastian Maniscalco
Heather Graham had stories she wanted to see made and roles she wanted to play, so she took them into her own hands. As she releases her directorial debut, Half Magic, which she also wrote, Heather talks with Marc about David Lynch, meditation, Drugstore Cowboy, Boogie Nights, and the relevance of her new movie as Hollywood reckons with industry-wide abuse allegations. Also, comedian Sebastian Maniscalco returns to talk about his new book and the success he's achieved since his last appearance in the garage six years ago. This episode is sponsored by Mozilla's IRL podcast and Stamps.com.
Episode 890 - Gina Rodriguez
Gina Rodriguez is living the dream with her Golden Globe-winning performance as Jane the Virgin, roles in big Hollywood movies like Annihilation, and new opportunities as both a director and a producer. But she can't stop putting pressure on herself. Gina grew up wondering why there weren't any Puerto Ricans on TV and now she feels a responsibility to advocate for better representation of Latinos in entertainment. Gina and Marc talk about cultural changes and challenges, as well as Chicago, boxing, dancing and Rita Moreno. This episode is sponsored by SimpliSafe and Adam & Eve.