“Like Losing a Friend”: Farewell to Marc Maron’s groundbreaking podcast WTF | Podcast

WWhen I discovered Marc Maron’s influential podcast WTF, I was working in a bar. It was a strange time for me. I had just left university and had absolutely no idea what I was doing with my life, so I came home and worked shifts as a waitress and chambermaid.

Podcasts have become an escape from my reality of changing oversized bedsheets, folding up hospital corners, and rearranging tiny shampoo bottles — and nothing more like Marc Maron’s WTF.

I don’t know how I found it, or why. I don’t think I’d ever heard of Marc Maron — the grumpy, middle-aged comedian — before I found the podcast, let alone half the people he interviews; Comedians, musicians and actors in independent films. But the long interview format taught me things and made me laugh. And the podcast – during my long walks to and from my shifts, smelling the stench of bleach and the deep fryer at the bar, wondering what I’m going to do next – became a friend of mine.

That was over eight years ago, and what I ended up doing next was becoming a podcast producer, funny enough. I now work on The Guardian’s daily news bulletin and current affairs podcast Today in Focus.

Undoubtedly one of the things that inspired me to pursue this career was WTF, the touring interview show that had been running for nine years until I found it.

Over time, the show became a comfort blanket for me. No matter who Maron is talking to, there is a rhythm to the interview. For example – is Always, always He shares the story of his early life with the guests, telling it as if the listener (and guest) is hearing it for the first time rather than the 1,600th time (quick: Jewish, born in New Jersey, raised in New Mexico, younger brother…). There are often tales of his love-hate relationship with his former boss Mitzi at the Comedy Store, and whenever he talks to an actor he will tell him how he loves acting but can’t wait in his trailer.

Maron is a standup – that’s his piece. But, more often than not, over the course of the episode, a different kind of storyteller and interviewer emerges — vulnerable and compelling, with a tone that has kept me coming back all these years.

Recently, he’s reflected on the climate crisis, the rise of fascism, and his plans to move to Canada in the wake of Trump’s re-election. He reflected on grief (following the sudden death of his partner Lynn Shelton in 2020), aging, creativity, friendship and love. Oh, and cats. Maroon He loves Cats.

After years of providing two episodes a week to loyal listeners, Maron announced in June that he and his producer were ending the podcast.

“We decided we had a great success,” he told us. “Basically, it’s time, guys. It’s time. WTF is coming to an end.”

When I heard Maron say those words, I gasped. I couldn’t believe it. No matter what was going on in my life, there was always a new episode to escape to, Maron’s weathered face staring back at me from the podcast tiles. But now, there won’t be.

As I write, there’s only one episode left of WTF. So afraid of the tears I might burst upon listening to the final episode, I’ve been reading the Spotify reviews instead. I’m not the only listener feeling emotional.

“A sixty-year-old carpenter in south London sat in his truck crying… Thanks for the years, Mark…”

“1,685 episodes. You could listen to one episode a day, and it would take 4.5 years to listen to them all…”

Much of the commentary focuses on the role Maron, or at least his voice, has played in listeners’ lives over the past 16 years. Commenters write about how they became fans while changing diapers on their newborns, as these children are now starting high school. Others say the podcast has been a constant in their lives, helping them overcome heartbreak and change.

One listener wrote that losing WTF is like losing the voice of an idiot uncle or older brother. Else, it’s like losing a friend.

I feel the same. This show taught me the kind of honesty and intimacy possible in podcasting, and gave me comfort when nothing else did. WTF may be winding down, but it has completely changed the podcasting landscape — and will leave a lasting impression on the lives of thousands of listeners.