Return Engagement / Final Engagement

Final Engagement
Marc Maron
2 Stand-up Comedy CD
Stand Up! Records 2009

Unprofessional though it may be, I'll start with a personal note: Yes, I'm back. Yes, it has been a long time. And no -- I don't feel like talking about it. (Okay fine -- we can talk later. But after this. I'm busy.)

Personal note #2: Maron's latest, "Final Engagement" was taped at Giggles in Seattle -- so I had the pleasure of sitting in the audience for the taping. It has been a long time since I reviewed the CD of a live performance that I attended; but it's always a treat. I love to compare the anticipation and surprise of hearing the material fresh to the more analytical experience of examining it repeatedly on tape. Hearing it again months later, knowing every punch line in advance, I still enjoyed remembering how each one arrives and lands.

But that's enough about me. What's been up with Maron? Quite a good nasty deal, it turns out. As usual.

Marriage number two is over. And in typical fashion, he uses the tale of that gruesome change as an opportunity to make himself look vulnerable -- so we can feel compassion and empathy for his story, even though he willingly admits that he may have driven her away. Even though he confesses that, in the back of his mind, when he reflects on her departure, he thinks only: "Good for her. I've been trying to leave me for years."

I enjoyed this material for many reasons; but I think my strongest connection to it arises from the associations with middle age. Let's be honest: the break up story of an attractive and virile 25 year old is frequently trite and overplayed. But the story of being left again at 40 is a far richer tale. But it takes confidence and skill to find the funny in an experience that is not only painful but which could easily spill over into pathetic if not diced precisely. Thankfully, after 25 years at this, Maron can avoid those traps with artistry.

Instead, it's all handled deftly. By the time of this taping, he had the whole separation defined and summarized by one or two quick jokes. "My wife recently brought it to my attention that I have an anger problem. But she didn't say it like that; she said: 'I'm leaving.'" And everything from that point forward is just exposition. With that simple set up, we maintain enough sympathy to hear out his side of the story.

The non-divorce sections of the performance focus on more classic Maron material. The core of it is reflecting on how to get by in the world as an aging romantic who is constantly at risk of turning [even more] cynical. Who can't relate to this? It's the joy of day to day mental struggle. As in: "[I]f you walk up to someone and say 'Hi, how are you doing?' and they say "Fine", what they really mean is 'Help me! Don't walk away! . . ." But you can't say that because they will only respond 'Don't worry you'll be fine.'" It stays with you throughout the day and makes life's little interactions and annoyances all that much easier to bear.

Recommend. Download immediately.

Bumbershoot Wrap Up: Maron, Garofalo, Human Giant, Miller, TSOYA and a Different Type of Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend has always been magical for me. When I was younger, I would usually spend this warm August holiday at Burning Man. It was a great escape and a unique opportunity to bond with my friends, enjoy the outdoors and experience art on a cellular level. But there is an age, my little chickadees, past which that sort of hippy pagan love-fest behavior becomes unseemly and inappropriate. When you reach this age, you need to find a different way to celebrate the end of summer.

So that's how I ended up spending this past weekend at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. While walking from the ferry terminal to the Seattle Center on Sunday, I was excited by the potential parallels of Bumbershoot to the Man. There would, after all, be a wide variety of art to explore and experience -- visual, performing and otherwise. There would still be a chance to spend a great deal of time outdoors -- lounging on the lawns and listening to local bands, watching the fountains and talking with friends. Also, on the plus side, very little chance of naked strangers approaching my picnic table to tell me their life story. Yes, I thought, this could be good.

And it was good. In particular, the performances I was lucky enough to experience were excellent. I caught the Sound of Young America which included performances by and interviews with both Human Giant and Rhett Miller. The Human Giant gang opened with a great parody of an inspirational basketball team that promoted cloyingly upbeat "life coach" methodologies ("Put your hopes and dreams into the ball -- and then pass it!"). Very funny stuff -- I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. They stayed behind afterwards to chat with Jesse. The discussion was less of the usual TSOYA style -- they didn't delve much into technique or how they create their work. Instead, the conversation had an improv session feel to it which was relaxed, funny and, surprisingly, very charming. The next TSOYA performer was Rhett Miller who gave a totally exciting, high energy performance of two songs that completely won me over. Apparently, he had literally run to the show from the airport as his plane had been delayed. You would never know it, though -- he was fully engaged and the audience was enthralled. It was a brief but exciting set. It's always a wonderful feeling when someone takes your breath away unexpectedly. And based on the reactions of friends and others in the audience, I wasn't the only one left gasping.


Later in the evening I was lucky enough to catch the Satiristas show with Rep. Richard Martin, Tom Rhodes, Janeane Garofalo and Marc Maron. Martin was a much stronger opener than I had expected. His "Ask a Republican" show -- performed in character as an imagined Republican Congressman from Ohio -- takes questions from the audience about politics, culture and the election. In a way, this has the advantage of somewhat limiting the world of questions likely to arise since I would bet that most audiences focus on the same hot button issues; but that doesn't take away from his mastery of the material or the style and confidence with which he presents it. He uses the stereotypical dress and demeanor of his character (right down to the flag pin on the lapel) to create a sickly sweet faux charm that had me laughing even before he answered his first question. Timely, effective, funny.

Rhodes was second and took a bit of a while to get going, but eventually delivered a solid middle performance that definitely got the crowd on his side. I hadn't seen him perform live before, would definitely seek him out again.

Garofalo followed with her own typical firebrand review of the events of the day -- warming up with a biting hit at Sarah Palin and the RNC's cynical attempt to reach former Hilary supporters. ("Oh look! Another lady! I have to vote for the lady!") I haven't seen her in years, and nearly all of the material was very fresh, current and new to me. The only surprise was in my own mind -- she looked older than I remembered. I suppose that happens eventually when you follow a comedian for nearly 20 years. I felt the same when I saw Maron -- as though he had aged about 10 years since I last saw him perform in the fall. What happened here? Weren't all my heroes supposed to be ageless and timeless? Aren't they all going to live forever? Please?

Maron closed and was pitch perfect as usual. Since I had seen him perform more recently, I had actually heard much of the material before, but that didn't dilute its appeal. Myself and those nearest to me laughed till we were in pain -- the best kind of pain. His material -- despite the name of the show -- wasn't political. And I didn't mind that either. We all exited happy -- just in time to watch the evening sun light up the fountain at the center of the festival and turn it into golden sparkling droplets. It was truly a wonderful evening.








The only downside for me, really, was that it is somewhat tricky to transition one's brain from the atmosphere of no-cash hippy free-for-all to a highly commercial festival with long lines, loud barkers and unbiquitous cell phone advertisements. Bumershoot is a blur of vendors, product giveaways, and long lines. Make no mistake: this isn't art brought to you by the masses; this is art brought to you by Samsung. On the upside: free Starbucks pumpkin spice latte for everybody! And those things are powerful tasty!! Yum.

Maron v. Seder EVERY DAY!!

So Marc Maron and Sam Seder re-launched their video podcast program last week with a Big Announcement: They will be posting a new show every day between now and the election! They have also been offered a new show on Air America -- working as a team -- that Maron has promised will included a number of creative humor elements as well as straight political commentary. Maron may even bring back some of his classic team from the late great Morning Sedition!

Through the end of this coming week, however, watch Sam's site for detailed daily Seder v. Maron coverage of the DNC Convention in Denver. (Well, with Seder in Denver and Marc -- of course -- in his kitchen in L.A. It's just like old times! The comedy of daily life mixed with politics served just the way I like it. Plum pudding perfect [minus a few technical challenges, natch]).

Now if only I could convince Keith Olbermann to broadcast Countdown from his kitchen whilst still wearing his pajamas. No? Please?

I am very, very happy. It's like Christmas, Easter, my birthday and election day all rolled into one easy to download delight!!!

Plans for your Bumbershoot Comedy Pass, Part 2: Satiristas

Okay -- so let's say that on day two of the festival you grab a comedy pass for Comedy Stage South, the Charlotte Martin Theatre. What's the don't miss show on that stage? Tough call.

Of course I'm a big fan of The Sound of Young America -- but that's the first show each day on that stage -- 2:45 pm. So there may be a chance that you can catch it without need of a priority pass. Risky, but it might be worth a try.

If you can manage it, then my pass pick would be the Satiristas show put together by Janeane Garofalo, Marc Maron, Tom Rhodes and Rep. Richard Martin. Here's the show summary:

"Satiristas target political hypocrisy and media distortion. Satiristas are gladiators who slash with the sword of knowledge, block with the shield of truth, and kill with the stab of humor. Their stand-up spectacle leaves audiences enlightened by spasms of uncontrollable laughter. Stars include Marc Maron, Janeane Garofalo, Rep. Richard (Dick) Martin and Tom Rhodes."



Which has to leave you wondering: Is Congressman Martin going to do stand-up? I'm a serious fan of political comedy, but it is probably best left to the professionals, right? And how does he find the time to get away from managing Ohio Petroleum and Synthetics? I expect that takes most of his time.

More importantly, though, a bit of research on the Satirista moniker makes me ponder how I've missed this project in its prior incarnations. The comedians who have been performing under the Satirista banner apparently include Maron, Garofalo, Greg Proops, Patton Oswalt and Dana Gould -- a fragrant bouquet of long-time favorites. So what rock have I been living under? And why isn't Paul Provenza planning to attend? Didn't he write the book on the subject? He's certainly part of the team:

Janeane Garofalo and the Satiristas - Secret Stand-Up


I have so many questions! Must check it out.


Times:

* Saturday, 6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Charlotte Martin Theatre
* Sunday, 6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Charlotte Martin Theatre
* Monday, 6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Charlotte Martin Theatre

Bitter much? The Maron Episodes on You Tube

Okay -- you all know I love Marc Maron. But even as an avid fan, I really haven't known what to make of these silly You Tube episodes he has been posting recently. Like most of his work, they range from the funny (I like the cats and political commentary mixture -- clip below) to the rambling and bitter. Recently, though, bitter has definitely been winning out.

Let me know what you think:

Cats and Politics:



Cat Poops, Class and Scones:



Scones Pt. 2:

American Comedy, Music & Arts Festivals, Pt 4: Bumbershoot

The demand for comedy is growing at music & arts festivals around the country and Seattle's own annual Bumbershoot is no exception. In 2007, the festival hosted three stages solely for comedy and even more funny acts are in the works for Labor Day weekend 2008.

In the line up so far are: Human Giant & Friends (Aziz Ansari, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel and pals), Satiristas (to feature Marc Maron, Janeane Garofalo, Rep. Richard (Dick) Martin and Tom Rhodes), PRI's "The Sound Of Young America!", Tig Nataro, Michelle Buteau, Zach Galifianakis, TJ Miller, Nick Thune, Jessi Kline and two showcases from the People's Republic of Komedy. For starters.

Bumbershoot's comedy shows have become so popular that this year the event has put together a comedy pass that you can collect early in the day in order to assure yourself a seat at the comedy stage of your choice through the afternoon and evening.

Updates to follow.

Seder v Maron, update

For reasons that aren't clear to me, Blogger is making it tricky for folks to post comments -- so I will try to fix that.

In the interim, though, kind fellow Maron/Seder fans have written to let me know that Maron called in while Seder was guest hosting for Mike Malloy last night and apparently they are still developing the project and looking for a new technology that will make it run more smoothly.

Yay! Thanks to Nancy Cunningham for the update.

Seder v. Maron -- Gone forever?

I visited the Sam Seder Show website several times over the past few days in search of an update. It used to sport a large banner about the Seder v. Maron show at the top of the home page along with updates about the scheduled time of the next show. Now, even that banner is gone.

I am officially heartbroken. Does anyone know the full story?

Seder v. Maron -- Where are you?

Over the past year, Sam Seder and Marc Maron have been doing a fun and fairly adorable weekly web show. Broadcast jointly from what looks like Sam Seder's basement and Maron's living room (sometimes patio), they discuss subjects ranging from politics to Maron's second divorce (pending and apparently brutal) and why Air America fired both of them (a terrible shame -- no one funny left over there at all now).


It is shaggy (seems to rely too heavily on Maron's laptop webcam) and prone to idiotic technical difficulties as well as oddball rants on the lack of true creativity in our society, but I love it nonetheless. Two wonderful middle-aged comedy talents, seemingly bored and lonely, bitching about the world in the same voice my friends might use -- albeit frequently funnier. I never miss it.

Recently, though, Sam switched over the server for his website (which "hosts" Seder v. Maron) and the show has gone MIA for the past two weeks. I really miss it and am hoping that it will come back soon. In the interim, if you're interested, you can check out re-runs of the show, posted as Video on Demand (VODs) at Sam's website.


Brush yourselves off and get back in the saddle, guys!!

With love, the Rabbit

The Maron Proops Experiment

The "Success Lottery" reminded me that that last time I was in Los Angeles, I was lucky enough to catch an episode of the Maron Proops experiment at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater. Seems that they are still doing it from time to time, so if you get a chance to catch it, go. Nothing fancy, but it's a very relaxed and giggly evening. As Proops described it on his site: "Two top satirists or just bitter middle age hacks....You decide. The Maron/Proops Experiment: Chat, jokes, bickering."

Free fresh-baked sample below! One to a customer please:

The Success Lottery

I'm a huge fan of meritocracy. So it's always disappointing to realize what a huge role luck plays in success. I used to see it constantly in my law practice. Brilliant, hard-working attorneys were stunted in their climb up the ladder because they weren't born into a social circle that brought big-name clients into the firm. So they had to watch silently as the well-connected but intellectually klutzy advanced ahead of them. I'm sure Al Gore feels their pain.

It always seems most glaring, however, in the world of entertainment. There is no logic or justice in a world that showers wealth and opportunity on Dane Cook while leaving honest, thoughtful comics like Marc Maron to struggle in (relative) obscurity. There isn't much we can do to fix it, I suppose, other than continue to tell each other when we see work that is impressive -- and yet somehow overlooked. When I find it, I'll share it here.

Since I mentioned Maron, he is probably an excellent example to start with. When he was younger, his material was fun, sexy and well-structured -- somewhat political with fun stories of youth and exploration thrown in for good measure. Entertaining, but not challenging. As he has gotten older, however, (and, to be completely fair, sober),his material has involved more self examination - and that's when I was most impressed. It takes insight and honesty to make aging and sobriety humorous; but he succeeds gracefully. He was at Giggles last month discussing how to move your life forward to Plan B after age 40. Insanely funny. He's at the top of his game, IMHO.

If you want to check out some of it yourself, here are some of my favorite clips -- and you can find more at www.marcmaron.com.

Edited to add fun bit from a recent interview in LA Weekly: "More so than most comedians walking a fine line of self-realization through self-deprecation, Maron has been treating his gigs as therapy, with lacerating romance requiems and fourth-wall destroyers that seem to have a lot in common with your run-of-the-mill emo bands hell-bent on sharing their catharsis.

Fortunately, Maron doesn't see it that way.

"It's not that therapeutic. I'm still not entirely well," he says. "Entertaining is subjective. I have always been entertaining to some people. The more 'therapeutic' sets have been the most entertaining to people who were/are wrestling with the same monsters as I am. These are common monsters that need to be taken out for a walk. Those who want to walk their monsters dig these sets and need the entertaining deeply."

So maybe I can understand why his work doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone. :-)


"In most cases, the only difference between depression and disappointment is your level of commitment." M. Maron.