Marc Maron as Philosopher: Comedy, Therapy, and Identification

Comedian Marc Maron spent decades under the radar, working the comedy club circuit, scoring gigs at fledgling network Comedy Central, doing spots on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and wrestling with drug addiction (before getting sober in 2004). On the verge of being fired (again) from liberal radio network, Air America, Maron conceived of and recorded the first episodes of his landmark podcast WTF with Marc Maron. This chapter explicates Maron’s philosophy through his work as a stand-up comedian and podcaster. Maron’s “what the fuck” comedic philosophy reflects the central tenets of Kenneth Burke’s theory of identification, and Maron’s work serves as compelling proof of the essential consubstantiality of comedy. Maron cracks open the common tropes of the “sad clown” and “comedy as therapy” and, through his stand-up routines and extensive catalog of interviews with comedians, proves the extent to which a philosophy grounded in collective, comedic catharsis provides an effective “equipment for living.”