Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark

Maybe because I have a soft spot for a cute couple that meets each other through their creative work; another soft spot for couples that have distinct but similarly vibing film and performing arts talents; was already a strong supporter of him; and I was definitely, am for sure, undoubtedly will forever be, a Lynn Shelton fan, this is my favorite Marc Maron!

This is pretty well known because anyone new to him will figure it out with the first few minutes listening to our watching any of his work, but Maron has a sui generis style that is consistent and maximized. There are other "conversation" style comedians, but none as dependably or as natural feeling as Maron. One truly believes it when he tells us that his philosophy is to not rehearse. He isn't ashamed when you catch him momentarily losing his place, pausing- not to try to remember a script, but to decide which of his many anecdotes to bring up next, or trailing away when he registers that he might have said something differently than he might have wanted to or went on for longer than would have been ideal.

It is like having an intimate conversation with a dynamic, extremely open, always charismatic friend where although, like everyone, he has some mundane parts (let us be honest, we even tune out our best friends here and there), even those are told with some engaging sprinkles, and are inevitably outweighed by all the riveting ones.

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I saw Marc Maron perform at a comedy club way back in the late 80s. I liked him, but didn't follow his career, listen to his podcast, or know much about him. I tuned into his HBO special From Bleak to Dark because I read that in this show he talks about the death of his girlfriend Lynn Shelton from leukemia in 2020 during the pandemic. Having experienced devastating losses in my own life, I had a sense this show would speak to me, and I was right; I found it deeply moving, honest, and relatable. In fact, I thought it was so perceptive and masterful that I watched it twice.

Maron opens the show pacing the stage proclaiming, "I don't want to be negative but... I don't think anything is ever going to get better ever again. I don't want to bum anybody out, but I think this is pretty much the way it's going to be for however long it takes us to polish this planet off. And don't misunderstand me, I have no hope. I think if you have hope, what are you f---ing seven?." Right away I sensed that this is a man who has come through a terrible tragedy and has the courage to now take it to the stage. I trusted him as a storyteller from his first line.

While talking about Lynn's death he said, "I realized no one really talks about grief. No one talks about PTSD. No one knows how to process this stuff. Everybody has it. It's just, you know, locked into us. And there's not really a cultural conversation about it." While being incredibly funny, he explains that it doesn't take much to show up for someone in grief. Ask "how are you doing," wait till they stop crying, and say "okay." He met his neighbor while he was grieving during Covid. His neighbor stood across the street, distancing, while Marc cried. This mattered.

The Joan Didion book and mystical hummingbird bits are brilliant. One of my favorite lines, "When you're f---ing sad, you'll go mystical." He riffs off this in such a real way. Marc nailed so many topics from the experience of grief, loss, loneliness and the need for contact and kindness, to anti-Jewish sentiments, the softenng of vulnerable, elderly parents, and having or not having children.

The piece on children is remarkably funny and spot on. Basically, if you have love in your heart to share, go for it, but don't pass on your void. "You can now track your void on 23andMe. My void started in the chest of a tailor's wife in Belarus in the 1850s in the Pale of Settlement." Well, some of my ancestors were Jewish tailors from Belarus during that time too, so after the show ended, I immediately looked up the surname Maron, location Belarus, on my Ancestry and found dozens of DNA cousins with that name, so hmm... cousin? Probably. We're all related.

It takes a seasoned, sensitive performer and writer to create a comedy show that makes me laugh, cry, and continue thinking about it afterwards. Excellent job by Marc.

Simply put, this stand-up special makes some people who are conformists uncomfortable, and that's too bad for them. Those of us who appreciate thoughtful, sardonic wit have nothing but admiration for everything Marc Maron's been through and come out the other side with honesty about the state of today's world. He hasn't changed his style so much as honed it to ridicule people who try to tell him how to live his life. Watching this again after knowing what to expect only made me appreciate it more. If you've got a thin skin or are narrow-minded comedically, you might not enjoy it. I laughed so hard it hurt, in a good way.

Marc Maron is not a yuck-yuck comedian. He is not an icing-on-the-cake comedian. He's not there to bring light to the end of your tunnel. Not in the way you'd expect. Ever had some darkness inside and bottled it with distractions and denials, but really wanted to own it for a while? Maron is the father and godfather of that. He covers heavy topics in a way that allows you to think and talk about them yourself, without having that grip on your throat. Darkness becomes easy. It becomes light. There is room to think and speak and laugh, even through the most heavy and difficult topics.

Maron is known as the person behind introspective podcasting, be-real-about-your-world podcasting. This is also his style of comedy and way of being. The new norm where men can be open about their fear, their broken childhoods, and irreparable hearts. Where you can be shameless about your mistakes. Admit to them openly, often, learn how to say sorry. Get over your own broken self. That started with Maron.

That cultural wave began over a decade ago when a lone man, sitting inside a studio he just got fired from, decided to make that space a confessional, and those that listened became an audience of followers and forgivers. It was his style of comedy, journalism, and way of being that opened doors to the inner-self for so many. If you've had a tough journey and want to make sense of it, laugh at the absurdity that is this life, and learn how to speak like an adult instead of a broken meme, Maron is the human for you.

This special takes a walk with you down some broken bends in the road, like parents getting older, and losing your partner in the midst of a world losing its mind. He manages to ask the hard questions and come up with answers that are both harder and lighter, and tinted with love. In true Maron-form, when he comes to another fork in the road, he does not say, where do we go from here, but affirms, he will see you at the next one. He does, and will, see You.

I laughed and laughed and laughed. Its so sad and true and genius. I love this guy. I would love to meet him. He really has a sense of humor. He is a god of comedy. What else can i say. Number one, he is the best. Very funny. We need more jewish comedians. Omg, i need more characters. What can i say about him. He is a couragous, fearless example of a good human being. Bless him.i have to say more... i wish i was as funny as him. Its truely an art. He is a brilliant genius. Maybe not, but i have to say more. I will watch all his specials and wait for more. Marc, i am on your side, and i wish i could help you in whatever you need. God bless you.