PTSD and
Rob Delaney on
Sue Costello on
suicidal thoughts and
Terry Gross on
Todd Hanson on
Whitney Cummings on
Will Forte on
The Merv Griffin Show (TV)
Metzger, Kurt
on addiction
on mental health
Michaels, Lorne
on life lessons
on success
Miller, Frank
Monkey (pet cat)
mortality
aging and
Amazing Johnathan on
Artie Lange on
Barack Obama on
Bob Odenkirk on
Bob Saget on
disease and
Jack Antonoff on
Janeane Garofalo on
Jon Hamm on
Josh Homme on
Julia Sweeney on
Lena Dunham on
Leslie Jones on
lessons learned from
Margaret Cho on
Mel Brooks on
Mike DeStefano on
Molly Shannon on
Norm Macdonald on
Paul Thomas Anderson on
Ray Romano on
Robin Williams on
Russell Peters on
Sam Simon on
Stephen Tobolosky on
Terry Gross on
Tom Green on
Tom Scharpling on
“Weird Al” Yankovic on
Will Forte on
Mötley Crüe (band)
Mountain Goats (band)
MTV
Murphy, Eddie
Murray, Bill
Nanjiani, Kumail
on identity
on sexuality
The New York Times
Nightline (news show)
Norton, Jim
on addiction
on life lessons
on sexuality
Oakerson, Big Jay, on failure
Obama, Barack
on childhood
on identity
on life lessons
on mortality
on parenting
on relationships
Obama, Malia
Obama, Michelle
O’Brien, Conan
on childhood
on life lessons
on relationships
obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome in
Odenkirk, Bob
on failure
on life lessons
on mental health
on mortality
on parenting
Oliver, John
on childhood
on failure
O’Neill, Eugene
The Opening of Misty Beethoven (movie)
Osbourne, Ozzy
Oswalt, Patton, on addiction
Overeaters Anonymous
Pacino, Al
Page, Steven
Parcells, Bill
Pardo, Don
parenting
absentee
Adam Scott on
via adoption/surrogacy
Ali Wong on
Amy Poehler on
Amy Schumer on
Andy Richter on
Barack Obama on
Ben Stiller on
Bob Odenkirk on
Bob Saget on
Bruce Springsteen on
Caroline Rhea on
childless lifestyles v.
Dan Harmon on
Dave Foley on
David Cross on
Donnell Rawlings on
Elizabeth Banks on
Garry Shandling on
Hank Azaria on
Jack Gallagher on
Janeane Garofalo on
Jen Kirkman on
Jim Gaffigan on
Jon Glazer on
Lake Bell on
Leslie Jones on
Louis CK on
Mary Lynn Rajskub on
Molly Shannon on
Paula Poundstone on
Paul Thomas Anderson on
Rachael Harris on
Robin Williams on
Ron Funches on
Sarah Silverman on
of special-needs children
Stephen Tobolosky on
Sue Costello on
Terry Gross on
Wanda Sykes on
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (movie)
Pell, Paula
Percocet
Peretti, Chelsea
on failure
on identity
on mental health
on relationships
Performing Arts School, Worcester, Massachusetts
Perkins, Tony
Peters, Russell
on childhood
on identity
on mortality
Petty, Tom
Pinkerton (album)
Pink Floyd (band)
Planet Hollywood, New York City
Plaza, Aubrey, on mental health
Poehler, Amy
on parenting
on relationships
on sexuality
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Poundstone, Paula
on life lessons
on parenting
Problem Child (comedy special)
The Producers (movie)
Pryor, Richard
PTSD. See post-traumatic stress disorder
Punk’d (TV show)
racial identity
Rajskub, Mary Lynn, on parenting
Ratatouille (movie)
Rawlings, Donnell
on parenting
on relationships
on sexuality
Reed, Lou
Reeve, Christopher
Reilly, John C.
Reiner, Carl
on life lessons
on relationships
Reiner, Rob, on relationships
relationships
Ali Wong on
Amy Poehler on
Amy Schumer on
Andy Richter on
Barack Obama on
Bob Saget on
Bonnie McFarlane on
Carl Reiner on
Carol Leifer on
Carrie Brownstein on
Cheech Marin on
Chelsea Peretti on
Cindy Crawford on
Conan O’Brien on
Dan Harmon on
Dave Foley on
divorce/break-ups in
Donnell Rawlings on
Fred Armisen on
with friends
intimacy struggles in
Jack Black on
Janeane Garofalo on
Jane Lynch on
Jeannie Gaffigan on
Jill Soloway on
Jon Benjamin on
Judd Apatow on
Judy Greer on
Kyle Gass on
Lena Dunham on
Louis CK on
Margaret Cho on
Maria Bamford on
Mel Brooks on
Melissa Etheridge on
Mick Foley on
Natasha Leggero on
Nick Griffin on
Paul Thomas Anderson on
Rachael Harris on
Rich Vos on
Rob Reiner on
romantic
Ron Funches on
Sam Seder on
Sarah Silverman on
Scott Ian on
Terry Gross on
Tom Green on
Tommy Chong on
religion
in childhood
identity’s tie to
life lessons and
mortality and
parenting and
relationships and
sexuality and
Requiem for a Dream (movie)
Rhea, Caroline, on parenting
Richards, Keith
Richt
er, Andy
on addiction
on life lessons
on parenting
on relationships
on sexuality
Rivers, Joan
Roberts, Julia
Rockefeller, John D.
Rocko’s Modern Life (cartoon)
Rogen, Seth
Rolling Stone
Romano, Ray
on addiction
on mortality
Roseanne
Rushmore (movie)
Safer, Morley
Saget, Bob
on life lessons
on mental health
on mortality
on parenting
on relationships
Santorum, Rick
Saturday Night Live (TV show)
hiring anecdotes
Savage, Dan, on sexuality
Sawyer, Diane
Scent of a Woman (movie)
Scharpling, Tom
on failure
on life lessons
on mortality
Scheer, Paul, on childhood
schizophrenia
Schumer, Amy
on childhood
on parenting
on relationships
on sexuality
Schwartzman, Jason
on success
Scott, Adam, on parenting
Sedaris, David, on addiction
Seder, Sam, on relationships
Segel, Jason
on addiction
on failure
on life lessons
Seinfeld (TV show)
Seinfeld, Jerry
self-sabotage
sex addiction
sexism
identity and
parenting and
sexuality
Ali Wong on
Amy Poehler on
Amy Schumer on
Andy Richter on
bi-
Cameron Esposito on
Dan Savage on
Donnell Rawlings on
Elna Baker on
hetero-
homo-
Ian McKellen on
identity based on
James Adomian on
Jim Norton on
Jonathan Ames on
Jon Hamm on
Judy Gold on
Kevin Allison on
Kumail Nanjiani on
Margaret Cho on
Melissa Etheridge on
Neil Strauss on
Nick Griffin on
Sacha Baron Cohen on
Todd Glass on
Shandling, Garry
on life lessons
on parenting
Shannon, Katy
Shannon, Molly
on childhood
on mortality
on parenting
Sharif, Omar
Shawshank Redemption (movie)
Shepard, Dax, on addiction
Showtime
Sidwell School, San Francisco
Silverman, Sarah
on life lessons
on parenting
on relationships
Simmons, Russell
Simon, Sam, on mortality
Sing Sing prison
60 Minutes (news show)
Slate, Jenny
on mental health
on success
Sleater-Kinney (band)
Smith, Will
smoking, addiction to
Smothers Brothers
Soloway, Jill, on relationships
speed (drug)
Spielberg, Steven
Spin City (TV show)
SpongeBob
Springsteen, Bruce
on childhood
on life lessons
on mental health
on parenting
Stewart, Alf
Stewart, Jon
Stewart, Sir Patrick, on mental health
Stickles, Patrick, on mental health
Stiller, Ben
on mental health
on parenting
Strauss, Neil, on sexuality
Streisand, Barbra
success. See also failure
Anna Kendrick on
auditions/efforts leading to
Bert Kreischer on
Chris Hayes on
Dave Hill on
definitions of
inspirations behind
Jason Schwartzman on
Jason Sudeikis on
Jenny Slate on
Jimmy Fallon on
Jonah Hill on
Jon Benjamin on
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on
Kristen Wiig on
Lorne Michaels on
Mel Brooks on
Michael Keaton on
Rob McElhenny on
Sacha Baron Cohen on
Tom Kenny on
unexpected
“Weird Al” Yankovic on
Will Forte on
Sudeikis, Jason
on success
suicidal thoughts
surrogacy, gestational
Sweeney, Julia, on mortality
Sykes, Wanda, on parenting
Szeles, John. See Amazing Johnathan
Tan, Amy
Tenacious D (band)
That ‘70s Show (TV show)
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (movie)
Time Out New York
Tobolosky, Ann
Tobolosky, Stephen
on failure
on mortality
on parenting
Tochterman, David
Trainspotting (movie)
Tucker, Corin
Ummagumma (album)
Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome
Up in the Air (movie)
VH-1
The View (TV show)
The Village Gate, New York City
Vos, Rich, on relationships
Waits, Tom
Walters, Barbara
Warner Brothers Television
Wayne, John
Weezer (band)
Wiig, Kristen
on success
Wilder, Gene
Wildflowers (album)
Willenium (album)
Williams, Robin
on addiction
on childhood
on mortality
on parenting
Wilson, Luke
Wish You Were Here (album)
Wong, Ali
on identity
on parenting
on relationships
on sexuality
Yankovic, “Weird Al”
on mortality
on success
Young, Gig
Young, Neil
Zathura (movie)
ALSO BY MARC MARON
Attempting Normal
The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Marc Maron is a stand-up comedian, an actor, an author, and the host of the podcast WTF with Marc Maron. He has appeared in his own comedy specials on HBO, Comedy Central, EPIX, and Netflix, created the IFC sitcom Maron, and stars in the Netflix Original Series GLOW. He lives in Los Angeles. You can sign up for email updates here.
Brendan McDonald is the co-creator and executive producer of WTF with Marc Maron. He is an Emmy Award winner and a veteran producer of television, radio, and digital media. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son.
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For email updates on Marc Maron, click here.
CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
DEDICATION
FOREWORD BY JOHN OLIVER
IN MEMORIAM
INTRODUCTION
GROWING UP: “The Smaller Place It Came From”
SEXUALITY: “An Obliteration of Self”
IDENTITY: “Everybody Has a Community”
RELATIONSHIPS: “‘Do I Like You?’”
PARENTING: “I Was Doing It the Wrong Way”
ADDICTION: “Introduce Yourself to Your Sickness”
MENTAL HEALTH: “The Wound Is Still There”
FAILURE: “An Uppercut Right to My Feelings”
SUCCESS: “Bawling Your Eyes Out on a Used Futon for a Good Reason”
MORTALITY: “I Wouldn’t Want It to Go Away”
LIFE LESSONS: “Messy for Everybody”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX
ALSO BY MARC MARON
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
COPYRIGHT
WAITING FOR THE PUNCH. Copyright © 2017 by Marc Maron and Brendan McDonald. Foreword copyright © 2017 by John Oliver. All rights reserved. For information, address Flatiron Books, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.flatironbooks.com
Cover design and illustration by Henry Sene Yee
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-08888-8 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-08889-5 (ebook)
eISBN 978125088895
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First Edition: October 2017