When I first saw Marc Maron on stage I didn't like him. I felt his neurotic, angry and somewhat embittered persona was just a shtick to hide a little scary man behind. To some extent I still feel that way but as time went I found it to be more and more candid and genuine and through that, much more relatable. From his stand-up I moved towards the WTF podcast and then the TV show. At the end it all feels very much connected and honest because it all comes from a place of honesty and that is why I like Maron now. I respect him for being truthful about his life, about his struggles, about his narcisism and most of all for being a great story-teller and interviewer. Wonder if the show ended on Marc's terms (daily job must have been a terror for him) or if it was cancelled because they should have kept going..

I only watched the first episode of Maron, not because I didn't like it, but because I didn't like it *enough* to commit. It follows the Louis C.K. approach of a shambling storyline, a fictionalized version of the protagonist comic, and a generally downbeat sensibility.There are so many series of this sort nowadays that I'm beginning to think Louis C.K. is a comedy subgenre, and honestly, it's one I don't quite connect with. I like my comedy a bit more polished - I prefer the detailed stories and rat-a-tat jokes of 30 Rock or Arrested Development to the bitter musings approach of something like Maron.That's not to say the series isn't funny, because at times it is. The first episode begins with a funny, painful scene of Maron hitting on a mortified veterinarian, and Dave Foley's guest turn as himself is quite amusing. But it's a wandering show about an unlikable guy, and ultimately that's a subgenre I cannot fully appreciate.

I'm a person who gets more laughs out of cynicism and pessimism(sp?), than the average kind of guy.I'm not a pessimistic person in real life, not even close. I'm one of those people who will look for the slightest shred of hope and optimism in the most little things, but when it comes to comedy, I like the "negative" approach.Much like Louie, from Louis. C.K. this comedy show focuses on the "negative" parts of life. And let's all be honest...we all had those moments. What makes the difference is, how we let those moments affect us in our every day life. If you are an hopeless optimistic like I am, this show will do it for you, just like Louie does, but if you are a cynical "the world sucks" kind of person, this show still works for you, much like Louie does. Because no matter how optimistic you are as an individual, you have to be realistic and see that this "negative" approach" hits a nerve in current society. It IS funny and it makes some good points in what is wrong with our current society. Compared to "Louie" though I have to say, that Maron has a little less emphasis on the "negative" things on life, so if Louie was "too negative" for you, give Maron a try, it has a slight more up beat nature to it, than Louie.But even as a person who wants to see the positive in all things and won't let "that kind of reality" bring you down, you have to admit they got a point.This doesn't make it any less funnier. For me personally, comedies that draw their "comedy factor" out of every day life situations, feel more genuine and more "heart felt" than any of those generic sitcoms out there that air every season, like New Girl, or "stuff" like that.If you want to feel a real connection between the show and your every day life, give this show a chance. It might not be a revelation, but it is well worth watching and if you liked shows like "Louie" or "Happy-ish", this show is just for you.Give it a try.

Get ready not to laugh! Ever wondered how the comedy sausage is made? Here's your chance to see the laughter being mechanically separated from the sad lonely misunderstood life of a comedian! I'll say this much in his defence, Maron is slightly less grating than Louie C.K. when he acts his little heart out. He comes from a place of rage on a consistent basis, so his more than abundant whining tends to lean towards angry old man rant whereas Louie C.K. sounds like a depressed Deputy Dawg crossed with a suicidal Eeyore when he tries to do serious acting. Nevertheless, if Marc would only realize that the 60s ended long ago so he can stop saying "man" every two minutes than that would be totally far out and groovy. Also, could he please never have sex on screen ever again. I know that it's all the rage lately thanks to people, like cutting-edge feminist savant Lena Dunham, for unattractive people to get laid on camera. However, when a dude pulls that BS, it just seems self-indulgent unless the actress involved is equally unappealing and let's face it, working actresses, even if they're "character" actresses, don't tend to look like a constipated old shoe. Anyway, just like Louie, I will continue to watch this show, because I hate myself and I don't deserve even a few minutes of pleasure, let alone a lifetime of happiness. It's truly part of my penance for being such a bad person over what I can only assume are multiple evil incarnations. Besides others keep calling it "art" given that American culture is so devoid of any mastery of dark comedy so many of us North Americans don't know for that genre (hint - people tend to still laugh at it - awkwardly, but still there's humour of the funny variety involved). Still it could be worse... After all, in France, they still think Jerry Lewis is funny when he does his "Ching-Chong Chinaman" impressions and I don't think that it's even in an ironic sense.