If it seems like I'm skewing recent in these selections, it's because the world of comedy has changed so much these past few years. Digital recording and online media releases have meant that the world of comedy albums is growing exponentially, with many acts working toward a model of putting one new stand-up special/album out every single year. Part of the reason this is becoming so commonplace is the parallel rise of the era of comedy podcasts with the same technology that enables show recordings to be made quickly, easily, cheaply and at a substantially higher quality than ever before. The idea of putting forward as much content into the world at large is becoming a borderline necessity for comics looking to make their mark on audiences with more free time, yet shorter attention spans, than ever before.
Curious then, that arguably the most prominent figure in the realm of comedy podcasting today, Marc Maron, has "only" made four comedy albums in his long career. True, the gap between 2009's Final Engagement and 2011's This Has to be Funny was the shortest yet in his discography, but one might also think that at the rate that his podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, has grown in both listenership and stature in the entertainment industry, that Maron would be capitalizing on
Alas, Maron's a little too old-school for that. Life changes both personal and professional have always been the basis of his raw-nerve style of comedy, and Maron's material is all the better for the time he's taken to reflect on things. In fact, This Has to be Funny is something of a rebirth, a coming out party for the "new" Marc Maron, the one who is finding some satisfaction in his achievements (though never enough, obviously), and going with the flow of things a bit more. That's part of why it's by far my favorite of his comedy albums, as it's largely devoid of the black-hole negativity that characterized the spiral of Final Engagement, which at times felt almost like a comedic suicide note...
Listen to Maron marvel on a trip through the creationist museum, and externalize his own neurosis into an airline counter-terrorist frenzy and remember: This is the Marc Maron who's in a better place in his life. And, counter to some assumptions about the nature of comedy, he's really never been funnier.
(This Has to be Funny is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify)
Because I've been listening to WTF for so long I always forget that stand-up is still his dayjob. Some are bits and pieces from the podcast that grew into longer, funnier bits and it's nice to see them here. He hasn't lost any of his bite. It makes me want to go back and watch his old Conan clips.
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