![]() He said that he’s never witnessed a “perfect” show, but that the 40th Anniversary show was the closest he’d ever get, not necessarily because of the show itself but because of all the people he was able to get to attend. The second half of the show was far more compelling, as Michaels talked about his time at SNL. It took place over two sessions, and the first session was largely spent on Michaels’ background in Canada and how he ended up at SNL. There were no fireworks during the rest of the podcast, either. ![]() They didn’t have anything to do with him at the time. There was nothing wrong with Maron’s audition. They were looking for a new generation of cast members, and Maron didn’t fit into the cast at the time. A little bit.Īnd why, Maron desperately wanted to know, was he rejected?īasically, it was “bad timing.” It was the 90s. He did, however, speak to what Maron has wanted to know for the last 20 years: Did he remember Maron auditioning? Sure, yes. He was Lorne: Dry, perfunctory, matter-of-fact. When he spoke, it wasn’t accompanied by hymns from heaven. It was more about who the guest was than what he said. ![]() It’s been an obsession for Maron, and I think even more than the President Obama interview, sitting down with Lorne Michaels may have been the apex of his career.Īs an episode of WTF, however, it was like the Obama episode: It was fine. These stories invariably lead to Maron returning to his own audition story, and for years, Maron has felt rejected by Michaels because he wasn’t selected. Anytime an SNL cast member - past or present - is on the show, Maron will insist on hearing their audition story, and he will always ask what their relationship with Lorne Michaels is like (these audition and firing stories can often be enlightening or even poignant, as was the case especially with Michaela Watkins and the woman who replaced her on SNL, Jenny Slate). But this week the story has appeared on such mainstream outlets as Reuters and the Philadelphia Daily News.Anyone who has listened to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast more than twice knows of Maron’s obsession with Lorne Michaels (and Saturday Night Live). ![]() Hearing Glass explain this so plainly and clearly, but with obvious passion was a rare and affecting podcast moment.Ī few years ago, an announcement made on a podcast like this might have been reported on websites dedicated to the comedy or gay communities. While acknowledging that prejudice and bigotry comes in many forms against many kinds of people, he points out that a unique aspect of being gay is that you run the risk of not only being rejected by society at large, but also your own family and friends. I was both moved and enlightened listening to Glass discuss aspects of being gay in a still intolerant society that I had not considered so clearly. Glass explains that what motivated him to finally come out publicly was hearing about gay young people who are hurting and killing themselves as a result of the harassment and bullying they experience just for being gay. Nevertheless, he candidly discusses the fear and anxiety he experienced about his closeted sexually in his professional life. In the interview Glass explains that he has been out to family and close friends for some fifteen years, and has enjoyed acceptance from them. I also think that this episode represents a new milestone in the growth of podcasting as a medium. Having just listened to the program today, I can say I’m impressed how Maron played his role as host and interviewer with compassion, while also bringing lightness and humor. Glass, who is 47 years old and hosts his own podcast, obviously decided to do this on WTF because he trusted Maron’s ability to handle the situation with empathy and grace. But this week comedian and actor Todd Glass brought his story to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, coming out of the closet to the public and the comedy community at large. A comedian or someone a little less famous in the mainstream might take it to Howard Stern or another syndicated morning show. It used to be when a politician, celebrity or someone in the entertainment business had a big announcement to make that person would make an appearance with the likes of Barbara Walters or Larry King.
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