Marc Maron made a visit to Florida State at the Ruby Diamond Auditorium on January 25, 2017 to an audience ranging from young college students, dedicated older fans and everything in between, but with one thing in common: they were all ready to laugh!
If you are unfamiliar with Maron, here are some highlights from his outstanding career. He began doing standup comedy in 1984 at the young age of 24. He recorded specials for HBO and Comedy Central, quickly growing in popularity through TV show appearances like Louie and Girls. In 2009, Maron started the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, which he recorded in his home garage in Los Angeles, receiving high praise. The podcast has been #1 on iTunes for comedy podcasts numerous times as well as being listed #1 for both Rolling Stone and Slate Magazine. Some of his most notable guests include Kevin Smith, Louis CK, Robin Williams and former president Barack Obama.
On a chilly Tuesday evening, Maron began his bit by sharing his first impressions of Tallahassee, since it was his first time visiting. He seemed to be pleasantly surprised by everything the city had to offer and even complimented the variety of vegetarian restaurants that he checked out. He was, however, suspicious of the audience as he admitted his fear of the South in general.
The bit transitioned to speaking on his misgivings about President Trump; there was a very clear split between the audience. About half of the crowd was filled with older patrons who gave the impression of disapproval of the jokes on Trump’s behalf, while the other half were college students who cheered and clapped at the jokes. After about 15 minutes of comparing the acceptance of the new president to a person receiving news that they have a terminal illness, Maron decided it would be best to move on by stating “I’ll move on now, [I’m] done with the political talk.”
As soon as he did, a heckler shouted, “Please move on!” As an uncomfortable murmur of nervous laughter spread throughout the crowd, Maron instantly fired back, “I appreciate you waiting this long to say something! Wait a second…I believe I said it first!” The audience went wild and thus the rest of the evening went off without a hitch.
The rest of his standup was dedicated to speaking about his personal relationship woes, his inability to look cool wearing hats, his unnecessary feud with the Dave Matthew’s Band, the frustrating thing about casual racism and begrudgingly rescuing a black kitten. The theatre was packed and every person there seemed to resonate with the way Maron passionately described hating exercise and being slightly annoyed when there isn’t something wrong with you at the doctor.
The open bar paired with Maron’s poignant social commentary using personal anecdotes made for a delightful evening full of laughs and a good time all around.