What… the… fuck. The phrase has been floating around for ages, but lately, these three words have come to signify something new: the fear, doubt, selfishness, neediness, territorial desire, and emotional instability of the comedian Marc Maron. After having performed stand-up for over twenty-five years—he is now forty-eight—Maron has finally found his niche in show business, a place where he feels he belongs, and is at last beginning to grasp whatever amount of fulfillment he might be able to in order to keep talking. And his nest? The place he belongs? It’s in his very own garage, one mic in front of his face, the other in front of his guest.

Having struggled with alcohol, drugs, divorce (twice), denial, recovery, success, fame, and uncertainty, one can only imagine the various contexts in which his trademark phrase has been delivered. Yet in 2009, it found its perfect form in the name of his masterpiece, his critically acclaimed podcast,WTF with Marc Maron, for which he interviews mainly comedians, but also comic writers, at length, about their careers, their relationship to their art, their lives, and their darkest thoughts. He seems intent on interviewing everybody great in the business; his guests have included Chris Rock, Sandra Bernhard, Doug Stanhope, Andrew Dice Clay, Amy Poehler, and many more.

Maron has been called a “comedian’s comedian” by many of his peers, meaning most of his fan base for many years were his fellow comics. Onstage, he plays the neurotic, venting about his own life and personal struggles through long-form stories. He’s also been called one of the original “alternative comics,” and continues to be a significant fixture in today’s comedy scene, with two Comedy Central specials, a record forty-six appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, four comedy records, a book, and performances in clubs all across the country. Before WTF, he hosted his own morning radio show on Air America, titled Morning Sedition—a three-hour satirical sketch-radio program. The success of his podcast (with thirty-two million downloads and counting) has propelled him into writing a second book, and he’s currently shooting his own television pilot with the production company Apostle.

Fellow comedian and friend Louis C. K. has called Maron a “compelling and hilarious comedian-poet; truly one of the greatest of all time.” Director and writer Judd Apatow said ofWTF, “As a comedy nerd, this show is my nirvana.”

I was lucky enough to speak with Marc on the phone for well over an hour, me from New York City and Marc from his home in Highland Park, California. It was the day after the Santa Ana winds blew through L.A., and he explained that his entire neighborhood was out of power—or...