WTF with Marc Maron (podcast)

[nathansmart]

I don't know about that, I mean OJ was acquitted and he talked like that.

[RoyalDutchOfDukes]

Oh man, and talking about having a wheelchair bound friend who vicariously lives off your success (because someone in the wheelchair can't do standup? I mean, he can't literally stand up, but...) and as an impetus for starting standup. I can't wait to see that in the Mencia biopic.

The Mencia biopic would probably just be "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling" with the character names changed,

[SoSure]

I've known a lot of "pliars" and his tone and words are all things I've heard before.

What kind of "tells" do you know of for that sort of thing?

I never liked his comedy, but I used to chalk up a lot of the accusations toward Mencia being a result of his super-easy, broad jokes. He clinged to that in the podcast as well with the "Who's going to build the wall?" and tacorito or whatever jokes. It's weird to hear someone pretty much say, "Look at my shitty jokes. Anyone could think of that." But the Cosby example is just too blatant.

[smartbunny]

THE JOKE LITERALLY WROTE ITSELF!

Literally.

[nathansmart]

What kind of "tells" do you know of for that sort of thing?

It's all the fidgety-ness of his responses and what scammy pointed to earlier - he ALWAYS had a story to point to for every little reason why he did anything and those stories weren't really relevant to what was being discussed - like the kid in the wheelchair and the quote from Berliner about white people and his friends getting shot and him helping the drug addict. Those stories always put him in some crazy situation where he was able to learn the biggest life lessons of all time and use those to defend any criticism.

I'm no expert though. I also don't know him, he may be completely telling the truth. It just all felt too familiar.

[MikThrontveit]

The first time I ever saw Mencia was his Comedy Central Presents and the thing I found most offensive about this act was that he has awful delivery and zero timing. That's the thing I've always found most offensive about him... then I heard about the stealing a couple years later and that just compounded my severe dislike.

I listened to the interview with a completely open mind. The entire thing oozed of "I've defended myself against these accusations 1000 times and I've forgotten my initial defenses, so now I'm making more bullshit up and digging myself into a bigger hole". He's like a politician. He talks to get himself out of THAT exact interview/situation.

This and exactly what Scamboogah said: "Mencia really exposed himself when trying to defend against the Bill Cosby stuff. I might have believed anything he said if he didn't clumsily say, "I think it's from...uh...Himself or something".

Himself, or something? Oh, you mean that thing that anyone with a casual knowledge of comedy has heard of and you've been defending yourself for ripping off for 5 years? That's not obscure, jackass. No one is ever going to believe that you're struggling to come up with the name of Bill Cosby's best known work.

This is the behavior of a sociopath. He not only believes his innocence, but also believes that there is a massive plot against him orchestrated by those who are jealous of his talent. I'm so happy that Maron's bullshit detector still works, and that Mencia's attempt to clear the air left it more farty smelling than ever."

[Nickflans]

Toro just posted an interview I did with Marc where he speaks a bit on Mencia.

[KeithTalent]

I think I kept an open mind, a lot of the stuff he said sounded plausible and the thing about accepting that he'll always have this reputation seemed genuine and mature. But I agree with nathansmart, there were a few bits there where...it wasn't even nervousness mostly, just the sparing way he ever admitted to wrongdoing and how everything worked into this perfect narrative (one of his people warned him RIGHT before he went onstage about the Cosby bit, but he was so sick of these lousy accusations that he refused to listen!)...I dunno, I think he tipped his hand.

One thing is that Marc seemed to feel, even deep into the interview, that he had to tiptoe and kiss ass a little bit when asking questions. Halfway giving him the out within the question itself, it didn't seem like Marc and made me wonder about the feeling in the room.

The moment I remember sounding the most bullshitty to me was when Marc asked about the clip in I Am Comic where Carlos admits to stealing...Marc leads him in, even, with a comment about how he seemed manic, and obviously the answer to that (true or not) is along the lines of "it was angry sarcasm, I just said fuck it." Mencia stumbles around that idea in a really peculiar way, "you just want to be as goofy as possible with it" or something like that.

Assuming he's as full of shit as we all seem to think he is, going to the Big Lie for the Cosby bit is the cherry on top. Yes, I'm saying he's Comedy Hitler.

[A Shot Glass of Humor]

Early on in the podcast, Mencia mentioned how he's doing this internet video of how to act more american, and he said he has to drum up the same stereotypes because he has to make the joke land... so wait you have to resort to hacky material, because you need the audience to laugh. You need those laughs, or is it really that you don't want to try hard to come up with material and go for the easy jokes. Just the way Mencia worded the answer bugged me, oh I need those jokes to land... no you just want to take the easy way out!

Aside from the stealing, I just don't get the drumming up of hacky stereotypes, oh don't trust ACHMED, he's a terrorist. Kumail Nanjiani had mentioned how he saw Mencia mentions Muslims and terrorists and Achmed and the audience was getting really into it almost like a mantra of "blow up Achmed, blow up Achmed" and Mencia doesn't get that his jokes are leading to that type of shit because yes the public is just that impressionable!

[nathansmart]

I just don't get the need to get people to laugh so much that you are willing to go that far. I'm a laugh whore as much as anyone but when I get a cheap laugh it embarrasses me so much. It makes my stomach hurt.

[beccaBeccaBECCA]

I'm a laugh whore as much as anyone but when I get a cheap laugh it embarrasses me so much. It makes my stomach hurt.

You said it! Forget the joke theft (just kidding! Never forget the joke theft!)... the lazy jokes are almost as upsetting.

I can't deal with vicarious embarrassment. It's the worst feeling. Hacky jokes do that to me. Like when Elizabeth Farmer has to read Andy's manuscript in Funny Farm and it's so bad she starts weeping uncontrollably and tells him to burn it. That's what hacky comedy makes me feel like. I want to kill it with fire. And purify myself in a pool of my own tears.

[Siggers]

I CANT WAIT FOR THE FIFTH SEASON OF CHAPPELLE SHOW....Oops Mind of Mencia.

[JuanCarlos]

I agree with everyone in this thread, the guy's a crazy liar, but one thing's left out. He's clearly suffering, he's paranoid and delusional.

[spoonflipper]

"He looked at me like I raped him. Literally."

Now that could mean that the guy literally LOOKED at Mencia (as opposed to figuratively looking at him) but I choose to believe that Mencia literally raped a guy.

Mencia's answer to everything appears to be, "Dude, I'm from East L.A."

Maybe Maron's next guest will be Lovitz with a follow-up after interviewing Andy Dick. And Dave Foley for good measure. Actually that would be awesome. I love a good comedy scandal (At least a good punching-somebody-out-in-the-Laugh-Factory scandal, not a tragic-murder-suicide scandal. Less fun.)

[jenkirkman]

"RoyalDutchOfDukes" - Hey don't feel you don't have to listen to this. It's compelling comedy journalism on Marc's part, Mencia has interesting stories - whether true or not - and it's sort of like watching Rod Blagojevich - with a dash of "if the glove don't fit" OJ Simpson - confident in who they are - able to make themselves seem the victim, manipulative, perhaps earnest. You'll be playing ping pong in your head the whole time - wanting to give someone the benefit of the doubt because you know that's the key to being a smart person yourself - then going with your gut. When Marc came on after the interview was over and said what he said - you'll see. It's an emotional ride and if you come to the same conclusion Marc did at the end - when he does his post-game wrap up, it's fun to feel along for the ride. Don't just say you don't have to listen. You have to. Best episode yet.

[chrisrozwod]

This was a fascinating podcast. I'm really excited to hear what Marc does with the follow-up.

What's weird is that I took the Bill Cosby line of Carlos' that people have been talking about a different way. I thought he was saying that the joke was from Himself, or something...like another album. I thought it was more like he was saying he wasn't sure which album it was on rather than him pretending like he didn't know Himself was the title of the Cosby album. It doesn't really change much, I guess. Obviously he'd know which album it was. Anyone would after so many accusations. I just thought that was weird how everyone took it the one way, and I thought it was different. I think that suggests I misheard.

[carrots]

The whole Bill Cosby thing is very confusing because he said he would have to be retarded to steal from Bill Cosby which is true and yet those jokes are almost identical, how could he not have stolen it? Also he says how Bill Cosby is such a legend and everything, but he's never watched Himself? Why the fuck not?

I cant wait for Part 2.

[nathansmart]

so I guess Carlos Mencia is retarded then

[Adult Ed]

I get the feeling that he doesn't steal consciously. He hears jokes, forgets where he heard them and decides that he woke up with "an idea." He is also right that comedians losing their shit over "the wall" joke or the Enchurrito need to take a step back because dozens of open micers were telling those same jokes in their own non-televised vacuums. Mencia is comfortable with being kinda hacky. Is Ari Shaffir?

The backstory to how he "came up with" Cosby's joke is bullshit, though. Mencia's version is a hyper-conscious rewriting of the original, like a sixth grader copying a Wikipedia entry for a research report but changing some the words to avoid detection for plagiarism.

Edited to ad: This was an amazing interview by Maron. Mostly stayed back and let Mencia ramble until he said something damning - Mencia sure admitted to stealing a lot in his early days - and not understanding what is wrong with what he was doing - for a guy who insists that he doesn't still steal.

[ashwin]

The guy came off as either a compulsive liar or totally deluded. All of the answers were too convenient and lazy. I went in with an open mind about the guy, anxious to see what he had to say about what he's done but most of it sounded like lies. And not even lies told with enough conviction to sound like it could maybe be true.

Anyway, now I'm eagerly awaiting the follow-up. Way to go, Marc.