Marc Maron is perhaps one the internet's most important voices, and a fairly intrepid journalist for that matter. His podcast WTF has featured deeply insightful interviews of Louis CK (a must-listen for any comedy nerd out there) the late Patrice O'Neil, Carl Reiner, Larry King (a personal favorite) and virtually every comedic talent and rock god in between, up to and including both revealing interviews and a heartfelt tribute to the dearly departed Robin Williams. But today he's let loose an interview of a whole new beast, that is his candid sit-down with President Barack Obama.
You probably heard rumblings of the occasion's announcement early last week as it all came together, but now you have the opportunity to sit-in on their discussion, which took place where almost all of Maron's interviews take place; his garage. And if the thought of the POTUS sitting in a comedian's garage isn't enough to get your ears focused, perhaps a brief breakdown of the chat would do the trick. Obama and Maron wax diligently over racism in the states, citing the recent horrors in Charleston, SC, and how the discussion on gun control is as relevant as it ever was. For many, this will be that moment of empirical frustration in the POTUS' voice and demeanor that we've been hoping to hear in the wake of the Charleston tragedies. And they go deep, but it's not all that heavy. Their tastes in comedy are discussed, as well as fatherhood (Dad's Day being just yesterday and all) and how they both came to cigarette smoking. But its the segment on race that is easily the most hard-hitting and it can be heard in its entirety down below. Listen as Marc Maron and President Obama get down and dirty on racism on the latest episode of WTF by hitting the link.
"It's not just a matter of it not being polite to say n***** in public. That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior."
