The New Civil War in Comedy is an Old Play

​The shot heard around the world. No, I'm not talking about World War I. I'm talking about Marc Maron going after Gen Z's favorite comedian and podcaster Theo Von. If you didn't watch the clip above, watch it now so you get the context. But essentially, curmudgeon Maron decided to go after the carefree Von for being a soft podcast interviewer, going as far to joke that he'd give Hitler a pass. Maron has infamously been the antagonist to young comics and more conservative comics for years now. He's gone on podcasts to talk about Bill Burr not defending women at the start of the #MeToo movement, and Jeff Dye went on the record to say Maron treated him poorly as an open micer. Below you'll see a picture of the two having a stare down at The Comedy Store, with Maron confronting him.

I was told by insiders they squashed their beef, but the pattern remains. The older generation seems to be peeved by the the new crop of comics and the older comics leaning into the Joe Rogan-esque manosphere are being called out by the older liberal ones. Not since the traditional comics and alt scene of the 1990's has there been this type of split, and it's going to create a chasm like that of a Protestant Reformation (Wiki that, you heathens). So let's look at the civil wars over the past 60 years and what usually is birthed out of it. 

The 1980's Comedy Strike and 1990's Alt Scene 
It's actually rather common for comics to have beefs with each other. Back in the 1970's and 1980's LA comics were told they can either be Improv or Comedy Store comics. This created wild rivalries and even prompted a strike where the comics realized they weren't being properly compensated and forced to take less work out of loyalty for the clubs that weren't sharing the profits with them. There are numerous books including "I'm Dying Up Here" about the history of the comedy scene that are a must read. That civil war eventually got comics paid at the clubs. Ironically, that pay never really went up. But those comics don't need the money from clubs, as movies, theater shows, and podcasts pay the bills now. Meanwhile, the younger comics have no money and less stage opportunities because those guys still suck up the stage time.   

We saw in the 1990's an alternative comedy scene lead by a young Marc Maron and other comics like Janeane Garofalo, moving away from the 1980's style (generic observation) and performing in alt venues, with weirder subject matters and topics to explore. Alt comedy became so popular, HBO would create mini-specials for these comics, and eventually their brand of comedy became the new norm. Ask any 35-45 year old comic who their inspirations were, and you'll hear Patton Oswald more than Jerry Seinfeld. 

The 1990's also brought the Late Night Wars with Jay Leno, David Letterman, Joan Rivers, Tom Snyder, and many others fighting it out for late night dominance. Today, Late Night TV is dying, as Stephen Colbert has been canceled, Conan O'Brien is doing HBO one off shows, and The Tonight Show is more popular on YouTube than with nightly viewers. We've even seen Leno come out and state the political divide hosts create make it harder on sponsors and TV networks to navigate. We've seen plenty of civil wars within this platform as well, but at least they all end up rich. (Please read last part sarcastically) 

Comics Becoming Podcasters Changed Everything  
Today, comics are abandoning TV and movies for free flowing podcasts. There was a time where Tom Segura and Christina P would have a sitcom instead of Your Mom's House. Theo Von would have been on SNL. And Bert Kreischer would have hosted a rebooted version of Fear Factor. But many of them have already stated on the record they can make more money podcasting and building a fanbase for theater shows. Plus, they can still find time for stand up. 

The godfathers of this platform shift are Adam Carolla and Joe Rogan. Both went after TV and movie careers, but their voices and opinions were better suited for long form discussions and interviews. Billy Collins once wrote the problem with poetry is it inspires more people to write poetry. The same can be said about podcasts. 

Today, every comic has some type of podcast, with a network of other comics joining each other's podcast, creating an incestuous circle jerk that has become a form of gatekeeping. There's the high brow Marc Maron, interviewing Barack Obama, and then the low brow Bad Friends with Bobby Lee and Andrew Santino, with their Asian jokes and Lee saying outrageously dumb things. 

Theo Von was the fasting growing low brow podcast until someone realized he was Gen Z's favorite hick. Soon established talents like Dave Ramsey and Jordan Peterson showed up, prompting Donald Trump's people to get him a spot on the guest rotation. On one level, the attempt to put world figures on Von's show is a brilliant PR move. On the other hand, he's completely unqualified to push back on controversial figures. So, the most controversial statements made by hard right leaning figures get automatically praised and the left leaning side of comedy goes nuts when Trump looks like a Gen Z  marketing genius after a 60-minute interview.

Hence, Maron's mocking of Von on his new comedy special.

Twitter X is Going Nuts Over This New Feud
While Von's show is not the best place for public figures to get pushed, compared to non-comedian shows like George Janko or Graham Stephan's The Iced Coffee Hour, who push back at the same type of people, there is clearly a capitalistic gain from all of this - from the actual show to the mockery of it. 

Maron has feuded with many young comics and conservative comics behind the mic. He's currently going after Rogan hard while promoting the new special. Some of this is just an old man waving his fist at the clouds, but its also a PR move on his end. Having less "intellectual" comics push their shows or point of view beyond their topics of knowledge might be easy to criticize, but it's easier to capitalize on it. 

Maron's clip I posted above is now setting YouTube ablaze. Maron is getting more press for that than anything else he talks about in the special. One, because it's really funny. But two, people like beef. We love the curtain being ripped away, only to find the pettiness and infighting occurs in the comedy world, like it does at your work. 

A few years ago Kreischer and Segura had a fake Tom v. Bert feud that sold a lot of t-shirts and comedy shows. Jimmy Kimmel's fake feud with Matt Damon made it all the way to the Oscars. It's important to remember that the calling out of success comics by other successful comics only puts money in everyone's pocket. 

The exception is when comics like Hannibal Buress start chipping away at Bill Cosby. Buress got fame, but not the type that made him a household name, because it wasn't a good natured feud. Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Kinison battled each other on Arseino Hall's late night show like 1980's WWF star would. Both sold out theaters in the process. Von and Maron's fans will simply just double down on their boy and both will make a lot more money out of this. So when you take a side, you might feel like you're standing up for some type of ethos or comedy values, but in the end the resistance to one just fans the flames of the opposing group.

Final Thoughts
I get the desire to pick sides and carry the torch for others we deem to by "our guy." I also get the need to call out others when they're in over their heads or making irresponsible statements. But don't forget all of this is to gain traction, earn more money, and promote the brand. These comics don't know you, nor do they care about your career. These are the same guys who are sucking up spots at the same clubs that gave them a start, and instead of passing the torch, they're hogging the limelight. 

​On top of all of that, you and I both know that they could have their own scandal break any second now. So defending one might end up looking bad in the future. 

As for talking about comics on stage, I suppose both have earned the write to do it. But I would not suggest it as a pathway to success. Instead, I see all of this as white people having it so good, all they can do is mock the other white people doing just a bit better.