A New Day Begins

Well, it's not Morning Sedition -- yet.

After taking the advice that setting up ReplayAV to convert the downloaded MP3 to AAC format wouldn't cause a problem for non-iPOD users, I ended up recording the podcast of The Marc Maron Show this morning.

The Morning Sedition vibe is still there, but there's a certain creeping L.A-ism to the proceedings. The bumper music leans heavily towards Swing Revival, which is fine for me, but jeez, when was the last time YOU heard the Cherry Poppin' Daddies? It's as if The Tonight Show, whose show the Clear Channel studios in Burbank overlook, were seeping into Maron's studio.

Jim Earl is now a sort of co-host, essentially Ed McMahon to Maron's Johnny Carson. Mort Mortenson is back, and presumably the rest of the Milfingtons will be back too. I'm hearing that Sammy the Stem Cell will be revived as well, which means hosannas will ring throughout the land, especially at chez Wolcott.

It's clear that there are some bits that AAR has decided it owns, such as the Cliff Notes (which are now Marc Maron's Short Order News), and the guys are still fumbling a bit with how to re-create the best of the Morning Sedition aura while still giving the new show its own unique identity. It's also apparent that Maron was nervous as hell the first day out, since Jim Earl is a far less experienced foil than Mark Riley. Earl is in the position of being the straight man, which is tough for a guy as innately zany as he is. But if you compare this inaugural outing of Marc Maron's new empire to his early days on Morning Sedition, you see just how he's matured as a radio personality. The show's late-night timeslot should also give the guys the freedom to push the envelope a bit without too much hassle from the FCC.

For me, just hearing the opening greeting again is a ray of light in the permanent midnight of the Era of George W. Bush's Dismantling of Everything He Touches.