Craft Recordings proudly announces the digital album debut of Marc Maron’s acclaimed HBO stand-up special, From Bleak to Dark, available today. The legendary comedian, actor, and podcaster’s fifth stand-up special (and first for HBO), which premiered in February on HBO and is now streaming on MAX, found Maron getting more personal than ever.
In the years between his last special, 2020’s Marc Maron: End Times Fun (Netflix) and From Bleak to Dark, Maron’s world was turned upside down. Between a global pandemic, political upheaval, and the sudden loss of his partner, there certainly wasn’t much to laugh about. Yet, Maron – who has amassed millions of fans for his stark honesty, pathos, and cynicism (both on stage as well as through his landmark podcast, WTF with Marc Maron) – was well-equipped to tackle the most difficult moments of his life through humor.
Written and performed by Maron and filmed in front of a live audience at New York City's Town Hall, the hour-long special finds the comedian covering a wide breadth of material – from the perils of aging and the superiority of having cats over children to antisemitism and faith. In some of comedy’s most disarming and candid moments, Maron speaks about the death and grief while opening up about re-establishing his complicated relationship with his father, who suffers from dementia.
Produced by Avalon (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Starstruck) and executive produced by David Martin, Kelly Van Valkenburg, and Maron, From Bleak to Dark received wide acclaim upon its premiere. Margaret Lyons at The New York Times praised, “What’s most potent here is the sense of consideration, of evolution, and Maron incorporates his redrafting process into the act itself. The special is indeed both bleak and dark, and it is also viciously funny.” Richard Roeper at The Chicago Sun-Times hailed that the special “shed[s] light on the human condition every joke along the way,” while Vulture’s Kathryn VanArendonk called it, “A moving illustration of the other version of Maron: trying to see the good, even if it’s in defiance.” Matt Wilstein at The Daily Beast called it “Masterful,” adding “From Bleak to Dark proves that the riskiest thing you can do as a comedian is look inward and find a way to laugh through the pain.”
Speaking to the audio release of From Bleak to Dark, Maron says “This special is the best work I’ve done. I can see the full arc of my evolution as a person and as a comic in this hour. It’s funny. Heavy funny.”
To date, Maron has released five stand-up specials, including the above-mentioned End Times Fun, which was nominated for a 2021 Critics’ Choice Award, as well as 2017’s Marc Maron: Too Real (Netflix), 2015’s More Later (Epix) and 2013’s Thinky Pain (Netflix). He also has four comedy albums: Not Sold Out, Tickets Still Available, Final Engagement, and This Has to Be Funny. In 2009, Maron found international fame with his perennial top-ranking podcast, WTF with Marc Maron. Receiving over 100 million listens annually, WTF has found Maron interviewing such icons as US President Barack Obama, Keith Richards, and Kate Winslet. His interview with the late comedian and actor Robin Williams, meanwhile, was the first one-on-one podcast episode to be inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. As an actor, Maron starred in the Netflix series Glow, as well as his scripted series, Maron, which aired for four seasons on IFC. His other acting credits include roles in To Leslie, Joker, Respect, Spenser Confidential, Sword of Trust, and Stardust. He also portrayed “Mr. Snake” in the Dreamworks animated feature, The Bad Guys, and “Lex Luthor” in DC League of Super-Pets – both of which reached No.1 at the box office.
