Marc Maron, Colt Cabana and Roland Barthes: The intersection of Wrestling, Comedy and Podcasting

During the intro of the 334th episode of WTF with Wrestler Colt Cabana, host Marc Maron explains his tenuous relationship with Wrestling. Despite having Mick Foley on his Air America show and his long-time producer being an Avid wrestling fan, Marc had little appreciation for wrestling growing up. Though in speaking to Colt he was made more aware of the parallels with Wrestling and Stand-up comedy. To initiate his podcast audience with the nuances of Wrestling he read out an essay from French philosopher Roland Barthes on the subject which was particularly illuminating
Listen to the hole episode here - WTF with Marc Maron episode 334:  Colt Cabana

'Mythologies' by Roland Barthes

THE WORLD OF WRESTLING
We are therefore dealing with a real Human Comedy, where the most socially-inspired nuances of passion (conceit, rightfulness, refined cruelty, a sense of 'paying one's debts') always felicitously find the clearest sign which can receive them, express them and triumphantly carry them to the confines of the hall. It is obvious that at such a pitch, it no longer matters whether the passion is genuine or not. What the public wants is the image of passion, not passion itself. There is no more a problem of truth in wrestling than in the theater. In both, what is expected is the intelligible representation of moral situations which are usually private. This emptying out of interiority to the benefit of its exterior signs, this exhaustion of the content by the form, is the very principle of triumphant classical art. Wrestling is an immediate pantomime, infinitely more efficient than the dramatic pantomime, for the wrestler's gesture needs no anecdote, no decor, in short no transference in order to appear true...

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