The Forward's review of your one-man show, "Jerusalem Syndrome," contained the following: "Mr Maron reinvents Jewish comedy for this the post-Seinfeld, post-standup generation." Do you agree that we are dealing with a "post-standup generation?" Any thoughts as to exactly what that means?

No, not really. Maybe the comics of the writer's generation are older now and he doesn't see the new ones. Maybe he means that the type of environment that Seinfeld's generation came out of does not really exist anymore. It doesn't. There are plenty of stand ups and people still like comics but the golden age of modern stand up is really over. There are great comedians coming up now but they are definitely coming up in a different world as far as comedy, television and culture is concerned. There are fewer clubs but more jobs in the entertainment industry, more television outlets. So it may be easier or at least possible to make a living as a comic but that may not entail doing stand up as a job so it is harder to make a name for yourself or even get the chops necessary to headline. I don't really know what he means. I know he likes me. (I was happy to find out while I wrote this that Seinfeld was not in the spell check glossary that came with my computer.)

"Jerusalem Syndrome" was originally performed as an improvisational piece which was later scripted. Will your next one-man show "Coming Clean" be developed in a similar manner?

I don't write any other way. Jokes or shows. I outline, talk it out on stage, outline again, write later, much later if at all, usually.

Your new book is based on your one-man show. Is it a transcript of your performance? (See an excerpt here.)

No. It is an expanded version of the story, more in depth. There are about 100 pages more in the book. It was written to be read not performed.

Did you watch other one-man shows before launching your own? How do you think a standup comic's approach would differ from, say a Spalding Gray or an Eric Begosian?

I did not watch many. I like Spalding Gray. I think Bogasian wanted to be a comic but was never quite funny enough. I have no idea how they approach it. I imagine that a stand up first and foremost wants to be funny. Then as they build courage they show a little more of themselves. Hopefully there is enough depth to the material to be revealing, moving and funny. That's what I think good comedy is. I just felt that my show was the logical extension of my stand up.

According to Lawrence J. Epstein's book "The Haunted Smile" in 1979, 80 per cent of the comedians in America were Jewish. One of the most striking changes wrought by the comedy boom was the influx of gentile comedians. Will this have any lasting effects on standup comedy?

I don't know. I've always felt that modern Stand up was essentially Blacks and Jews. I don't know what you mean by gentiles really. There are plenty of non-Jews who were and are great comics. Comedy isn't limited to any one ethnicity. Specific ethnic groups have a more urgent need to define themselves as a community for many reasons so a representative voice will be supported by the community to help them understand and see themselves. As we become more homogenized culturally, which is not really a good thing, we'll see what that new community looks like and who represents it. I don't what it will be.

Also in Epstein's book, he point out that Lenny Bruce was once arrested on obscenity charges for using the word "schmuck." What impact do you think Lenny Bruce had on standup, the Jewish community and the culture at large?

Lenny Bruce made stand up politically, socially, culturally relevant as a critical and provocative voice.

You are on record as saying that "shitty comics ruined comedy" but don't you think it's the shitty owners who booked the shitty comics who are more culpable for comedy's downturn. If ugly strippers ruined the stripping industry, would it really be the fault of the homely women who removed their clothes?

In a pinch people will fuck anything. They will not laugh at anything. There are no hack tits. It's a chicken and the egg kind of question. The demand was there so the market was glutted with amateurs and thieves and the people went away. The mystique of the comic was destroyed and standup is still recovering. Blame whomever you want.

Since we here at SHECKYmagazine.com are fans of Jackie Vernon, we were thrilled to read that your parents took you to see him when you were ten years old. What do you remember most about his performance? How did it affect you?

I remember him smoking and being hilarious and being little scary looking.

Why do you think your parents took you to see a comic when you were so young? Do you think they had any idea that standup was something you would eventually pursue? Have they been supportive of your choice?

My dad liked comedy and I loved it so they took me. My parents aren't the most appropriate people in the world.

In our Question 21 segment, we always ask, "Who made you laugh hardest when you were ten-years-old?" We do this because we feel ten is a critical age in the development of a comic's mind.

Buddy Hackett and Don Rickles.

How do you feel when a parent brings a ten-year-old to your show?

It's fine with me but I will go out of my way to draw attention to it and give the kid a headfull.

What comic would you take a ten-year-old to see?

Louie CK.

At what point in your career did you realize that standup is what you wanted to do for the rest of your life? Did you ever consider dropping out?

I never thought of it as a career. I just wanted to be a good standup. Of course I thought about dropping out but what then? There was never really a plan B.

In your pre-standup days, what did you imagine life as a comic would be? Is your original vision even close to the eventual reality?

I don't think I had a vision of the life I would lead. It certainly is special in the worst and best of ways. I don't always love my life but it is uniquely mine.

After your first ever open-mike set, did you have a sense that you were on the right track, that you could actually do standup?

I was just horrified-paralyzed with fear and immediately addicted.

How many times do you try a joke before you realize it's not going to work and drop it from your act?

Since I don't really work in short form jokes I usually rotate things in and out until they become something I like or part of some other bit. I'm more likely to drop things because I space them out. I've churned through hours of material over the years. I wish I kept track of jokes better. I get bored with them quickly and they fade away the ones that I don't get bored with seem to stick.

Do you think management has helped you career in any real significant way? Has it hurt you any?

Management is necessary so your are represented in the business. Someone to talk about you when no one knows who you are. Someone to keep your name out there. Someone to do damage control. Someone to get your needs met financially. Someone to coddle the fragile adolescent ego of the comic. It's easy to blame management for failings but the truth of the matter is there are only a few jobs available. There is no justice in this business. You can be talented, work hard, be original and totally fail for reasons that you may never know. Perseverance helps but it doesn't guarantee anything. That's a reality. It's a managers job to make sure you don't know why you're failing or not getting what you want. You'll eventually need to figure that out yourself. You pay your manager to lie to you. You should trust your manager enough to believe he isn't the reason you are failing and if he is get a new one. Of course management helps. It's necessary. That's the way the business is set up. You should like your manager but he is not your friend he is a business partner.

Do you ever feel the need to hang out with your fellow comics?

Yes. Most of my close friends aren't comics but I definitely like to hang around at night at the Comedy Cellar sometimes. I like to hear the gossip and stories about successes and failures and escapades of my fellow comics. I like to laugh. Comics are the most honest, sensitive, perceptive people I know. They're honest even when they're lying.