Not long ago, having a successful podcast was akin to the things that go bump in the night: there’s usually nothing there except some feeble imagining.

Obviously, the game has changed.

Marc Maron has been a working comedian for over 20 years; he had consistent roadwork, appearances on Conan and Letterman, but nothing that really pushed him to the next level. Decades of disappointment and bitterness are not easy things to hide when they’re sheltered in the mind of a neurotic man.

In 2009 Maron decided to take his frustrations to the airwaves…or at least to iTunes…where he launched his podcast: WTF. It was initially a way for him to make amends with the dozens of people who he had pissed off over the years, but it has turned into something much more. After only a few years of podcasting he has interviewed almost everyone in the comedy business (except Lorne Michaels, but that’s a touchy subject), and has ignited his career in every possible way.

Maron was at SXSW on Sunday to do a live recording of his podcast with Jeffrey Tambor. He spoke to SXTXState about podcasting, when comics should give up, and why funny people are the first to capitalize on new media markets.