LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Barack Obama helped Marc Maron lock the gates on his podcast Monday, returning to the present for the ultimate episode after 16 years and greater than 1,600 episodes.

The previous president gave new standing to “WTF With Marc Maron” and to podcasts on the whole when he visited Maron’s Los Angeles storage studio whereas nonetheless in workplace a decade in the past. Obama introduced the 62-year-old host, stand-up comedian and actor to his Washington workplace for the final interview.

Obama requested the preliminary questions.

“How are you feeling about this entire factor?” he mentioned, “transition, transferring on from this factor that has been one of many defining components of your profession and your life?”

“I really feel OK,” Maron answered. “I really feel like I’m kind of prepared for the break, however there may be kind of a worry there, of what do I do now? I’m busy. However, not in contrast to your job … I’ve bought lots of people who over the past 16 years have grown to depend on me.”

Maron laughed as he acknowledged he was evaluating his podcasting gig to the presidency.

“I feel it is fairly comparable,” Obama mentioned.

The identification of the visitor was not revealed till the episode dropped, and followers had been speculating. Obama was a preferred guess, each due to his relationship with “WTF” and since Maron in an interview with Selection in July mentioned Obama could be his perfect ultimate dialog.

The host defined the choice in an unusually transient and easy introduction to the episode.

“It turned clear that the visitor we wanted to have was singular,” Maron mentioned, “in that he may tackle the significance of this being our ultimate episode, but in addition tackle how we transfer by means of the world we’re residing in, as scary as it’s.”

Maron requested Obama for recommendation on transferring on out of your life’s greatest job.

“You’ve got nonetheless bought a few chapters left,” Obama mentioned. “Do not rush into what the subsequent factor is. Take a beat. Take some satisfaction trying backwards.”

After a a lot speak on the state of the world, Obama introduced it again round to Maron’s farewell.

“I feel we’ll be OK,” Obama mentioned. “I feel a part of the explanation you had such a giant fan base throughout this 16-year run is there was a core decency to you and the conversations that you simply had.”

He added, “I feel speaks to who we’re.”

Maron prevented sentimental farewell speak in the course of the episode — he bought that out of the way in which on Thursday in his penultimate episode, the place talked straight and emotionally to his listeners.

“I am grateful to have been a part of your lives,” he mentioned. “We have been by means of a variety of stuff collectively. Quite a lot of breakups. Loss of life. Cats. The world.”

The brand new Obama episode was No. 1,686 of the pioneering and influential long-form interview podcast that had humble beginnings in 2009 as a spot the place he labored out his points with different stand-up comedians within the storage of his house that he dubbed “The Cat Ranch.”

Maron’s cats had been all the time a vital a part of the present. His ultimate phrases on Monday’s episode had been tributes to those who had died.

“Cat angels all over the place,” he mentioned.

For many of its years the present has opened with a fan-composed rock ‘n’ roll theme track that opens with an audio pattern of Maron in his small position within the movie “Nearly Well-known” shouting, “Lock the gates!” The track is called for one in all Maron’s frequent phrases, “Are We Doing This?” One other such phrase, “Are we good?” was usually his final query to visitors and is the title of a brand new documentary on him.

Ultimately, with assist from visitors like Obama, Robin Williams and Paul McCartney, “WTF” turned a media establishment the place authors, artists, musicians, Hollywood stars and political leaders would give him their backstory.

Maron introduced in June that he and longtime producing companion Brendan McDonald had determined to finish the present. He mentioned there was no explicit cause, apart from that he was drained and totally happy with the work that they had carried out.

On Monday, Maron appeared moved as he learn from a pseudolegal doc that he had drawn up for Obama to signal, releasing McDonald “from the skilled duty to listening to me speak.”