Podcast Summary: The Dark Side of Internet Fame w/ Marcus King | 2 Bears, 1 Cave

Podcast: 2 Bears, 1 Cave (YMH Studios)
Episode: The Dark Side of Internet Fame w/ Marcus King
Date: December 1, 2025
Guests: Bert Kreischer, Tom Segura, Marcus King

Episode Overview

In this reflective, funny, and at times raw episode, Bert Kreischer sits down with musician Marcus King to talk about everything from the creative process, sobriety, internet hate, and what it means to remain authentic in the age of viral stardom. Tom Segura joins in toward the end to add his perspective. The group veers into discussions of the pressures of fame, the damage and catharsis found in comments sections, and the art of standing out—whether in comedy or music.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Catching Up & Southern Rock (00:00–05:00)

• Bert and Marcus reminisce about their past meetups, notably at the Flora-Bama, discussing their shared experiences on tour and on stage.
• Bert’s daughters’ differing approaches to music and culture highlight generational changes.
• Discussion of what makes Southern rock special:
  • Marcus: “The best Southern rock bands are the ones that aren’t trying to be Southern rock. They’re just rock and roll bands that happen to be from the South. So it just adds a little extra gravy to it.” (01:46)
  • Talk about the blurred lines between country, bluegrass, and Southern rock and how genres can blend and cross over.

2. Creative Processes in Comedy and Music (05:00–09:00)

• Bert describes his loose approach to developing comedy and stories, likening it to “just hanging out and waiting for it to show up.”
• Marcus details his process of making music and how an engineer or producer helps artists be at their most vulnerable:
  • “For me, [the producer's job] is to come in and to almost artificially create an energy in which you can be your most vulnerable and honest self.” (08:19)

3. Music Legends and Inspirations (09:00–13:00)

• They discuss the legacy and tragedy of Otis Redding, touching on his impact and the story behind “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.”
• Favorite Otis Redding songs: Marcus—“Cigarettes and Black Coffee”; Bert—“Try a Little Tenderness.”
• Marcus on the spontaneous, unfinished whistle in “Dock of the Bay”: “[Otis Redding] whistled the last, you know, little refrain... because he was gonna sing something else there. But he died before he had the chance to do so.” (09:57)

4. Friendship, Sobriety, and Real Talk (15:26–26:00)

• Bert recounts an unlikely friendship with a man named James Earl Jones (not that one) he met at a jazz festival—a story about human connection that cuts through fame or status (17:02–18:13).
• Sobriety and Self-Destruction:
  • Marcus shares openly about his periods of sobriety and relapse. He describes how alcohol impacts him: “Everything fun in life... I just can’t do moderation. I know. I don’t have a problem not starting. I just have a problem stopping.” (20:21)
  • Getting sober for love: “I did it because I love my wife... There's something in me that comes to life when I've had too much and it wants to destroy everything good in my life because I don't feel like I deserve it.” (20:23)
• Bert and Marcus discuss cycles of drinking, how hard it is to moderate, and the tricks (like medication) that affect their relationship to alcohol (21:52–24:08).

Notable Quote:
“Every time I put it down, it gets heavier.”
—Marcus King, referencing both addiction and song lyrics. (23:48)

5. Creating Music, Dual Lives, and Internet Pressures (24:08–34:00)

• The album “Darling Blue” is a product of both Marcus’s sobriety and past substance use. He reflects on how different tracks evoke different times in his life.
• The conversation moves to how both hosts and Marcus feel about internet comments and seeking approval:
  • Marcus: “My only goal was to get... approval, you know, that's why I got into stand up, is I could tell if they liked it... negativity, people that didn't like me, it made me so confused.” (32:21)
  • Both reveal the deep impact of even a single negative comment.

6. Therapy, Insecurity, and How the Internet Affects Artists' Lives (34:00–43:00)

• Both Bert and Marcus discuss feeling undeserving of love and using therapy to understand these feelings.
• The "invisible brutality" of internet comments—funny ones get a pass, but “super mean” ones cut deep:
  • Marcus: “It can create insecurities within your own home. Sometimes I give funny internet comments a hall pass, but if you’re just super mean, I mean, it really does get to me.” (34:13)
• Marcus mentions how the most vicious trolls are never “attractive people”:
  • “Maybe it’s the ghost accounts... but I’ve never seen an attractive person, you know, willingly... say something disparaging. It’s always, you know, just dog, ass, ugly people.” (38:38)

7. Vulnerability & Authenticity in an Internet Age (43:00–52:00)

• Discussion of Marcus’s songwriting and Bert’s response to his honesty and voice, comparing Marcus’s sound to the late Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon.
• Crowd Work & Stand-Up’s Changing Landscape:
  • Bert and Marcus dive into the shifting expectations in comedy due to viral “crowd work” clips—lamenting that what once was a skill for saving bad sets has become the main act for some.

8. Tom Segura Joins: Shared Feelings of Insecurity (56:45–58:28)

• Tom Segura joins the episode briefly. Bert expresses surprise to hear Tom admit insecurities:
  • Tom Segura: “Don’t forget that we all feel the same, dude. We all fucking feel the same. Everybody’s the same. We all wish we were liked more... We’re the same.” (58:01)

9. Fame, “Realness,” and Industry Hypocrisy (58:28–67:30)

• The group discusses how fame warps relationships and the pressures of authenticity:
  • Musicians and comedians who appear “untouchable” (e.g., Chris Stapleton) still face hate and insecurity.
  • Marcus on industry types versus artists: “The music industry types, they can get as fucked up as they want with, like, no repercussion, because nobody recognizes them. But artists are just playing outlaw, and they’re not doing the shit they sing about.” (64:19)
  • The legendary “bad behavior” of 70s/80s artists would never fly in today’s world of constant surveillance.

10. Ranking Southern Rock Bands (47:26–80:00)

• The conversation weaves between deep talk and playful lists:
  • They attempt to rank and define the “quintessential” Southern rock bands and songs (e.g., Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, Black Crowes, Blackberry Smoke).
  • Stories about learning classic songs to impress girls, the mystique of musical authenticity, and “living life in the mirrors” as a metaphor for addiction and looking backward.

11. Legacy, Eulogies, and Artistic Impact (82:02–End)

• Bert performs a mock eulogy (“Please play this at my funeral...” 82:29) about his only goal being “to make you happy.”
• Marcus echoes the sentiment, stating: “All I really want to do is make you happy.” (84:05)
• Bert’s heartfelt assessment of Marcus’s music:
  • “You have lived your life out loud, opened up and shared all your scars and your pain and your joys and your questions and your loves and your fears through music with possibly the biggest gift we've gotten in the music world, which is you as an artist.” (85:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I can’t do moderation. I don’t have a problem not starting. I just have a problem stopping.”
  – Marcus King (20:23)

• “Every time I put it down, it gets heavier.”
  – Marcus King, on addiction and his lyrics (23:48)

• “If you don’t know what kind of band we are, we don’t either.”
  – Marcus King (04:59)

• “We all fucking feel the same. Everybody’s the same. We all wish we were liked more.”
  – Tom Segura (58:01)

• “…their ego is really just a mask for their deep insecurity, and you can’t hide that from me anyway.”
  – Marcus King (61:42)

• “You have lived your life out loud, opened up and shared all your scars and your pain and your joys… with possibly the biggest gift we’ve gotten in the music world.”
  – Bert Kreischer to Marcus King (85:34)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–05:00: Reminiscing & Southern rock’s appeal
• 05:00–09:00: Creative processes in comedy and music
• 09:00–13:00: Musical idols (Otis Redding)
• 15:26–18:13: Unlikely friendships (James Earl Jones story)
• 18:21–24:08: Sobriety, addiction, and creative cycles
• 24:08–34:00: Album insights, internet hate, and approval chasing
• 34:00–43:00: Therapy, insecurity, and the impact of comments
• 43:00–52:00: Songwriting honesty & stand-up’s changing face
• 56:45–58:28: Tom Segura weighs in on insecurity
• 58:28–64:19: Fame and authenticity—realness vs. image
• 64:19–67:30: Myths of outlaw artists and the music industry
• 47:26–80:00: Southern rock deep dives & music nostalgia
• 82:02–End: Mortality, mock eulogies, and Marcus’s legacy

Final Thoughts

The episode is a candid look at the double-edged sword of creative life—where the desire for approval, the specter of insecurity, and the poison/pleasure of substance abuse intertwine with moments of humor and insight. Marcus King’s openness about sobriety, artistry, and vulnerability stands out as one of the rawest and most genuine conversations 2 Bears, 1 Cave has hosted. The interplay between Bert, Marcus, and Tom makes for a moving and memorable listen.