Indie Comedy Is Pop-Comedy

It's the year 2000. Marc Maron, in his gruff comic-shout tells you he read Beat poetry growing up in New Mexico.

It's a performance of The Jeruselum Syndrome - his one-man-show in a black box, off-broadway theatre.

The following year would see the show published in book form; the same year Amy Poehler joins the cast of Saturday Night Live.

The alternative comedy scene has since refocused popular culture under its spell; the scene and its cohorts especially blossoming in the eighties and mid-nineties.

Maron's podcast (WTF with Marc Maron Podcast) has gained critical acclaim for gaining ample insight on industry and the personal lives of his guests.

Netflix Presents, pay-per view, and other VOD distributed stand-up specials have become like modern day comedy records.

No one asks Do you have Netflix? anymore. It's presumed we're all on it - like Facebook.

Not so alternative anymore, Maron's new special, More Later was released on December 4th on premium-cable network, EPIX. Here he is talking about it on AOL BUILD.

Newer stand-ups have seen nearly their entire careers built on specials exhibited almost exclusively on VOD platforms. John Mulaney has both his specials presented by Netflix. He talked with AOL BUILD about his latest: The Comeback Kid.

Poehler and fellow SNL alumni Tina Fey have a new project in their rich tenure of collaborations: Sisters, a comedy film distributed by Universal Pictures via good old theatrical release. Poehler, along with Ike Barinholtz and Jason Moore, talked about the film this week on AOL BUILD.

Despite the days of clap-breaks after killer punchlines being long gone, the spirit of comic community and reverence is alive and well. Not unlike the Marvel Universe - what was once considered niche has been established as a prominent facet of youth and popular culture.

Sisters is in theaters this Friday.