Stand-up comedian, actor, writer and host of the popular WTF podcast Marc Maron has a thing for boots. So much so that when Maron performed at the Vogue Theatre last month, the owners of Love Jules Leather Shoe Company, who are fans of the neurotically-charged, 53-year-old Los Angeles-based comic, invited him to their East Vancouver studio for a fitting.
Maron talked about the booty call on a recent episode of WTF and posted a photo of the complimentary kicks on Instagram last week upon their arrival.
Talking via email while on a tour stop in Milwaukee, Maron says he didn’t have any specific instructions for his bespoke boot makers, just as long as the end result accommodated his size 12 pontoons. “They wanted to make some boots but I wanted the size to be right… They measured me and I met everyone and we chose a style.”
That style is a classic Chelsea boot in black, with a hand-etched cat’s head on the heal — a tribute to the noted feral cat wrangler’s long-lost feline, Boomer, and Maron’s frequent refrain at the end of his podcasts, “Boomer lives!”
Boot wise, Maron admits to being primarily a Red Wings man, but he also owns a couple pairs of custom-made White’s. He has since ordered two more pairs of White’s after performing in Spokane, Wash. “Another company made me a few pairs once but they didn’t work out as well,” he adds. “They weren’t measured precisely and they hurt my feet in an odd way. I don’t think I should mention their name. They are good boots. Just didn’t work for me.”
However, that is not the case with his Vancouver-made footwear. “The Jules Love Leather boots are amazing so far. Perfect fit. Love them. It’s only been a couple weeks,” says Maron.
Love Jules co-owner Josh Blodans says he and partner Jules Vagelatos initially wanted to surprise Maron with a pair of boots at his show but weren’t able to find out his shoe size ahead of time. After some tweeting back and forth, they arranged to meet in person a day after his show.
“As a token of our appreciation I wanted to make him a pair of boots, he’s kind of like my therapy,” says Blodans, who listens to Maron’s WTF podcast regularly while working in the shop. “I feel like I’m indebted to him. He’s super cool. And I know he’s a big boot guy from listening to his podcasts — he’s got an appreciation for cobblers and shoe repair and that kind of thing.”
Blodans says as a fan it was particularly nerve-wracking to make Maron’s boots, which took three days to complete. The shop, which employs six people during busy times, makes approximately 50 pairs of shoes every two months. A pair of made-to-measure boots costs $1,000 to $1,200 on average, depending on how tricked out the customer wants their boots to be.
Celebrity wise, Blodans says they’ve also custom-made shoes for Bruce Willis in the past, though his feet are a daintier size 10.
As for Maron’s furbished feet, the comedian says he’s been wearing the new boots constantly, including at some recent stand-up gigs.
Besides Instagram feeds and, presumably, foot fetish websites, fans will also be able to see Maron’s fancy footwork from the comfort of their own living room in the near future.
“I will be wearing them when I tape my new Netflix special,” Maron says.
Boomer lives!
