Demetri Martin claims he is just a simple man telling simple jokes, but he is really anything but that.
Martin returned to Comedy Central in his new special, “Demetri Martin: Stand-Up Comedian,” on Sept. 29. Martin says his new show is the same style as his older stuff but is even more simplified. He is still performing his witty one-liners on the guitar and using the large sketchpad with his quirky drawings about everyday life. It just works for him. What’s more is that the quirky comedian got started on a rather atypical path.
Martin graduated from Yale University in 1995. Although he got into Harvard Law School, he attended New York University of Law on a full scholarship.
“I always wanted to go to law school, ever since the seventh grade,” Martin said in an interview with The Eagle. “I was pretty pleased with the first two months of law school, but after that, it was not exciting or inspiring … I realized I should wake up in the morning with a feeling of excitement and enjoyment, but instead I was dreading going to class.”
For Martin, happiness and success came hand in hand when he finally joined the comedy world.
“I started out with just jokes, one-liners, with only 5 or 6 minutes of stage time a week,” Martin said. “Even that was pretty exciting. By writing jokes and carrying notebooks, I was able to incorporate drawings and music into my shows, and that’s when I was able to utilize these elements.”
Martin was able to make his first break at “The Premium Blend” comedy club and was soon working as a writer for shows like “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “The Daily Show.”
However, one of Martin’s most successful projects was his show, “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” which was canceled after two seasons on Comedy Central. Although it received great reviews and truly put him on the map, he said he doesn’t think he will ever do a project like that anytime soon.
“After ‘Important Things,’ I didn’t want to play myself, and I wanted to be a character on a show rather than being like, ‘Hey, it’s Demetri,’” Martin said. “I’d rather be some killer or psycho or something.”
thescene@theeagleonline.com
