’Important Things’ with Demitri Martin
Demetri Martin’s path to stand-up comedy was almost thwarted by a stint in law school. but he soon realized that arguing cases in front of judge and jury was not nearly as fun as telling jokes. His stand-up act, appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as well as a starring role as a closeted gay man in last year’s Ang Lee-directed Taking Woodstock have shown just how talented and eclectic the New York native is.
Martin’s comedy is unconventional in that he not only talks about his unique take on everyday things in life but he uses drawings, sketches and graphs to explain his point. He also is very adept at turning a film and television staple like the action scene and turning it on its head for laughs.
In tonight’s season premiere of his Comedy Central series Important Things With Demetri Martin, a sketch called "The Henchman" has Martin as (you guessed it) a henchman who is unable to keep his mouth shut when a mobster (played by intense Lost actor Alan Dale) is about to end of the lives of a man and woman who have crossed him. Think 24 with a laugh track.
As new episodes kick off this week, Martin found time to talk with EDGE’s Jim Halterman about how he didn’t listen to some important people in his life when making a career choice and also how he approached his Taking Woodstock role with the intention to not play a stereotype.
’That’s funny, right?’
EDGE: Your family also wasn’t necessarily happy with you going into your comedy early in your career. Have they come around now that you’re a success?
Demetri Martin:Yeah, everyone is very supportive. They’re excited that I’m working and there are a lot of things going on. I think the times that my family has come see me live in the last couple of years I think they’re surprised when they see that there’s a big crowd there. All these people show up who I don’t know. ’Who are those people?’ ’I don’t know.’
EDGE: You’ve said that you sometimes just have to throw a comedic line into the dead space of a commercial or action film. In the "Bruce The Funny Dog" skit on the season premiere of your show, when you tell Bruce to shut it off and he just can’t do it, is that essentially you?
DM: Maybe. I think it’s more like in comedy a lot of times when people are starting out there’s this phenomenon where you really are on all the time. If you’re a comedian, or someone an improv group or a sketch actor or something and at these parties or you’re in a diner and it’s all comedians. Certain people seem like they’re still trying to prove it to themselves or they’re showing off and they’re saying ’That’s funny, right? Right? That’s funny’ and you just want to say ’Turn it off, try to relax.’
