Comedian Demetri Martin was a Yale graduate and studying law at New York University when he decided his life was far too boring. It was only after he dropped out of college and began doing standup in New York that his career really took off.
Martin, known as the trendspotting reporter on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," credited writer for "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and named "one of the 25 funniest people in America" by Entertainment Weekly, spoke with The Spectrum about the source of his comedic inspiration.
"Most of my act comes from everyday things, like going to the library or just walking around and noticing things," Martin said. "Watching people gives me plenty of material to work off of."
Martin began by submitting writing packets to "Late Nights." After meeting influential people and presenting samples three times, he was finally accepted as a writer in 2003. From there, his career in comedy began.
Martin was featured on Comedy Central's Friday night standup lineup, during which his stint was rated as one of the highest rated half hour shows on the network. His act included an acoustic guitar, synthesizer, foot bells and miniature drums, along with drawings and mini-skits performed on stage with his friends.
"I was just trying to impress people and I was starting from scratch, and by trying out all these things at once I was forcing myself to learn each of them faster," he said.
The comedian said that his primary influence is the style of old comedies he watched addictively while growing up.
"The reason people think of me as being so new is because of classic comedians, those who set the standard for comedy," he said. "Woody Allen from the '60s or Bill Cosby, even Albert Brooks, Steve Martin and Andy Kaufman had all set the base of comedy and what people expected."
Martin said that because modern comedy can draw on a wide range of topics and material, acts have to become broader as well. The comedian is persistent in achieving this.
"If a teacher asked you to go into a room and look at a fish and asked you to do it 100 times, you would see something new every time. That is what I do with everyday situations until I find the joke there."
Martin admits to having bad shows but states that these were learning experiences.
"To get a joke right, I'd have to tell it a hundred times. Ninety-nine times it would suck, but then there's that one time where I fix it to make it good, and it's worth it."
Sponsoring his tour is Microsoft, who has hired Martin as the spokesperson for the new Vista operating system.
"I received a random e-mail from them one day in April and they were offering me a job," he said, "so I took it. I directed, wrote, drew and scored seven episodes for them on their Web site as part of their soft online campaign."
Martin said that he would love to come to college campuses to do shows.
"Younger college kids are more enthusiastic about comedy and I'd love to go back to performing in front of them," he said. "There are no career services for people who want to pursue comedy, so it would give me a great chance to get info out there."
Martin is kicking off his national tour in 25 cities in support of his first standup CD/DVD "These Are Jokes," released last Tuesday. The "Comedy Central Live: These are Jokes" tour will begin in San Diego in the Spreckels Theatre.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
