STAND-UP TUESDAYS: Demetri Martin

October 2nd, 2012

Grant Trimboli

Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.

This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Demetri Martin. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.

Demetri Martin is back with an all-new one-hour special, which debuted on Saturday, September 29 on Comedy central. Filmed at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, Demetri Martin. Standup Comedian. offers all that fans have come to love about the comedian, from his sharp one-liners and brilliantly simple observations on society to his signature illustrations, graphs and drawings.

With his easel and guitar in tow, Martin brings his unique perspective to topics large and small – even breast cancer walks and smoking cessation.

“Smoking is a big problem; we can’t get people to quit smoking and warnings don’t work. I think you’ve got to change the cigarettes. You know what I mean? If you change the shape of the cigarettes, maybe that would do it. Like, if you had a cigarette with two balls hanging from it. Surgeon General warning: cigarette may contain tiny hairy balls.”

Martin has a unique ability to take the simplest of things and turn it into comedy gold, something that has always been his appeal. He’s like a quiet, passive observer who is always on hand to gently point out the absurdities in situations the rest of us find mundane.

“What’s your middle name? ‘I have two middle names.’ No, you have no middle name. You have a space.”

It’s Martin’s passive-aggressive stage presence that ultimately allows him the freedom to talk about any subject without ever really pissing anyone off or offending people. He’s a ‘noticer’ of things, not a judger – something that leaves him utterly likeable and always refreshing to watch.

“Why is it that people who can eat really spicy food think that the rest of us give a shit? I can eat really doughy food but I don’t brag about it when we sit down to dinner.”

Demetri Martin has worked in television, stage, film and print. He has been a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and a staff writer at Late Night with Conan O’Brien. On Comedy central, Martin created and starred in the series “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” and appeared in his first hour-long stand-up special, Demetri Martin. Person. Martin also has released a stand-up comedy album called These Are Jokes on COMEDY CENTRAL Records, and starred in the Ang Lee film Taking Woodstock.

Martin’s “This is a Book by Demetri Martin” is a New York Times Bestseller, and his writing has been featured in publications including The New Yorker, Wired Magazine, and Playboy. His new book, “Point Your Face at This,” will be available in March 2013. Martin won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his one-man show, “If I.”

The Demetri Martin. Standup Comedian. extended and uncensored DVD was released today by Comedy Central Home Entertainment and includes over 15 minutes of material not seen in the broadcast, plus a selection of bonus features that include audio commentary, commentary on the audio commentary, an art slide show of rejected concepts, and joke variations. Comedy Central Records has also released the extended and uncensored Demetri Martin. Standup Comedian. CD, which was recorded separately with additional audio-friendly material. The special is also available in HD on iTunes, Zune Video Marketplace on Xbox, Sony PlayStation Network, Amazon Instant Video, and Vudu. Demetri Martin. Standup Comedian. is executive produced by Martin, John Irwin, and directed by Ryan Polito.