Roselle
“Hey there’s a donkey with some pizzazz… let’s kick his ass”: Finding the pizzazz of Demetri Martin
The year was 1995 and recent Yale University graduate, Demetri Martin, was headed to New York University School of Law on a full scholarship. Martin had been accepted to Harvard Law, however, chose NYU after the scholarship came into the picture. A year later, Demetri Martin was offered the internship of a lifetime, working for the Domestic Policy Council at the White House. At the end of the following year, Martin dropped out of school. 1 His reasons? To follow his heart and pursue a career in comedy. Years later, after much success on stage, Demetri Martin ties old passions and new findings together in his act. As time passed, those who discouraged Martin, mainly his family, began to see his career with a newfound appreciation.
From the seventh grade on, Demetri Martin had envisioned himself becoming a lawyer. While at the time Martin didn’t know what a corporate lawyer was, it sounded impressive to him and he wanted to go for it. After he finally got to law school, he found it interesting. However, his interest only lasted three weeks. As
Martin realized, law school “…would be a ticket to boredom.” 2 After a while Martin began cutting class to skate board and play basketball. During this time, Martin also took an interest in drawing.
In Demetri Martin’s house, creativity was not something that was valued.
Instead, Demetri’s family focused more on grades and going to a good college.
Keeping that in mind, it came as no surprise to Martin when his family was not
1 Roselle thrilled with his decision. 3 As Martin said, “It’s weird to make a decision where everyone in your life disapproves pretty vocally and directly.”4 While Martin felt no passion for law, everyone encouraged him to stick it out for the last year. Martin’s parents argued that he could always fall back on law if he earned his degree.
However, Martin could not be persuaded. To him it was “…dumb to waste any more time” 4 For Martin, he had finally figured out what he wanted to do with his life and he was ready to go out and do it. The disapproval Demetri Martin received from his family was more reason for him to continue. The disapproval Demetri received felt like freedom for him. Martin was released from seeking approval and was able to move on.
As Demetri explored his brand new “freedom” he found himself retreating to activities he enjoyed growing up. Those activities, as mentioned earlier, were skateboarding, drawing, and music. Martin had given up art when he was younger and had never had enough time to pursue music. Martin’s sketching and music soon became essential parts to his act. Both allowed Martin to take his one-liners a step
further. Martin uses a “large pad” to
illustrate his jokes and to present
some in the form of graphs and
charts. In his special, Martin uses
the pad to illustrate jokes such as
his theory on glass houses, the
correct placement of ponytails, and his dead cactus. Although Demetri Martin left law school, it has not left him. While
2 Roselle most of Martin’s act is random observations he makes, certain aspects can be linked to his background. Martin uses statistics and graphs to enhance his jokes and get more laughs. One graph Martin used on Comedy Central compared the cuteness of a girl and how willing he is to listen about her cat. The subject of the graph itself is funny, but Martin takes it further by showing at a certain point, he does not care how cute the girl is and would rather not hear about her intuitive cat. 5
While the numbers he uses are not proven, and many cannot be, they show Martin’s critical thinking he learned in school. Martin further accentuates his lawyer persona and jokes by using a pointer as he goes through each page of the pad, as if he were giving a presentation. Martin uses the pointer to point out each detail of the drawing of the graph to make sure the joke is clear and that the audience understands it. In addition to his pad, Martin’s background comes through when he questions every day observations such as doors and “rock-paper-scissors”. When discussing “rock-paper-scissors”, Martin uses logical reasoning for his joke, explaining that given the physical properties of each subject, a paper would never actually beat a rock. Other comedians make fun of other people or situations, but Demetri Martin asks questions and digs deeper into his observations. Martin presents himself as a lawyer would with charisma and close attention to detail. In court, a lawyer would use every piece of evidence he had
3 Roselle in order to win the case. In this perspective, Martin does the same. He adds charts and pictures to his skit along with personal experiences in order to get the audience to laugh. An article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review described Martin as a “brainiac” and of having the “thought demeanor of a research assistant”. 6 Martin also has called himself a “nerd” and explained how he used to bring puzzles to class as a challenge.1 Martin’s true “brainiac” and nerdy self have a way of coming through simply with his use of vocabulary and mannerisms on stage.
Over the years, Demetri Martin’s family has come to accept and appreciate the path he has chosen. In his special on Comedy Central, Martin references his mother and grandmother while explaining where his jokes come from. The two come on stage and he tells them of his decision to drop law school and to choose the path of a comedian. 7 Martin’s ability to make light of his decision shows how far he has come as a comedian. In an interview Martin did with both his grandmother and mother, his grandmother says at first she was concerned, but now she tries to never miss a show. His grandmother may be his toughest critic, but she has come to give
Martin her full support. In the beginning, Demetri’s grandmother was wary of what she might hear, but after seeing a show she said, “This is terrific.” 8 As both
Demetri’s grandmother and mother stood on stage, they looked as if they couldn’t be more proud of him.
As Demetri Martin stood on stage for a Comedy Central special, he told the audience of his confusion when swimming. He said he only knows if he’s swimming or drowning depending on what he’s wearing. The next joke he told explained why he isn’t a fan of piñatas. As Martin said, “Piñatas promote violence against
4 Roselle flamboyant animals… ‘Hey there’s a donkey with some pizzazz. Let’s kick his ass…” 9
In the realms of law school, Demetri Martin was a donkey with pizzazz just dying to break out. Although Martin was never actually threatened or hurt in law school, he felt trapped and out of place. A career in comedy allowed him to express himself and push limits. In the comedy world, Martin’s creativity and true personality can shine.
5 Roselle
Works Cited
1. O’Neal, Sean. “Demetri Martin.” The A.V. Club.
http://www.avclub.com/articles/demetri-martin,14037/
2. benkharakh.com. “Demetri Martin.” http://benkharakh.com/demetri_martin
3. Thorn, Jesse. “Demetri Martin, author of This Is A Book: Interview on The
Sound of Young America.” The Sound of Young America.
http://www.maximumfun.org/sound-young-america/demetri-martin-
author-book-interview-sound-young-america
4. Dermousis, Litsa. “Demetri Martin: Stand-up comic.” The Believer.
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200602/?read=interview_martin
5. Video Source, http://comedians.jokes.com/demetri-martin/videos/demetri-
martin---findings
6. Loeffler, William. “Demetri Martin Relishes Comedy Challenges.” Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/more/s_711786.html
7. Video Source, http://comedians.jokes.com/demetri-martin/videos/demetri-
martin---magical-place
8. Siegel, Robert. “Comedy and the Family: Demetri Martin.” NPR.
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=7120270
9. Video Source, http://comedians.jokes.com/demetri-martin/videos/demetri-
martin---drunk-backseat-driver
10. Picture Source, http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/important-things-with-
demetri-martin/photos/296525/55635
6 Roselle
11. Picture Source, http://www.clebilicious.com/2009/03/ode-to-demetri-
martin.html
7