Comedy and Guitar
Ok, Demetri Martin is no guitar virtuoso, and I don’t even know if he is a musician; one thing that is certain --he is damn funny. A graduate from Yale and a NYU Law school drop out Martin is not an Andrew dice-clay comedic retard. He has been pleasing large scale audiences with his non-transitional comedy accompanied by his guitar since he got his big break in 2001 on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend. That lead him to a writing job on Conan O’Brien’s Late Night Show from 2002-2003, a guest appearance on The Flight of the Conchords show, and endless stand-up- routines on the biggest stages.
Martin’s departure from NYU Law school, during his last year, on a full scholarship, to take on a full time career in comedy came as a surprise to his friends and family. Martin disclosed the following statement---
“It’s weird to make a decision where everyone in your life disapproves, pretty vocally and directly. They said, "You've got one year left. Just do it." I had a full scholarship so I didn’t have to pay for it. They asked, "Why don’t you just get the degree so you can have it?" And I said, "You don’t understand. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do and now I know. I have the answer and it’s dumb to waste any more time.”
It looks like he made the right choice. His strongest comedic aspect is his lack of transition. Hopping from one joke to the next, Martin keeps the audience on their toes by giving a routine of a random assortment of daily life observations that he twists in his own bizarre way. His guitar playing in the background of his performances acts as a nice backdrop that increases in intensity when he hits the punch line of his joke. His guitar acts almost as a musical laugh track.
Martin has a talent for picking out the little pointless items and situations in life and extracting a clever one-liner joke (one of my favorites-- the note in a bottle joke). He incorporates his guitar playing in his routine by playing lyrically comedic songs, or explaining—“I began my career as a musician- as a street performer-- in a suburb--on a cul-de-sac.—not a lot of foot traffic, but when they made a U-turn I would get them!” So who needs law school. All this guy needs is a guitar and a mic. Expect more musical comedy from this law school drop-out.
Martin’s departure from NYU Law school, during his last year, on a full scholarship, to take on a full time career in comedy came as a surprise to his friends and family. Martin disclosed the following statement---
“It’s weird to make a decision where everyone in your life disapproves, pretty vocally and directly. They said, "You've got one year left. Just do it." I had a full scholarship so I didn’t have to pay for it. They asked, "Why don’t you just get the degree so you can have it?" And I said, "You don’t understand. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do and now I know. I have the answer and it’s dumb to waste any more time.”
It looks like he made the right choice. His strongest comedic aspect is his lack of transition. Hopping from one joke to the next, Martin keeps the audience on their toes by giving a routine of a random assortment of daily life observations that he twists in his own bizarre way. His guitar playing in the background of his performances acts as a nice backdrop that increases in intensity when he hits the punch line of his joke. His guitar acts almost as a musical laugh track.
Martin has a talent for picking out the little pointless items and situations in life and extracting a clever one-liner joke (one of my favorites-- the note in a bottle joke). He incorporates his guitar playing in his routine by playing lyrically comedic songs, or explaining—“I began my career as a musician- as a street performer-- in a suburb--on a cul-de-sac.—not a lot of foot traffic, but when they made a U-turn I would get them!” So who needs law school. All this guy needs is a guitar and a mic. Expect more musical comedy from this law school drop-out.
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