Demetri Martin

Demetri Martin’s act is not my favorite type of comedy.

This is a phrase that comedians use a lot, usually about someone who is too hacky to respect, but too nice to insult. It’s equal parts political and condescending, essentially a way to extricate oneself from a conversation about a bad comedian without being overtly mean.

So I want to be clear that this is not my intention to be condescending at all. I think Demetri Martin is an excellent joke writer, and he has been incredibly inventive in the ways that he builds a persona onstage. Martin has added to his act in ways that extend beyond gimmicks, where he is actually cultivating an entire mental space onstage that he draws the crowd into. Is it a little Wes Andersony? Yes. But he’s the only guy out there doing it.

So I have a lot of respect for Demetri Martin. But I still wouldn’t go to see one of his shows. His jokes are funny and precise and well structured, but they don’t have the element of emotional truth behind them that connects me to the comedians I love. And I’m not saying that this emotional core is “missing,” because I don’t think Martin ever intended for it to be there. His jokes are puzzles, and to him finding the most elegant solutions to those puzzles is cathartic enough. This is a guy who re-arranged all the words on a bottle of Rolling Rock into a poem, a guy who taught himself how to write left-handed just for the hell of it. He’s the Will Shortz of comedy, and who doesn’t like Will Shortz?

But there’s nothing emotionally satisfying about solving a crossword puzzle, beyond the simple appreciation of a job well done. Some people respond to that, but I don’t. I like a bit of heart. Louis CK, Bill Burr, Maria Bamford all appeal to me because at their core, they are three people trying their damnedest to just deal with themselves, to be good people, to get through life. It’s messy and often offensive, but it’s coming from a personal perspective that is undeniable.

Demetri Martin is much more reserved. I respect his choice, and I understand why he would want to guard his life from the masses. But watching his act, I don’t get a sense of how much I would like to hang out with him, or whether he would like me. I don’t even know if he’s happy, which for some reason matters a lot to me. His persona onstage is basically a really convincing imitation of a person.

Demetri Martin is a very smart and funny guy who requires that everything he works on is of a certain quality, and his effort shows. But his act is not my favorite type of comedy.