What: Demetri Martin
When: Friday, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Where: McPherson Playhouse
Tickets: $55.75 at rmts.bc.ca, the Royal McPherson box office or 250-386-6121
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Demetri Martin, whose specialty is bite-size comedy quips, should be without a comedy care at the moment.
Instead, the one-liner specialist is feeling overwhelmed with the amount of information being consumed at any given point, be it 140 characters on Twitter or a short viral video on Facebook.
Everything is being shared in short blasts and at a record pace, and Martin is finding it hard to keep up. 鈥淢aterial is devoured so quickly,鈥� said Martin, 44. 鈥淭witter has made everybody into a one-liner comedian online. It鈥檚 kind of a bummer. It feels a little less unique sometimes.鈥�
Not unlike Steven Wright or the late Mitch Hedberg, whose non-sequiturs and comedic asides often consisted of a single punchline, the New Jersey-raised Martin is known for being to the point with his material. His jokes aren鈥檛 overly personal, political or difficult to digest. But there鈥檚 a simplicity in them that Martin finds invigorating.
鈥淵ears ago, I developed a couple of one-man shows, and they were very personal. But I found that I got sick of telling my story, and then I got sick of myself. So I鈥檝e retreated back into one-liners, which is what I feel comfortable with.鈥�
Shades of Woody Allen are evident in the Los Angeles-based performer鈥檚 current tour, which stops for two shows at the McPherson Playhouse on Friday under the Let鈥檚 Get Awkward banner. The tour鈥檚 name came after Martin saw online comments criticizing his deadpan delivery and laconic demeanour. He decided to embrace the smack talk, rather than feel slighted by it.
鈥淚 never thought of myself as that awkward,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 learning, in the general population, I would be considered awkward, I suppose.鈥�
In person, Martin isn鈥檛 nearly as odd as some would suggest. After studying at Yale in the early 1990s, where he majored in history, he set out to be a lawyer. He was accepted into law school at Harvard, but followed his girlfriend at the time to New York City, and enrolled at NYU. Martin left law school after his second year at NYU, unsure of the career he had chosen for himself.
Success as a standup comedian was slow at first, but his writing skills developed quickly. He started as an intern on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 1997, and later became a staff writer at Late Night with Conan O鈥橞rien.
He has recorded albums, standup specials for Netflix and a series for Comedy Central, in addition to appearing in dramatic film roles with Oscar-winning directors Steven Soderbergh and Ang Lee. He also voices one of the main characters on We Bare Bears, a children鈥檚 show on the Cartoon Network.
His mixed-bag resum茅 is unusual among comics. At times, Martin wonders if he鈥檚 on the right path. 鈥淲hen I went in to meet with [producers of] The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, I said:
鈥榊ou might have the wrong guy here.鈥� I鈥檓 almost a purposefully irrelevant comedian. I don鈥檛 have much to say.鈥�
Martin鈥檚 third book of writing and cartoons, If It鈥檚 Not Funny It鈥檚 Art, is due Sept. 12, and follows two New York Times bestsellers.
He has branched out with his writing and sketching, both of which were showcased in 2016鈥檚 Dean, his directorial debut. Martin also wrote, produced and starred in the film, which was based partially on his own life.
鈥淔eature films has been an exciting place to apply my sensibilities,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o see if I can tell stories and not just tell jokes.鈥�
Martin is the rare comic whose standup doesn鈥檛 include politics, which goes against the grain in 2017. The expectation is that most standup comics will, at some point, insert a Donald Trump joke into their sets. Stephen Colbert and John Oliver, who were both at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart during his time there, are better suited to mix politics with comedy, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the era of over-sharing. Everybody鈥檚 telling their whole life story, and all these intimate details. I鈥檓 not doing that, but there鈥檚 got to be something a little personal I can do. I certainly have my politics, and I feel strongly. It鈥檚 super upsetting. But if you鈥檙e not careful, it鈥檚 all-consuming. It鈥檚 inescapable. So far, I鈥檓 not inspired by it. But I鈥檓 upset by it.鈥�
After a period focusing on feature films and writing, the Let鈥檚 Get Awkward Tour is Martin鈥檚 way of getting back into comedy on a more regular basis. He鈥檚 hoping to turn the tour into another comedy special, and material from it into perhaps another comedy album.
He鈥檚 lost track of his priorities, to a degree 鈥� but he鈥檚 happy that his skills now fully complement each other. 鈥淪tandup doesn鈥檛 get easier. You鈥檝e still got to develop material. It鈥檚 not like I can go out and do a greatest hits or something. You need a new hour. And if I want to make movies, I鈥檝e still got to do the new hour.鈥�