DEMETRI MARTIN PICTURES THE JOKE
Demetri Martin — stand-up comic, actor, bestselling author and former correspondent for “The Daily Show” — has incorporated another talent into his comedy: drawing.
His new book, “If It’s Not Funny It’s Art” (Grand Central Publishing, $15.99 paper), is a collection of illustrations that feature Martin’s signature, off-kilter one-liners, black-and-white line drawings that deliver a wry, comedic punch.
We spoke on the phone; our conversation has been edited. Martin, at our request, responded to one question with a drawing. Let’s start with the title, “If It’s Not Funny It’s Art.” It’s sort of a brainteaser: If it is funny, does that mean it’s not art?
I’m a big art fan, and I’ve noticed that somehow comedy often doesn’t qualify as art, even if it’s visual. It’s like its own subcategory or side thing. It’s often ghettoized. I wouldn’t say comedy doesn’t get respect, it just doesn’t seem like people think of it as something artistic. I thought it was kind of funny to underline that, to say, “Look, I think these are funny drawings. If you don’t find them funny, then let’s just call it art.” You often use a drawing pad on stage. Are there drawings in “If It’s Not Funny It’s Art” that require the book format?
Most would not work on stage, for my purposes. When I first did drawings on stage, it was almost to tag jokes that I already had, to see if I could get an extra punchline by having that visual component. A lot of the drawings in the book, it would be belabored to explain them. I have a special affinity for the ones that don’t require words. To me, there’s something really elegant about that. Those are my favorites.
I also just happen to love books. I like that they’re objects. So much of what comedians do is so fleeting. In the big, grand scheme of things, I get it, it’s all fleeting, but at least the book can go and live somewhere. Rather than needing to have been at the club or the theater, or needing a screen to watch me on, it’s another way to get my sense of humor out there. Some of the humor is pretty dark, even existential. Does that tone feel particularly suited to a book?
I’m more comfortable on the page with that kind of thing. I enjoy the starkness and quietness of drawings. It’s like when singlecamera shows finally started to gain momentum where the multicamera sitcom had reigned for so long: It afforded writers an opportunity for different kinds of humor, a different rhythm .... There’re no page numbers in the book. I’m saying, “Look around in there, don’t even worry about it.” Can you answer the following question with a drawing: How do you feel about 2017 so far? Do you consider these drawings cartoons?
I don’t think I’m really a cartoonist. It’s like I’m in my own little category. I like the simplicity of line drawings: I’m trying to convey simple ideas.
I come from stand-up, so everything feels like a show of some kind, like a performance. This is a different kind of performance. It’s a much smaller audience — oneto-one — and it’s quiet. Time moves differently, which I like. You can spend as little or as much time with the joke as you want; you can blow past it or you can sit with it for a while. There’s a special kind of intimacy there. Are these drawings the visual equivalent to a one-liner?
For me, they’re simpatico. I was never a comic book person or a comic strip person. I liked the “Far Side.” It was very economical. I love Gary Larson, I love Saul Steinberg, lots of New Yorker cartoons. One-liners — it’s hard for me to get away from them. I do tell stories on stage sometimes, and I’m trying to get more emotional up there, but left to my own devices it’s just right back to the shortest jokes I can come up with. Will you also write longer stories?
I’m working on a book of fiction right now. I’m trying to learn how to write stories — “Hey, can I write a 15-20-page story that’s funny and has a real beginning, middle and end?” It’s such a fun assignment, being a beginner at something. There is something exhilarating about it, as daunting as it can be. You can start at zero; you can see your progress.
I’m a big reader, but I realized in the process of trying to write short stories that I read mostly nonfiction. For the last couple of years I’ve been collecting shortstory collections; I travel so much as a comic, and I end up in used bookstores. Lately I’ve been enjoying Kurt Vonnegut short stories and Lydia Davis.