# Demetri Martin - does this look good to anyone?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 6, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708 "2009-02-06T15:28:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/1 "2009-02-06T15:28:52Z")
For some time Comedy Central has been running ads during The Daily Show for a new show called something like “Important Things with Demetri Martin.” Most of the ads have shown little other than a young man playing guitar and harmonica, tho I have seen a couple where he draws a fraction and a clock.
The guy reminds me of every overly self-satisfied young kid I’ve known who thinks he is so damned special. Not a thing about these ads has made me the least but interested in checking this out. Of course, I’m 48, and likely not the target audience. But they have been running the ads during one of my fave shows …
Have any of you had a less than unfavorable response to these ads? Are you looking forward to this show? If so, I’d appreciate it if you would explain what you find attractive.
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/2 "2009-02-06T15:33:01Z")
Haven’t seen the ads. I have no idea how it will be as a show, but [he certainly is funny](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiFrfeJ8dKM). It’s a quirky sort of intellectual humor that might or might not be your style, but it’s quite lighthearted and grows on you.
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### Author:  [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/3 "2009-02-06T15:44:06Z")
As with almost any entertainment/creative output, some people will like it, some will not.
Anyone who comes up with the idea of actually graphing female attractiveness versus how long you’d listen to them talk about their cat has me in their target audience.
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### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/4 "2009-02-06T16:00:34Z")
I found him very entertaining in his stand-up bit, but I predict a big fireball and subsequent scorched-Earth environment for this show.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/5 "2009-02-06T16:01:24Z")
I saw his stand-up act and thought he was pretty funny, so yeah, I’m willing to give this show a try. The ads don’t do him justice, it’s true.
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/6 "2009-02-06T16:03:06Z")
I’ve never seen his stand up or otherwise heard of him before.
Just the ads.
And if they wanted to design ads to make me less want to watch a show, they’d have a hard time doing it.
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### Author:  [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/7 "2009-02-06T16:24:32Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#):
>
> I saw his stand-up act and thought he was pretty funny, so yeah, I’m willing to give this show a try. The ads don’t do him justice, it’s true.
I HATE him on the Daily Show, but the stand-up special was pretty funny. His humour worked much better than I would have thought. It might be intersting.
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### Author:  [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/8 "2009-02-06T16:28:47Z")
The ads really do nothing for me. My boyfriend assures me that this kid is pretty funny, but I told him I’ll believe it when I see it. The stuff about how diving is just showing off while falling? Lame as hell. And his delivery is crap, too, like he’s just bored and has to stand there and talk anyway.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/9 "2009-02-06T16:32:30Z")
I agree, the ads are not doing his schtick a good service. Demetri’s funny sort of creeps up on you; it’s impossible to capture in 15 seconds.
I do encourage you to give the show a try, but of course not having seen it I can’t vouch for it. Maybe I’ll be apologizing to you on Thursday morning! But if you like dry intellectual humor, his stand-up might be up your alley.
I kind of think of Demetri Martin as a live-action [xkcd](http://www.xkcd.com).
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### Author:  [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/10 "2009-02-06T16:49:24Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> I kind of think of Demetri Martin as a live-action [xkcd](http://www.xkcd.com).
Yes! I’d never thought of it that way, but that sums it up perfectly!
It’s definitely not for everyone, but I think he’s pretty funny.
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### Author:  [@Jester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jester)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/11 "2009-02-06T16:52:05Z")
“I love digital cameras because they allow us to reminisce…instantly.”
I’ll love Martin forever for that line alone.
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/12 "2009-02-06T16:53:42Z")
maybe I’m at the age where, with 3 kids aged 17-21, I’ve encountered far too many young people who think they are just so damned clever, while consistently contributing the least to anything of value. The 15 second blurbs remind me too much of many such young people I dislike most.
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### Author:  [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/13 "2009-02-06T16:54:23Z")
I kind of like the ads, but I’m a fan of the austerely absurd.
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### Author:  [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/14 "2009-02-06T17:03:34Z")
If I hadn’t seen his stand up before, those ads would definitely not make me want to. They don’t do him justice at all.
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### Author:  [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/15 "2009-02-06T17:07:04Z")
Demetri Martin, the person, is going to be a major success.
_Demetri Martin’s Important Things_, admittedly, looks likely to phail.
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### Author:  [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/16 "2009-02-06T17:36:27Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> I kind of think of Demetri Martin as a live-action [xkcd](http://www.xkcd.com).
That is actually really accurate.
By sheer coincidence I was watching some comedy special of his and I was actually amazed by the actual intelligence behind his humor. He did a dorky joke about palindroms, but then had one that was something like 250 lines of text as a poem in the the studio audiences program. Jeebus! :eek:
A lot of his jokes seemed to take a long time to build, so I thought it felt a lot more like a one man _play_ rather than routine stand-up schtick.
Haven’t seen the commercials referred to in the OP.
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### Author:  [@Alan\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Bird)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/17 "2009-02-06T18:56:58Z")
> [@spooje](#):
>
> I HATE him on the Daily Show, but the stand-up special was pretty funny. His humour worked much better than I would have thought. It might be intersting.
Same here. Not a fan of his TDS appearances, but the stand-up had me actually laughing out loud. Love the bits he does with the flip charts.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/18 "2009-02-06T19:05:18Z")
I love his stand-up, but the show… not so much. There’s a stupid superhero character and some dumb recurring jokes that were never funny to begin with. He’s best when he’s just doing his bits, alone or with a big notepad.
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### Author:  [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/19 "2009-02-06T19:25:19Z")
I’m surprised you’ve never seen him before, **Dinsdale** , as he was a semi-regular _Daily Show_ contributor for a while (he did those “Trendspotting” segments). [Example 1](http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/61713/detail/) (on video resumes). [Example 2](http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/59565/detail/) (on Viacom vs. YouTube).
I liked his Daily Show bits, and his stand-up special on Comedy Central was hilarious. The ads you’re referring to probably have that tone that rubs you the wrong way because, being a Comedy Central viewer, you’re expected to be familiar with him. If you’re not, I can see how they’d seem presumptuous.
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### Author:  [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demetri-martin-does-this-look-good-to-anyone/484708/20 "2009-02-06T19:30:49Z")
I saw his one hour stand-up show and it was seriously funny. I dunno if he’s got the chops for a whole series but I’m planning on finding out.
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