A: Alexander Payne [“Nebraska”] is a big one. Series, Monday – Friday: 9am – 5pm Q: “Dean” is a fictionalized version of real life but also something short of a sitcom. DEMETRI MARTIN: There's a little bit of personal stuff in there, a couple of stories, but it's not too prominent. Series, Doyle Coffin Architecture Singer Songwriter A: It started with writing jokes. Series, Classes @ The Playhouse Series, Hearst Media Entertaining Conversation Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St, Santa Cruz. They’re not chess pieces I’m moving through some comedy game, just to serve the jokes. $40.50. Q: Having been a New Yorker for so long, how's Los Angeles? Bay Area choked in thick smoke: Will skies clear this weekend? Brilliant stand up comedy from Demerti Martin. Series, RPAC Art Gallery Great Art on Film Now I’m trying to learn to connect in a certain way. They give the film a kind of singular voice. A: I didn’t want to make the Dean character a comedian. There was a quote in there — Chaplin talking about directing: “One thing I have noticed is that when people feel strongly in life, they try to hide that.” I thought that was such a simple, great idea. Chad Jones is a freelance writer. Dean ended up reverting to being a bit younger than I actually am, because my frame of reference for a grieving person is — or was — someone much younger than me. $47. A: Yeah, and the heart attack stuff. Stand-up was a great way to get back into daydreaming and drawing and creativity for me. Cohen and Wolf P.C. We shot in widescreen so I could have more real estate to do split-screens, and to comment on the film, without jokes or words. A: No. I like the idea of material somehow standing on its own, apart from the creator. Some directors seem to disdain their characters. Do you approach comedy with the same degree of rigor? It's not very glamorous, but I need the act of walking when I'm writing. Photo by Jessica Sample. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Doyle Coffin Architecture Singer Songwriter Here's a whole Series, Bruce Bennett Nissan Family I always loved Gary Larson and Saul Steinberg, but I came late to stand-up. “Yeah, I talk about really relevant stuff in my act,” nodded Demetri Martin knowingly after a round of puzzled laughter from a sold-out Wheeler Auditorium audience Friday. I don’t regret talking to her almost every day for years. Series, Teed & Brown Broadway & Cabaret Q: You're almost as famous for your drawings as for your comedy. A: I tried to write some. Opening Act – In the opening of the show, Demetri Martin greets the audience and brings up the theme/topic of the show. Best known for his deadpan delivery, the Comedy Central show “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” and contributing to “The Daily Show,” Martin recently earned raves for directing the indie film Dean. powered by Xfinity, Pepsi Rock Series The card generally has play-buttons with a caption under them, which Demetri then reads and … Best known for his deadpan delivery, the Comedy Central show “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” and contributing to “The Daily Show,” Martin … Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. A: Yes. I like it when people laugh — when they like me — but I don’t get the high that some of my comedian friends seem to get. I just want to try to cry and grieve and do whatever I’m supposed to do.” I wanted to be there for my mom, and I feel like I was. I just don’t feel entitled. Series A: I’m learning how to create a set-list where I develop an intimacy with the audience, which is something I never used to want. I started out loving Steven Wright — and I still do — but I now love Richard Pryor more than I did when I started. Dave Chappelle started when he was 14. The guy's a comedy genius. He brings his stand-up act to U.C. ". This is followed with a short joke via flashcards. Q: So you’re not just playing a version of yourself then? Includes priority parking and free house wine and beer from 6:30 – 7:00pm! Let me tell you about what I did at this party.” I just don’t care. Pepsi Rock Series A: It’s misguided, I know. It’s hard to tell if they’re new or old. I’m a straight, middle-class, white male. Actor, comedian and NY Times best-selling author, Demetri Martin brings a night of stand-up to The Playhouse! Also 8 p.m. Saturday. For a first-time director, that’s a great shortcut. Hopefully, the comedy in “Dean” comes out of the characters you’re invested in. Inspired by the death of the filmmaker’s father — not coincidentally named Dean, who died of cancer when Martin was a junior in college — the film co-stars Kevin Kline as Martin’s on-screen dad and Gillian Jacobs as his love interest. They were all merchants and teachers and very suburban New Jersey. Series Michael O'Sullivan has covered the arts for The Washington Post since 1993, contributing reviews and features on film, fine art, theater and other forms of entertainment to Style and Weekend. Series Doyle Coffin Architecture Singer Songwriter Series Let me tell you about my d---. That's one way to describe Demetri Martin, the 40-year-old Yale- and New York University-educated comedian, artist, author and actor. Otherwise I might fall off the edge of the Earth. In the era we live in, it feels like there’s a diarrhea of autobiography. powered by Xfinity Pepsi Rock Series Series How did that happen? Others seem to love them, even their antagonists. 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