Comedian Demetri Martin graced UCF with his presence yesterday, courtesy of the Campus Activities Board and the Student Government Association. As always, the guests they bring to campus are top notch, and last night was no different, evidenced by the line that started forming several hours before show time, and the almost completely packed Arena.
Video by Paul Bedford.
Before the show started fans were serenaded by classic oldies sounds of The Beatles, which prompted many a sing-along the classic tunes. Then the real fun began when Martin took the stage and began the show.
He opened with UCF related jokes, and commented on important things to a Knight, like Lazy Moon and Smoothie King—he went on to say that he’d open a Smoothie Duke right across the street from Smoothie King, and what he sacrificed in power, he’d make up for smoothie deliciousness.
His performance was laced with witty one liners (Wind chimes are also earthquake chimes, or stranger on the porch chimes, and how he’d like to fill a piñata with actual animal guts). The audience was then treated to the segment of the show where Martin uses his Large Pad to tell jokes. The Pad features numerous drawings, charts and graphs all excellently put together to execute a great joke. He showed us the prototype for an in-flight baby silencer, a device that simultaneously keeps screaming children on planes quiet while channeling the noise to their own ears. We also learn of the different types of signs: the lazy signs that say exactly what they mean (Stop, Exit), and the signs that are a little more ambiguous, like the Wet Floor sign, featuring a guy with no eyes or feet, mid-fall. Also provided was a bar graph of equal distributions graphing prayer and things that pray (people and mantises). Another page of his Pad showed only three words, “Of Order Out”, and was an Out of Order sign that was, well, out of order. One of the last sketches on his Large Pad part of the performance showed how Rubik’s cubes and drag queens were equal: both very colorful, but he doesn’t want to do them.
Following the Large Pad portion, the audience was treated to Martin’s musical-comedic stylings, where he jazzily spoke about topics that ranged from cargo pants (which are effective if you have thigh size cargo to tote around) to the common mantra “You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone”—except for STDs, all while rocking out on the piano.
Another portion of the show was dedicated to songs about random things like what he’d rather do than wait in line at a night club (give a piggy back ride to an actual pig, lick a payphone, watch VH-1), how to end an awkward silence (silencio!, shhh, and random other comically profound noises) and the “Will You Marry Me?” song, which features bizarrely creative ways to propose (such as breaking your lady’s finger, and have the orthopedist put the ring on with the cast).
Demetri’s style of jokes isn’t always instantly funny, sometimes you have to think about the humor before the laughs come, and last night he stayed true to his method. Martin handled the occasional heckler with style, incorporating them into a rapidly thought of joke without coming off as mean or annoyed.
He closed with requests of his classic material from previous shows, likely well known to fans who have seen him perform before. Some of these included his Batteries skit, the oranges versus carrots naming dilemma, the vitamins, the art of the filler phrase “sort of”, glitter in crafts, the relationship between being ticklish and certain gastrointestinal distress.
Whether you were a diehard fan or went on a whim, judging by the cheers and uproarious laughter, a grand time was had by all in attendance. If you want to see more of Martin, you can become a fan on Facebook, and catch him Thursday nights on Comedy Central on his show “Important Things with Demetri Martin.”
