You may have seen Demetri Martin in an episode of Flight of the Conchords, or as a Daily Show correspondent, or during the two-season run of Important Things With Demetri Martin on Comedy Central. But if you haven’t, then a good place to get acquainted with his unique brand of humor is his new collection of essays, musings, and drawings, aptly titled This Is a Book . Among the book’s rare offerings: a robot test, which non-robots may find humorous, and an awkward dude named “Dave,” who calls a hotline in order to be talked through what to say on the phone at a party. (Example: “Dude, she called me twice today!”) But keep in mind one Amazon user’s take on the downsides if you decide to pick it up: “Cons: Doesn’t leave you with any ‘useful’ information.”
The New Yorker featured an excerpt from it, titled, “Who Am I?” in the usually unfunny “Shouts and Murmurs” section this past February. Martin writes: “I am someone who likes to go to the park. But I am not the guy with the Labrador retriever and the tennis ball and the tattered book under his arm, who is wearing fleece and is kind of tan. No. I am not that guy. I am sick of that guy and all the women who talk to him.”
For your enjoyment at work today, a Quicktime video of Martin creating the cover image is here, and three drawings from the book are included below:
Also, for those who are interested in Martin’s musical taste and guilty pleasures, see him reveal (and explain) his purchases at Amoeba Music’s Hollywood Store in the video below:
New Yorkers take note: You can find Martin reading at Barnes & Noble Union Square at 7:00pm tonight.