Review | Demetri Martin’s Joke Machine Delivers the Goods to Santa Barbara

When the comedy show starts out with meditation, you know you’re in for something a little different. And in the case of Demetri Martin, different is definitely good.

From his thoughts on “saying thank you” as opposed to “wanting to say thank you and not actually saying thank you” to his list of funny ways to die, and an exceptionally clever flip pad bit using the notion of how variations of the same thing can be “either Good, Bad, or Interesting,” Martin’s perspective on life kept a packed house laughing all evening at the Lobero Theatre on Thursday. 

Known for bringing visual aids into his act — another flip pad like the “Good, Bad, Interesting” prop was incorporated into an impressive set where he showed off his ambidextrous and backward cartooning skills — and musical instruments like the Keytar (keyboard + guitar), which  he played that night — I first became familiar with Martin’s intentionally low-key style when he was a writer-performer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Even doing standup now, the 50-year-old Yale graduate’s show is densely packed with material, but somehow mellow at the same time. Or maybe that was just because we started out with meditation.

The set at the Lobero was titled Demetri Martin: The Joke Machine, and unlike many comedians today who tell extended stories about their lives, Martin really did do a series of jokes, even commenting on the few that didn’t quite work, “that one’s out” or ‘that one won’t be told again.” As he explained, “I’m auditioning all my jokes.”

That’s in part because his new comedy special, Demetri Deconstructed, launched on Netflix today (Paste Magazine gave it an early rave that said, “Martin’s new hour is cerebral yet accessible, classic yet innovative — a true comedic treat.”), but the material he shared with us last week is for the next comedy special. He’ll be filming that one later this month, and if the performance I saw is any indication, it’s definitely worth a watch.