[Demetri Martin’s “If I” interview, 1 of 6. I encourage you to watch them all, it’s about 30 minutes]
This gives me so much hope.
I’m reading This is a Book by Demetri Martin right now and I was talking to Dan about this while I was in Laramie this weekend. He’d asked me if I seen this story he’d done, I hadn’t. Then last night I did.
I remember watching him when I was little…probably somewhere around 2001 according to Wikipedia–contingent on when the Pham’s got cable and on the frequency Comedy Central plays reruns. He was notably different than other comedians and deeply appealed to me. (I like to think that somehow my connection is more special and stronger from that of all his other fans, but this is probably not the case). Beyond just his delivery, I really liked the jokes themselves. Now that I’m writing it, I realize that distinction sounds incredibly vague and fanatic. But I mean his humor, which is apparently called “surreal humor,” is fascinating to me. It’s like getting a peek at the way he thinks. The joke is formed through layers of playing off expectations and alternate realities. It’s the kind of thing that makes me wish I had come up with it. Because it’s funny, of course, but I also appreciate the insight it sprung from. Even if it’s banal and not particularly useful on professional, academic, or social levels, I want to and strive to think like that. (Side Note: Trying to justify why you like a comedian and not sound dumb is hard and apparently not possible).
What I’m trying to establish is, that already liked him. But watching this interview just added another delicious pastry layer to my admiration of Demetri. In fact, it might have been the admiration layer. The more I found out about exactly how he thinks about life, the more I liked him. I think he might have been semi-implying that it was perhaps not the ideal way to live (hyper-analytically), but whatever. I thought that, if so many people can absolutely adore Demetri, someone who is way more analytical than I am, than there is hope for me yet. To the extent that, if I had any sort of perseverance and/or the thing that dissolves procrastination, I would be doing complementary things.
Examples:
01. I, too, spent a lot of time trying to be ambidextrous. Even writing upside down.
02. For a while I wrote on the lines of my notebook paper (so that the went through my words), in order to be more literal always.
03. I tried and failed at learning calligraphy.
04. I’m trying and in the process of failing the ukulele. Which I do enjoy at least.
05. I have a notebook of anagrams I’ve done. And Word Womp remains one of my favorite games, if I did play them. In fact, I just really like word games in general. Word play, puns, visual puns…(Side Note: I don’t know if I would actually suggest playing it, as Pogo is a visually obnoxious site. At least the last time I visited, years ago. Like I said, I don’t really play anymore. I’m just saying that if I did I would play that. Or, for some unknown reason: Fishy.)
06. I am almost always thinking about the 1 million mostly pointless projects I want to do but never “have” “time.” Seriously.
07. I am currently quizzing myself via a vocabulary app every day and I get profound amount of enjoyment out of it. Out of all the things my phone does, it probably gives me to the deepest amount of satisfaction. My only qualm is that I immediately hit expert level and I doubt my vocabulary could compete with actual smart people.
08. I have started many a blog dedicated to doodlings. One example.
As I tried to explain to Dan, I was not always the blithely person he encounters today. It took practice to remember to smile and laugh when other people talked (especially if they made jokes). Sorry, friends. Even if I think you or the movie we’re watching is funny, I tend not to laugh. It took me much longer to understand what “dead pan” and “dry” humor was than it should have, because I could not understand how else you were supposed to be, or how else things became funny (even though I do think other things are funny). It just seemed as effortlessly funny as the ole Football to Crotch scenario. Also, it’s an American culture thing to always be superficially happy and friendly—I know because I read about it in the an introduction to a book about it that I read the first page of. I mean, I’m definite better at it now.
Side Note: Except when I’m extremely uncomfortable. In that case, this emotional curtain compounded with many other quirks re-appear which, let me tell you, do not make meeting new people easy for anyone. Sorry, all of Denver.
Reel it back, Jacklynn
I find Demetri Martins foible incredibly endearing and admirable. Possibly to the point I should not. I love the way he thinks and have come to realize, from watching this and reading his book, how much he influenced the way I interact with the world. When I first watched him, I it encouraged me to embrace my own non-sequitur humor and countenance. Plus, other authors I discovered continually reminded me that I should just be myself, especially in writing. Besides, I already know I can’t change (I’ve tried).
Carissa introduced me to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s idea of ships passing in the night. An image that I think is beautiful (especially when it’s in the poem and stuff), but I have often imagined my encounters with people more like two awkward boats bumping into each other at dock. Repeatedly. Eventually I’ll just sway at the same time as another boat. Or that boat will have bumpers. Or I’ll meet a sailor. I have a variety of nautical friends who have managed to hop aboard.
I’ll just wait until someone else finds my neuroses as endearing as I find it in others.
Side note: Demetri is a Gemini too. Just saying.
Bottom note: I decided also to embrace my love of interjections in this post. If you haven’t noticed.