Comedy - Demetri Martin, literally

Demetri Martin knows what’s important. His deadpan one-liners get straight to the point. The mop-topped comedian has been known to use chart paper to explain a punch line and often tells his jokes to the tune of a guitar, keyboard or harmonica when on the road. Between stand-up gigs, Martin’s had stints as a film actor, “Daily Show” contributor and writer for “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” The former star of Comedy Central’s “Important Things with Demetri Martin” brings his dry wit to the Tabernacle on March 19.

Aside from touring, what are you currently working on?

I just wrote a book called This Is a Book by Demetri Martin, with jokes and drawings and short stories and lists.

Do you always use drawings in your stand-up, or do you ever just tell jokes using nothing but a mic?

I pretty much always just use a mic, it’s only when I’m on tour or doing a TV spot when I bring something with me. Most of my career is just jokes, but I noticed when my friends were doing specials, they would cut up the jokes into any order they wanted and mix up the flow. So I wanted to create something that would make it more difficult for them to do whatever they wanted with my jokes.

I’ve read that you constantly like to teach yourself new things, like playing guitar or writing with both hands. What inspires you to pick up a new skill?

I often think of things in the increment of one day, so when I go to bed, that day’s finished and I wake up with a clean slate. So I say, “OK, what can I do with my time today?” Drawing with two hands, that idea came on an airplane one day. There’s something satisfying about seeing yourself learn, and with enough persistence you can watch your motor skills grow and create a new neural pathway. In our day of the Internet, you can find so many people that are better than you at what you’re trying to do, and that’s sort of liberating because I’m not trying to be the best, I’m just trying to develop skills so I can use them and be informed.

Is there ever going to be another season of “Important Things with Demetri Martin?”

It’s finished. During the second season they told us they were no longer interested. I was kinda relieved, though, because I outsmarted myself on the show, and it was hard to deliver everything on top of each other, constantly writing for one episode while we’re filming another one and brainstorming for another. I wouldn’t host my own show again, either, that was weird. I was like selling myself as the host of a show about myself being me ... it was weird. I would do it differently next time.