A Dose of the Best Medicine
February 18, 2013
Some people don’t laugh enough. For some, it’s because there isn’t much to laugh about during certain seasons of life while for others, well, they simply don’t have much of a sense of humor. If you’re in the latter category you can stop reading now, because I can’t help you. But if you just haven’t had much to laugh about, I have a prescription for you that I guarantee will work.
Demetri Martin is a brilliant, quirky, offbeat comedian. I believe he’s both quirky and offbeat. While his standup routines can be seen on Netflix, I want to recommend his book This is a Book, which I devoured on an international trip not too long ago.
This is a Book is a book. It begins with a brief section called “How to Read This Book,” which dispenses the following instructions: “If you’re reading this sentence then you’ve pretty much got it. Good job. Just keep going the way you are.” That gives you some idea of what you’re in store for.
While I could do some attempt of analysis of the book, and Martin’s brand of humor, instead I’ll simply let you into his world for a bit, and you can decide for yourself if you want the book.
· If you want to read an announcement about the world-famous bugle virtuoso Fritz Grindler, you’ll find it in Martin’s book.
· For those familiar with Martin’s comedic drawings, you’ll find a few batches of these as well.
· There are “Palindromes for Specific Occasions.” The last one is sheer genius, but it’s long, so you’ll have to get the book. But here’s a teaser palindrome, which is someone “GENTLY INFORMING A DJ THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SOUND SYSTEM”: “No music is, um, on.”
· There is a collection of “Short Stories.” Here is one: “The shepherd fell asleep again. But who could blame him? He had been counting sheep all day.” That’s a short story if I’ve ever seen one. Very short.
· There is a really nice crossword puzzle on page 164. You’ll have to see it to appreciate it.
· There are epigrams and sayings as well, for example: “The man who wins an argument with his barber has won only the verbal portion of the argument.”
· He even has a section on “Statistics” and, then, “More Statistics.” A sampling of his statistics: “100% of the people who give 110% don’t understand math”; “If you stretch the average person’s intestines our from end to end, it would make him scream a lot”; and “It’s safer to fly in a plane than it is to fly in a car.”
· And then there are “The Word Awards,” which contain this nugget: “The Award for the Word Used Most Frequently When It Is Not Actually Justified went to awesome, which narrowly beat out genius. Many were surprised that literally was not nominated, literally.”
I’ve remarked enough about This Is a Book for you to figure out whether you’ll enjoy it or not. It’s a very funny book, and it is a book. I hope it will bring you laughter, which, they say, is the best medicine.
Demetri Martin is a brilliant, quirky, offbeat comedian. I believe he’s both quirky and offbeat. While his standup routines can be seen on Netflix, I want to recommend his book This is a Book, which I devoured on an international trip not too long ago.
This is a Book is a book. It begins with a brief section called “How to Read This Book,” which dispenses the following instructions: “If you’re reading this sentence then you’ve pretty much got it. Good job. Just keep going the way you are.” That gives you some idea of what you’re in store for.
While I could do some attempt of analysis of the book, and Martin’s brand of humor, instead I’ll simply let you into his world for a bit, and you can decide for yourself if you want the book.
· If you want to read an announcement about the world-famous bugle virtuoso Fritz Grindler, you’ll find it in Martin’s book.
· For those familiar with Martin’s comedic drawings, you’ll find a few batches of these as well.
· There are “Palindromes for Specific Occasions.” The last one is sheer genius, but it’s long, so you’ll have to get the book. But here’s a teaser palindrome, which is someone “GENTLY INFORMING A DJ THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SOUND SYSTEM”: “No music is, um, on.”
· There is a collection of “Short Stories.” Here is one: “The shepherd fell asleep again. But who could blame him? He had been counting sheep all day.” That’s a short story if I’ve ever seen one. Very short.
· There is a really nice crossword puzzle on page 164. You’ll have to see it to appreciate it.
· There are epigrams and sayings as well, for example: “The man who wins an argument with his barber has won only the verbal portion of the argument.”
· He even has a section on “Statistics” and, then, “More Statistics.” A sampling of his statistics: “100% of the people who give 110% don’t understand math”; “If you stretch the average person’s intestines our from end to end, it would make him scream a lot”; and “It’s safer to fly in a plane than it is to fly in a car.”
· And then there are “The Word Awards,” which contain this nugget: “The Award for the Word Used Most Frequently When It Is Not Actually Justified went to awesome, which narrowly beat out genius. Many were surprised that literally was not nominated, literally.”
I’ve remarked enough about This Is a Book for you to figure out whether you’ll enjoy it or not. It’s a very funny book, and it is a book. I hope it will bring you laughter, which, they say, is the best medicine.
