Rodney Crowell
Crowell onstage at Whelans, Dublin January, 2009
Background information
Born	(1950-08-07) August 7, 1950 (age 61) Houston, Texas United States
Genres	Country
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter
Instruments	Vocals Guitar
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Warner Bros., Columbia, MCA, Sugar Hill, Epic, Yep Roc
Associated acts	Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, The Notorious Cherry Bombs, Los Super Seven
Website	Official Site

Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is a Grammy Award-winning musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music.

He is part of both the alternative country and the mainstream country music camps^{[citation needed]}. He was influenced by songwriters Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. Crowell played guitar and sang for three years in Emmylou Harris' "Hot Band".

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Rodney Crowell on Bookbits radio.

Crowell was born August 7, 1950,in Crosby, Texas, to James Walter Crowell and Addie Cauzette Willoughby.{Chinaberry Sidewalks (New York: Knopf, 2011} He had come from a musical family, with one grandfather being a church choir leader and the other a bluegrass banjo player. His grandmother played guitar and his father sang semi-professionally at bars and honky tonks.^[1] At age 11, he starting playing drums in his father's band. In his teen years, he played in various garage rock bands in Houston, performing hits of the day mixed with a few country numbers.^[1]

1972 - 1986: Early Career[link]

In August 1972 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in search of a musical career and got a job as a songwriter after being discovered by Jerry Reed.^[1] He later met and befriended fellow songwriter Guy Clark, who became a major influence on his songwriting and vice versa.^[2][3] While there, he said, "I got a real cold splash in the face of what real songwriting is about. I started filling my mind with as many symbols and images as I could. I started reading. I got real hungry to have something to contribute".^[2] Emmylou Harris had recorded some of Crowell's songs and made a request to meet him. After he visited Emmylou's home in Washington, D.C., she asked him to play rhythm guitar in her backing band, The Hot Band. He accepted and later followed her to Los Angeles.^[2][4]

Crowell at the Grammy Awards in February, 1990

In 1977 as a side project, he formed a musical group, The Cherry Bombs, together with Vince Gill, Tony Brown and others.^[5] One year later, he signed a solo deal with Warner Bros. Records and in late 1978, released his debut album, Ain't Living Long Like This.

His debut album, as well his following two albums, But What Will the Neighbors Think and Rodney Crowell, were not commercially successful despite garnering a huge cult following. Crowell himself criticized his debut album for not translating onto vinyl the same clarity and energy he felt in the studio. His single "Ashes by Now" from "But What Will the Neighbors Think" reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981.

Though he had already several country hits by artists covering his songs (including "Ain't Living Long Like This" by Waylon Jennings, "Leaving Louisiana..." by the Oak Ridge Boys, and several covers by Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Reed and others), Crowell got his first big taste of pop songwriting success with "Shame on the Moon". "Shame on the Moon" was recorded on the 1982 album "The Distance" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band. Glenn Frey joined Seger on background harmony on the song. Appealing to a broad cross-section of listeners, the song spent four weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, topped the adult contemporary chart, and placed in the Top 15 of the country chart in early 1983. The song's dark, poetic and hypnotic style helped boost Crowell's cult status.

The album Rodney Crowell was released in 1981 (see 1981 in country music) by Warner Bros. Records and was his last album on that label before switching to Columbia. The first album Crowell produced by himself, it reached #47 on the Top Country Albums chart and #105 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The songs "Stars on the Water" and "Victim or a Fool" were released as singles. "Stars on the Water" reached #30 on the Hot Country Songs chart, Crowell's highest charting song up to that point. It peaked at #21 on the Canadian country charts. "Victim or a Fool" reached #34 in the U.S.

In 1981, Rodney left Warner Bros.' roster, putting his career on hold to produce several of his wife Rosanne Cash's albums.^[2]

In 1983 Crystal Gayle had a number one Country single with his song "'Til I Gain Control Again" from her first Elektra album, "True Love". The song was first recorded in 1975 by Emmylou Harris.

1986 - 1995: Columbia Records and Mainstream Success[link]

After producing Rosanne Cash's Rhythm & Romance, Crowell signed to Columbia Records in 1986. His first album for that label, Street Language, was co-produced with Booker T. Jones and featured a blend of Soul and country music.^[6] The album did not chart.

Although best known as a songwriter and alternative country artist, Crowell enjoyed mainstream popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His critically acclaimed album 1988's Diamonds & Dirt produced five consecutive No. 1 singles during a 17-month span in 1988 and 1989: "It's Such a Small World" (a duet with Cash), "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried," "She's Crazy For Leavin'," "After All This Time" and "Above and Beyond" (a cover of Buck Owens' 1962 hit). His follow-up album, 1989's Keys to the Highway, produced two top 5 hits in 1990, which were "Many a Long and Lonesome Highway" and "If Looks Could Kill."

As Crowell's popularity in hit-radio country music faded, he continued his prolific songwriting. After 1992's Life Is Messy, he left Columbia Records and signed to MCA Records where he released two more albums.

2001 - Present[link]

In 2001, after a brief hiatus from recording, he released The Houston Kid on Sugar Hill Records, his first studio album since 1995's Jewel of the South. Many songs on the album were semi-autobiographical, and the album included a duet with Crowell's ex father-in-law Johnny Cash on "I Walk the Line (Revisited)". Initially, Cash was annoyed at Crowell for changing the tune to his song, but he came to like the finished product.^{[citation needed]} Crowell followed up this effort with Fate's Right Hand in 2003 and The Outsider in 2005, both of which came out on Columbia Nashville, a division of Sony Music. Leading critics and Crowell consider these three albums his finest work as a solo artist.

2004 saw the release of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a reunion of Crowell's 1970s road band, including Vince Gill and Tony Brown. The future Keith Urban hit "Making Memories of Us" was included on this disc. In 2005, Crowell served as producer for established Irish singer/songwriter Kieran Goss on the album "Blue Sky Sunrise".

In 2008 CMT announced that Crowell's next album, Sex and Gasoline, would come out on Yep Roc Records, ending his relationship with Sony Music. This marked the first time Crowell did not produce his own CD, turning production over to Joe Henry. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album.^[7] Crowell figures prominently in musician-neuroscientist Daniel Levitin's book The World in Six Songs for which he was interviewed, and three Crowell songs, "Shame On The Moon," "I Know Love Is All I Need" and "I Walk the Line (Revisited)" are featured in the book.

In 2009, Crowell wrote Wynonna Judd's title track to her album Sing: Chapter 1, which also was released in 2009. The song was given several electronic dance music remixes, and sent to dance radio as Judd's second release from the album. In August 2009, the single reached #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

In 2010, Chely Wright will release her seventh studio album on Vanguard Records. The album titled Lifted Off the Ground is produced by Crowell. Wright also made a cameo appearance in Crowell's 2008 music video Sex and Gasoline.

A memoir, Chinaberry Sidewalks, was published in 2011.

Personal life[link]

He was married to Rosanne Cash (daughter of Johnny Cash), from 1979 to 1992 and they had an influence on each other's careers, with Rodney producing most of her albums during that period and her success influencing his songwriting. They collaborated on a number of duets, including 1988's "It's Such a Small World." Although Crowell and Cash are now divorced, they remain on friendly terms, performing together occasionally. Crowell and Cash have three daughters, Caitlin, Chelsea, and Carrie, and together raised Hannah, Rodney's daughter from a previous marriage. He married Claudia Church in 1998.

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rodney Crowell

• Official Site
• A brief biography

Albert Lee
Albert Lee The Corner Hotel, Melbourne, August 2007
Background information
Birth name	Albert Lee
Also known as	Mr. Telecaster
Born	(1943-12-21) 21 December 1943 (age 68) Leominster, England
Genres	Country Rockabilly Rock and roll R&B
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Musical director
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin
Years active	1959–present
Labels	A&M, Diamond Records, MCA, Heroic Records, Castle, Magnum, Polydor, Sugar Hill
Associated acts	Heads Hands & Feet, Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, Rodney Crowell, Ricky Skaggs, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, The Everly Brothers
Website	www.albertlee.co.uk
Notable instruments
1952, 1953, 1960 Fender Telecaster Ernie Ball Music Man custom Albert Lee Signature Model 1958 Gibson J-200 1958 Gibson Les Paul Custom Gibson Everly Brothers model 1958 Fender Stratocaster

Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked both in the studio and on tour with some of the most famous musicians which stretch through a very wide of genres. He has additionally maintained a solo career and is noted as a composer and musical director as well.

Early life[link]

Lee grew up in Blackheath, London. His father was a musician, and Lee studied piano, taking up the instrument at age seven.^[1] During this time, he became a fan of Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. He took up guitar in 1958 when his parents bought him a second-hand Höfner President which he later traded in for a Czechoslovakian Grazioso, the forerunner of the Futurama. Lee left school at the age of 16 to play full-time.

Career[link]

Early career in England[link]

Lee was with a variety of bands from 1959 onwards, playing mostly R&B, country music and rock and roll. In addition to Buddy Holly, his early guitar influences included Cliff Gallup, Grady Martin, The Everly Brothers, Scotty Moore, James Burton and Jerry Reed.^[2] Lee first experienced commercial success as the lead guitarist with Chris Farlowe and The Thunderbirds. Lee says that he enjoyed playing the Stax-type material, but he really wanted to play country music. Consequently he left Farlowe and the Thunderbirds in 1968.

During his time playing with Heads Hands & Feet, Lee became a "guitar hero", playing his Fender Telecaster at breakneck speed.^[3] Heads Hands & Feet became a very popular live band in the UK, making appearances on The Old Grey Whistle Test and also in Europe, where they appeared on the German music programme Beat-Club.

International success[link]

In 1971, Lee performed with Deep Purple's keyboard player Jon Lord on a live recording of Lord's Gemini Suite. That opus was a follow-up to Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra. Ritchie Blackmore had played the guitar at the first live performance of the Gemini Suite in September 1970, but declined the invitation to appear on the live studio version, which led to the involvement of Lee. Other performers were Yvonne Elliman, Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Roger Glover (Deep Purple), Tony Ashton and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by the late Sir Malcolm Arnold.

Lee left for Los Angeles, California in 1974 and joined The Crickets through his friend bassist Rick Grech (Blind Faith) who also included Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison. The band cut three albums together including A Long Way From Lubbock. He also received many offers of session work. In 1976, Lee was asked to join Emmylou Harris's Hot Band, replacing one of his heroes, James Burton, who was returning to perform with Elvis Presley. The Hot Band featured other musicians such as Ricky Skaggs and Rodney Crowell. Starting in 1978, Lee worked for five years with Eric Clapton, playing and singing for a live concert recording at the Budokan in Japan.

Lee was responsible for The Everly Brothers 1983 reunion concert and was its musical director.^[4] He played regularly with the Everlys for over twenty years.

In 1987, Lee was invited by Gerry Hogan to headline at a steel guitar festival in Newbury, Berkshire. Lee was at first intimidated by the prospect of having to front a band, however, the gig was successful and he now tours with Hogan's Heroes on a regular basis. Hogan's Heroes are renowned for attracting celebrities to their gigs. Stars such as Eric Clapton, Tommy Emmanuel, Lonnie Donegan, Dave Edmunds, Marty Wilde, Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith, Don Everly, Emmylou Harris, Sonny Curtis and Rodney Crowell have all jammed with the band at one time or another.

In 2002, Lee appeared at the Concert for George. Also in 2002, Lee received a Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance for Foggy Mountain Breakdown from the CD Earl Scruggs and Friends. In September 2006 Lee took part in Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar—the first definitive theatrical journey through the guitar’s colourful and surprisingly controversial 3500-year history. Lee appeared at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival on 28 July and performed with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings at the Ahmet Ertegun tribute show at The O2 in London on 10 December. A new Albert Lee and Hogan's Heroes album entitled Like This was released in spring 2008 to coincide with their European tour. Lee continues to work in the studio and tours on a regular basis with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. He lives in Malibu, California.

Awards, accolades and legacy[link]

Albert Lee performing, 2006. The guitar is a Music Man Albert Lee

Lee has received many awards for his playing, including the five times consecutive winner of Guitar Player magazine's "Best Country Guitarist".^[5] Lee is known within the music industry for his speed of playing and his technical virtuosity^[6] and yet by the same token, one of the most melodic, playing slower passages approximating the sound of the pedal steel guitar with his Music Man and Telecaster guitars which are equipped with B-Benders.

He is known as "the guitar player's guitar player"^[6] because of the presence of so many guitarists, famous or unknown, everywhere he performs. Albert Lee is also referred to as "Mr. Telecaster".^[7] A long-time Telecaster player, Lee wrote a foreword to A.R. Duchossoir's book detailing the history of the instrument.

Albert Lee's song "Country Boy" helped to redefine country guitar for a whole generation of players, and was later to become a huge hit for multi-instrumentalist Ricky Skaggs.

Despite positive press from Melody Maker and New Musical Express, Lee has never achieved any great commercial success in terms of record sales during his career, but more as a live performer, session player and sideman, perhaps due to his self-effacing stage presence. Lee has been described by his peers who include Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore, as a complete gentleman who does not know the meaning of the word ego.^[3]

Earl Scruggs, commenting on Albert Lee has stated: "I have been a fan and admirer of his guitar work from the first moment I heard him play. I am constantly amazed at his talent. I am sure there are many guitar players who have been influenced by his style and will continue to be influenced for years to come. Albert is in every sense of the word, a genuine guitar wizard".^[8]

It is widely quoted that Eric Clapton is on record as stating that Albert Lee is, in his opinion, "the greatest guitarist in the world." Emmylou Harris has stated that Lee is "a brilliant guitar player. His sound is unmistakable—often emulated, never equalled. When Saint Peter asks me to chronicle my time down here on earth, I'll be able to say (with pride if that's allowed) that for a while I played rhythm guitar in a band with Albert Lee."^[9]

Reflecting on the Heads Hands & Feet period of his career, Lee has stated: "What amazes me is how many musicians in Nashville have a copy of our first album in their personal record collections, and still ask me what happened to the band."

Guitar collection[link]

Albert Lee owns more than 25 guitars, including Don Everly's Gibson J-200. The Gibson Guitar Corporation made one for Don Everly and the other for Phil. The guitars have an all black, high gloss lacquered finish, and are equipped with twin Everly Brothers white pickguards. The Everly Brothers manager Wesley Rose had wanted the guitar to be presented to the Country Music Hall of Fame, but Everly informed him that guitars like that should be played, not kept sitting in a glass case. Don Everly presented it to Lee, along with his Gibson Everly Brothers model.^[2]

Eric Clapton gave Lee the Gibson Les Paul Custom that he played while with Delaney and Bonnie. Lee also plays his signature Music Man (the guitar shown in the photographs) and a 1950s Telecaster (both with custom B-Benders), a 1958 Stratocaster and a Martin 000-28 acoustic.^[2]

Confusion with Alvin Lee[link]

Albert Lee is often confused with Alvin Lee^{[citation needed]}. This confusion has led to Alvin Lee being incorrectly credited on many albums in the past^{[citation needed]}.

Partial Band List[link]

• Chris Farlowe And The Thunderbirds
• The Crickets
• Country Fever
• Green Bullfrog
• Heads Hands & Feet
• Emmylou Harris and The Hot Band
• Hogan's Heroes (guitar and vocals)
• Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
• Biffbaby's All Stars, featuring: Albert Lee, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Morse, and Steve Lukather. In association with Ernie Ball products

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

• Albert Lee — Black Claw/Country Fever
• Poet And The One Man Band — Poet And The One Man Band LP(actually Heads Hands & Feet) (1969)
• Heads Hands & Feet — Heads, Hands & Feet LP(1971)
• Heads Hands & Feet — Tracks LP(1972)
• Heads Hands & Feet — Let's Get This Show On The Road!
• Heads Hands & Feet — Jack Daniels Rare Old No.7
• Heads Hands & Feet — Old Soldiers Never Die LP(1973)
• Heads Hands & Feet — Home From Home - The Missing Album LP(1968; unissued until 1995)
• 1979 - Albert Lee — Hiding
• 1982 - Albert Lee — Albert Lee
• Albert Lee — Speechless
• Albert Lee — Country Guitar Man (Re-release of "Old Soldiers Never Die" by Heads Hands & Feet)
• Albert Lee — Gagged But Not Bound
• 1982 - Albert Lee — Real Wild Child(It's the very same omonimus 1972's album, with a different tracklist order and an adtional song - "Ain't Got No Reason").
• Albert Lee — That's All Right Mama
• Albert Lee — Heartbreak Hill
• Albert Lee — Road Runner
• Albert Lee — Advanced Country Guitar (DVD)
• Albert Lee — Master Session (DVD)
• Albert Lee — Country Legend (DVD)
• Albert Lee — Highlights (DVD)
• Albert Lee — Guitar Heroes (DVD)
• Albert Lee — Country Boy (DVD)
• Albert Lee — Guitar Techniques (DVD)
• Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — In Full Flight!
• Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — Tear It Up
• Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — In Between The Cracks
• Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — Live In Paris (DVD)
• Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — Like This
• Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — Live at the Stazione Birra – Rome, 2009 (DVD)

Featured appearances (partial listing)[link]

• Bo Diddley — The London Bo Diddley Sessions
• Jerry Lee Lewis — The London Sessions
• Eddie Harris — E.H. in the U.K. (Atlantic, 1973)
• Emmylou Harris — Luxury Liner, The Ballad of Sally Rose, Blue Kentucky Girl, Roses in the Snow, Evangeline (Guitars, Mandolin)
• Eric Clapton — Just One Night, Another Ticket, Money and Cigarettes
• John Prine — The Missing Years (Guitar, Mandolin, Piano)
• Rosanne Cash - Seven Year Ache
• Jon Lord — Gemini Suite
• Earl Scruggs — Earl Scruggs and Friends
• Paul Kennerley — The Legend of Jesse James (Guitars, Vocals, Mandolin)
• The Crickets — Long Way From Lubbock, The Crickets and Their Buddies
• Joe Cocker — Sting Ray
• Nicolette Larson — The Very Best Of Nicolette Larson
• Rodney Crowell — The Essential Rodney Crowell
• Dolly Parton - White Limozeen
• The Return Of Spinal Tap — DVD (As himself, playing on "Break Like The Wind")
• John 5 — Death Valley
• Carlene Carter — I Fell in Love
• Foster and Lloyd — Version of the Truth
• Nanci Griffith — I Knew Love
• Hugh Moffatt — Dance Me Outside
• Shakin Stevens — Hot Dog
• Everly Brothers— Reunion Concert (Guitars, Piano, Musical Director)
• Don Everly — Sunset Towers
• The Refreshments — Cover of Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock"
• Dave Edmunds — "Sweet Little Lisa"
• Marcel Dadi — Nashville Rendez-vous
• Bert Jansch — Heartbreak
• Jerry Scheff — Fire Down Below
• Brad Paisley — Play
• Jackson Browne — Under The Falling Sky
• Herbie Mann -Reggae
• Jean-Pierre Danel — "Tulsa Time"
• Arlen Roth -Toolin' Around
• Steve Morse -The Introduction (lead guitar in "General Lee") and Stand Up (vocals and guitar in "Rockin' guitars")

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• The Guinness Who's Who Of Country Music. Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-726-6
• Watts, Derek, (2008). Country Boy: A Biography of Albert Lee. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., ISBN 978-0-7864-3658-3

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Albert Lee and Hogan's Heroes Official website

Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin at Northeastern University on April 11, 2007
Born	(1973-05-25) May 25, 1973 (age 39) New York City, New York, United States
Nationality	American
Years active	Since 2002
Genres	Observational comedy, surreal humor, musical comedy, wit/wordplay, sketch comedy
Subject(s)	Everyday Life, American Culture, Random Subjects
Influences	Steven Wright, Eddie Izzard, Emo Philips, Mitch Hedberg, Socrates
Notable works and roles	· Demetri Martin. Person.  · Correspondent on The Daily Show  · Himself/Various on Important Things with Demetri Martin  · Elliot Tiber in Taking Woodstock (2009)
Website	www.demetrimartin.com

Demetri Martin (born May 25, 1973) is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.

Early life[link]

Demetri Martin was born to a Greek American family^[1] in New York City, New York, and grew up in Toms River, New Jersey. He is the son of Lillian, a nutritionist, and Dean C. Martin, now deceased, a Greek Orthodox priest.^[2] Martin graduated from Yale University in 1995. Although he was accepted into Harvard Law School, he went to New York University School of Law after he received a full scholarship.^[3]

Career[link]

In 2001, Martin caught his first big break in stand-up comedy when he appeared on Comedy Central's stand-up showcase Premium Blend. At the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe he won the Perrier award with his show If I....^[4] The show was turned into a British television special in 2004. From 2003 to 2004, Martin wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[5] In 2004, Martin had his own Comedy Central Presents stand-up special. His special was divided into three parts. In the first, he performed in traditional stand-up comedy fashion. In the second segment, he used humorous drawings as visual aids, which would serve either as the punchline or a background. During the third segment, he played a guitar and put on a pseudo-play where he would strum his guitar while alternating between playing harmonica and talking; some of his comedian friends dressed as fairies and dragons acted according to the story he was telling, detailing the magical land where his jokes came from. Martin's mother and grandmother also appeared.

Since late 2005, he has been credited as a contributor on The Daily Show, on which he has appeared as the named "Senior Youth Correspondent" and on which he hosts a segment called "Trendspotting". He has used this segment to talk about so-called hip trends among youth such as hookahs, wine, guerilla marketing and Xbox 360. A piece about social networking featured his profile on MySpace.^[6] On March 22, 2007, Demetri made another appearance on The Daily Show, talking about the Viacom lawsuit against Google and YouTube.

He has recorded a comedy CD/DVD titled These Are Jokes, which was released on September 26, 2006. This album also features Saturday Night Live member Will Forte and stand-up comedian Leo Allen.

Martin returned to The Daily Show on March 22, 2006, as the new Youth Correspondent, calling his segment "Professional Important News with Demetri Martin". In 2007, he starred in a Fountains of Wayne music video for "Someone to Love" as Seth Shapiro, a character in the song. He also starred in the video for the Travis single "Selfish Jean", in which he wears multiple t-shirts with lyrics written on them.

On September 2, 2007, Martin appeared on the season finale of the HBO series Flight of the Conchords. He appeared as a keytar player named Demetri.^[7]

He also had a part in the movie The Rocker (2008) starring Rainn Wilson. Martin played the part of the videographer when the band in the movie was making their first music video.

In 2009, he hosted and starred in his own television show called Important Things With Demetri Martin on Comedy Central. Later in June, it was announced his show had been renewed for a second season.^[8] The second season premiered, again on Comedy Central, on February 4, 2010. Martin has stated that Important Things will not return for a third season.

Prior to completing work on his second season, Martin starred in the comedy-drama film Taking Woodstock (2009), directed by Ang Lee, which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. In the film Martin plays Elliot Tiber, a closeted gay artist who has given up his ambitions in the city to move upstate and help his old-world Jewish family run their Catskill Mountains motel. The film is based on the book written by Tiber.

On April 25, 2011, Martin released his first book, titled This Is a Book by Demetri Martin.

Martin was slated to portray Paul DePodesta as Oakland Athletics assistant GM to Billy Beane in the 2011 movie Moneyball, however was dropped and Jonah Hill took his place in the movie.

Plans[link]

Martin sold his movie concept Will to DreamWorks; he is expected to play a key supporting role.^[9] He will play the lead in the film Moon People, a pitch that he sold to Columbia Pictures.

Martin also signed a blind script deal with CBS in October 2010 to produce, write, and star in his own television series.^[10]

After CBS was shown the pilot for the series, they decided not to air it.^[11]

On August 11, 2011, Fox ordered a presentation of a new animated show they might air.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] If I

If I is a Perrier Comedy Award-winning comedy one-man show written and performed by Demetri Martin at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.^[12] It was also aired on British television as a special. The show is an autobiographical examination of Martin's life, as seen through various definitions of the word "if."

The title of the special comes from a lengthy palindromic poem that Martin wrote; the words "if I" are at the center of the poem.^[13]

Comedic style[link]

Martin is known for being an unconventional stand-up comic. He uses one-liners and drawings on a "large pad", as well as accompanying his jokes with music on either guitar, harmonica, piano, keyboard, glockenspiel, toy bells, ukulele, or tambourine, sometimes all at once.^[14] He has cited comedian Steven Wright as an important influence (both use deadpan one-liners in their acts) and he is also a fan of Bill Cosby.^[15]

Personal life[link]

According to a July 2011 interview on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Demetri had a short-lived marriage to a girl he knew from high school. They began dating after high school and got married when he was in NYU Law School and she was attending NYU Medical School. He was aged 25 and in the end of his marriage when his stand-up career began.^[3]

He is extremely allergic to nuts and peanuts.^[16]

Martin moved to Santa Monica, California in 2009.^[17]

Filmography[link]

• Invite Them Up (2005)
• These Are Jokes (2006)
• Demetri Martin. Person. (2007)
• Important Things with Demetri Martin (2009–2010)

Filmography and television work[link]

Written works[link]

• This Is a Book, April 2011, ISBN 978-0446539708.

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]