It’s rare that the smartest kid in the class also turns out to be the funniest, so Demetri Martin is something of an anomaly. The New Jersey–born 33-year-old graduated from Yale and won a full scholarship to NYU law, but dropped out after two years to pursue comedy. His unique brand of stand-up—a mix of whimsical one-liners (“I wonder what the word for dots looks like in Braille”) and such low-fi multimedia aids as line drawings, bar graphs and incessant noodling on his acoustic guitar—has won him top awards at the prestigious Melbourne, Aspen and Edinburgh comedy festivals. Often compared to comedy legend Steven Wright, Martin brings the same intelligent absurdity to his act. After a year-long writing stint for Conan O’Brien, he landed a gig last year as a correspondent on The Daily Show, working for that other smart-funny icon, Jon Stewart. A guy this bright could have done anything. Lucky for us, he chose this.

You left NYU law to pursue comedy. Why did you do that?

I remember sitting in the library—the green leather chairs, green lamps, big wooden table, books everywhere. I had to take one of my exams the next day, and I was just writing jokes. Another time I watched TV for eight hours in a row. There was a real malaise. I was wasting time.

That’s unusual for you, isn’t it? I understand you have an excellent work ethic.

I’m not fast enough or good enough at anything, so that forces me to work harder, trying to get to where I think I should be. I’m always chasing several dangling carrots at once.

Tell us about your writing process.

When I’m not on deadline, I usually just wake up and try to make things. Whatever strikes me—maybe drawing or making music or writing a joke. I’ve learned to try to respect the ideas, rather than try to force them into things. Something might be funny, but then I’ll realize it’s not a stand-up joke.

A lot of your comedy is experimental. Have you ever tried anything that didn’t work?

I once told jokes while playing guitar with a looping panel. It kept getting more and more complicated, with all these weird sounds. People were thinking, What’s going on? Just tell the story!

Who are your influences?

I wasn’t much of a comedy nerd growing up. I was into puzzles. But I loved Gary Larson’s The Far Side. He’s just so economical. I discovered Woody Allen really late. His stand-up is phenomenal—it’s like a creative collaboration between comedian and audience. Over the years I’ve realized that a lot of the things I like, whether it’s comedy or art, occupy the same real estate.

Demetri Martin brings his stand-up act to the Winter Garden Theatre Nov. 4. $33. 189 Yonge St., 416-870‑8000.