Earlier this week, one of the cleverest comedians in contemporary comedy released his debut album. I'm talking about Demetri Martin ("The Daily Show"), who released "These are Jokes" on Tuesday. Let me assure you, these are not just any jokes. Martin is an expert with well timed, witty wordplay and observations.

I actually attended one of the recordings for this album and feel the urge to regale you with the tale. This was the second comedy recording I attended last school year, the first being Jim Gaffigan's "Beyond the Pale." Both performances were in Chicago; Demetri Martin's performance was at the Lakeshore Theater about six months ago.

My friend and I arrived in Chicago eager to see Demetri Martin live for the first time, but we were famished from our long drive through rush-hour traffic. We figured we ought to sample some authentic Chicago cuisine, so we walked down to the Chipotle on the corner.

I ordered something that Chicagoans call a "burrito." I believe that roughly translates to "stomach upsetter." As we were eating our burritos, my friend and I noticed someone who slightly resembled Michael Showalter. It definitely wasn't him, but we often jokingly point out people who resemble, or are caricatures of, those we are both familiar with. I like to think most people do this from time to time.

For instance, let's say we had a friend named Bill, and Bill was a fat, lazy pig. If a morbidly obese man waddled by, one of us might say, "Is that Bill?" We'd chuckle for a moment and then discuss the state of the world, social matters, books we have recently read and our fondest chess memories.

Continuing what I thought was still a joke, as we were exiting Chipotle, my friend said to me, "Is that Will Forte?" Will Forte is, of course, a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." I glanced and saw a somewhat short man who had a face similar to that of Will Forte. I laughed, and we continued walking.

About an hour later, we sat down in our seats for the show. I overheard some teenagers in front of us describing their encounter with Will Forte. I asked if this had just happened, and they confirmed. In fact, they said he was holding a Chipotle bag. The moral of the story is: if you think you see celebrities, it may actually be them. Thankfully, Will Forte ended up being a part of the show, so it wasn't a total loss.

The show opened with Leo Allen, whose name comedy aficionados ought to recognize from the team of Slovin & Allen as well as from the very funny "Invite Them Up" CD/DVD set (also featuring Demetri Martin). Leo did, among other things, a creative Power Point bit and an amusing joke about not eating babies.

Then came Demetri Martin. He is an expert at one-liners, but not the traditional "Take my wife, please" one-liners. Here are a few examples from the show: "I think the best thing about being dumb is that it makes magic a lot better;" "Every fight is a food fight when you're a cannibal" and "A dreamcatcher works, if your dream is to be gay."

Aside from clever one-liners, Demetri incorporates many different experimental aspects into his stand-up. For instance, at one point he sat down and strummed on his guitar, played a harmonica harnessed around his neck and jingled some multicolored bells with his feet, all while singing a song and telling jokes.

At another point, Demetri brought Leo Allen back out to describe his appearance and movements onstage for those who were listening to the album. It was hilarious in person and works wonders on the CD. Also, Will Forte later accompanied Demetri on stage to provide interpretive vocalizations to his jokes. The show ended with a deserved standing ovation.

Once the applause died down, I began following the flow of people out the back. A man and his lady friend were making their way against the current. He sort of had his head down, but just as he was about to pass me, I recognized him as Seth Meyers, also a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" and recently named head writer of the show and co-anchor of "Weekend Update."

This time I didn't hesitate to react. However, my reaction was more of a subtle hand gesture. I reached out my hand as if to stop him. He continued walking. My mouth was agape, but no words came out.

In one day, I managed to have close encounters with two prominent SNL cast members without truly meeting either of them. I left feeling like a bit of a failure. Then, realizing something like that made me feel like a failure, I felt even more like a failure.

I have since gotten over these disappointing celebrity sightings. I'm just glad they happened. Also, now that "These are Jokes" is in my hands, I feel even better. But I have to go now. I think that burrito is still with me.

Mike Peters is a senior focusing on communication arts, film and business. Want to talk comedy with him? Send questions or comments his way at [email protected].