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Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life |
Author: Steve Martin
Published: 2007-11-20 |
List price: $25.00
Our price: $16.50
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As of: January 08th, 2009 02:48:46 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Unfortunately, D.O.A
Steve Martin is a genius. No question. He was extremely funny for a long time, and his post-comedy career has revealed him to be an artist capable both of graceful and inspired work (think Leap of Faith and L.A. Story) and some truly bottom-rate fare. Here, he tries but doesn't connect with a new genre for him: autobiography. The book's problem is simple: if you're going to tell a story, any story, you have to be willing to get in the depths of it and tell it, with all of the emotion you can muster. It's a messy business. But Steve Martin is apparently a deeply private person. Faced with the choice of revealing himself or remaining private, Martin chooses the latter. That kills the story. So this book delivers on the details of his career, much as a train schedule delivers on the details, and with about as much interest for the reader. Where did he work, and when, and how many seats were in the venue? You'll find out. What was he thinking, what was he feeling, what did he learn, who is he, and how did he grow? You won't find out much about those things. Martin is everywhere absent from his own narrative. Eventually, the entire book gets sucked into this vacuum. The great disappointment for the reader is that Steve Martin must have an interesting story to tell, but he cannot or will not do it. I am sure that he can write a more compelling book than this about his life, and I hope that someday he does.
 just okay
Be aware going in that this is the story of Steve Martin's trip from childhood to mega-star, not INTO mega-star. It is the story of how he got where he is -- in other words, for many, it's his story before you knew anything about him.
I like Steve Martin so I enjoyed this look into his trip to fame. On the other hand, if you're looking for discussions of his hostings on Saturday Night Live, or his movies, you won't find that here.
My only significant disappointment is in the way Martin reads the text. Almost every sentence is read with the same rhythm. It's as though he took pains to ensure his listeners know he's reading a story to them, not telling the story off-hand. Because it is his own voice, though, that repeated cadence isn't as annoying as it might be.
Narrators whose voices grate on me will cause me to bail out on any audiobook and I happily listened to all four discs of this one, and can recommend it to any Steve Martin fan.
 Neither Wild Nor Crazy, just very, very good.
Steve Martin tells two stories here. One one level he retells the long, hard slog to fame. That part of the book is interesting, but predictable. The much more fascinating story is the parallel story of his long equally hard slog to being an expert at his craft. The show business stuff runs from Knotts Berry farm magig shows to unleashing "The Jerk" on American culture. I was just a child during that time but I admired him from an innoncent distance. I loved the arrow through his head. I made my sister play "King Tut" for me on her record player. I wanted to wear a white suit.
Martin does his best work describing the origin and evolution of his classic repetoire of gags. This is different from a magician revealing his tricks in that (as Steve almost brings himself to admit) the nature of most comedy is to become stale over time. Martin is the perfect example of someone creating something new only to have it harped on and stolen by a thousand hacks. The joke dies in the process but the original deserves credit for the effort. (And one thing I really enjoyed about this book was Steve's alacrity in giving credit to people who influenced him. The local magicians and 3rd rate comedians that graciously gave him a trick or shared a trade secret.)
There is one truly precious photo on page 182. Steve is shown from behind confidently strutting towards the microphone before what must have been a sold out show in Syracuse. He is wearing the King Tut head piece and you can see both the confidence that Steve is oozing and the pure joy that the paid crowd is flashing as they recognize what they are about to witness. The picture captures the moment and sums up my feelings towards the artist. Thank you Mr. Martin, for taking the time to go back and examine the first act of your professional life. There is much to be cherished there.
Touching, funny and thoughtful.
Steve Martin takes you by the hand and leads you through his Southern California childhood in the 1950's, his first job at Disneyland, his introduction and fascination with magic and then into the complex job of making people laugh as a stand up and comedy writer (for the controversial variety show The Smothers Brothers).
This memoir is touching and thoughtful. Not only do we see the process of what made Steve Martin an accomplished comedian, but it shows how the people in our lives shape our world and matter in our success.
I highly recommend this book.
Well Worth Reading
Steve Martin started out as a stand up comedian. Most people think of him today as a movie star, a zany comic whose performances seem spur of the moment and effortless. He confesses here in Born Standing Up that his image is far from the truth. Beginning with his adoration of magic and live audiences sparked by his job at Disneyland and ending with a reflection on his days in stand up comedy, Martin's book is a heartfelt and nostalgic reflection on days past. He admits to being a shy man who is overwhelmed when fans approach him like long lost friends and he brings us on the journey to reconnect with his family after he achieved fame.
This book is simple and easy to read. Martin doesn't self-indulge and praise himself for a job well done. He admits when he was good but also points out when he was bad. He is an excellent critic and a seemingly down-to-earth person, so the book functions as both an analysis and an autobiographical account. There are times to laugh and times to cry; it is all here. Born Standing Up is well worth reading.
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