“I've always appreciated Steve Martin as one of the fathers of modern stand-up comedy, and a holdout of from the glory days of stage entertainment, when the best performers combined music, magic and comedy. But after reading his latest, a retrospective of his stand-up comedy roots (before there really was stand-up comedy) and his rise to international stardom, I have a new respect for Martin.
The book highlights his life as a young performer, a prodigy working the Los Angeles amusement park-nightclub scene, slowing learning the trade, and studying and tweaking his act for years.
Martin spent time working at a magic shop at Disneyland, as a thespian doing dinner shows at Knotsberry Farm, and countless whiskey joints, sometimes playing to an empty room for the door take (a small payday).
He recounts with amazing clarity when and how it clicked for him — when the hard work of years of couch-surfing and living through the grind of the entertainment industry, culminated in a schtick that worked for him... his offbeat style of physical humor highlighted by ... no punchlines. Along the way he rubs shoulders with some of the greatest entertainers of his time, makes a name for himself on Saturday Night Live, Johnny Carson and on the Silver Screen, and digs out a niche as one of the greatest of his time.
Bar none, this is one of the best autobiographies I have ever read, and a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about the heart and soul of a successful stand-up comedian.”
Renocycler wrote this review Tuesday, January 1 2008.
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