The riveting, mega-bestselling, beloved and highly acclaimed memoir of a man, a vocation, and an era named one of the ten best nonfiction titles of the year by Time and Entertainment Weekly. In the mid-seventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. This book is, in his own words, the story of … own words, the story of “why I did stand-up and why I walked away.”
Emmy and Grammy Award-winner, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestsellers Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company, and a regular contributor to The New Yorker, Martin has always been a writer. His memoir of his years in stand-up is candid, spectacularly amusing, and beautifully written.
At age ten Martin started his career at Disneyland, selling guidebooks in the newly opened theme park. In the decade that followed, he worked in the Disney magic shop and the Bird Cage Theatre at Knott’s Berry Farm, performing his first magic/comedy act a dozen times a week. The story of these years, during which he practiced and honed his craft, is moving and revelatory. The dedication to excellence and innovation is formed at an astonishingly early age and never wavers or wanes.
Martin illuminates the sacrifice, discipline, and originality that made him an icon and informs his work to this day. To be this good, to perform so frequently, was isolating and lonely. It took Martin decades to reconnect with his parents and sister, and he tells that story with great tenderness. Martin also paints a portrait of his times–the era of free love and protests against the war in Vietnam, the heady irreverence of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the late sixties, and the transformative new voice of Saturday Night Live in the seventies.
Throughout the text, Martin has placed photographs, many never seen before. Born Standing Up is a superb testament to the sheer tenacity, focus, and daring of one of the greatest and most iconoclastic comedians of all time.more
Maybe it’s because I grew up in the same area as the author and struggle with the same feelings of nostalgia as he describes in this book, but this one of my favorite books. It is an emotionally honest look at the life of a talented writer, comedian and musician.
It’s easy to believe that good comedians and actors are good because they have a talent. Reading this made me realize how hard one has to work to be thought of as talented.
I came across this book in the most random form: hearing it praised by Marc Andreseen in a podcast as one of his favorite books. I expected the book to be very well written since I knew that Steve Martin has had a successful career also as I writer, and it is.
The book covers Martin’s career from his first teenage jobs in which he discovered his love for performing all the way to when he retired from doing stand-up comedy to concentrate on his film career. And that is the reason for not giving it five stars. Throughout the book Martin delivers a masterful description of the type of originality and persistence, plus a good dose of luck, that is required to make it in show business. I felt short changed that the book misses out on what must also have been a mesmerizing story of how he used those same traits to make a success of his film career.
It is one of the best written show business memoirs out there, and definitely worth a read. I just hope at some point Martin decides to do a follow-up covering his Hollywood years.
A fascinating memoir from a very funny man.
Wonderful look into the life and mind of a consumate comedian.
There were some interesting stories, but mostly read like a chronological journal of facts.
Typical Steve Martin, great read.
Lots of interesting insight to Steve Martin. Firsthand info direct from Steve himself.
I liked it. Steve Martin came across as thoughtful and intelligent and who has worked very hard to get where he is today.
It was a delight to have Steve Martin As the narrator. A warm and tender story that leaves the listener feeling light and entertained as well as being informed.
Inside look at the path that Steve Martin took to lead to super stardom in the comedy and acting world. Highly recommend.
Good read about his start in comedy, but he skimmed over much of what would interest the reader.
It was too short. I loved reading this but there was not enough of it. Steve Martin is so funny and I thought his insights into comedy and his life were very interesting.
Steve Martin reveals a lot about his journey of becoming a stand-up legend. He was insightful, and his self-reflection helped me to better understand the demands of becoming a comedian. His writing flowed from page to page, and I made through this book very quickly and easily. Born Standing Up was truly an enjoyable read.
Great behind-the-scenes autobiography of a comedy legend. Why did Steve stop stand-up? What is his comedy based on? What’s the day in the life of a comedian like? Easy to read and fun to follow.