This funny, affecting memoir from a comedian once known for wearing an arrow through his head has a certain caution about it. Steve Martin acknowledges a detachment from his wild-and-crazy career roots, and even says that writing this book was like writing about someone else.

Yet Born Standing Up has a rigorous honesty that makes it a gratifying, occasionally touching read, as well as a great primer for anyone considering a life in show business.

Martin grew up in Southern California, a bike ride away from Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm, where he got his start as a teen magician and entertainer. He spent more than a decade on the comedy club circuit, living out of hotel rooms (and keeping a safe distance from his family, including a cold, disapproving father.)

Then lightning struck. The Tonight show with Johnny Carson led to Saturday Night Live. Suddenly, the comedian who had played to empty and half-empty rooms found himself in arenas before crowds of 45,000. His first album, Let’s Get Small, sold more than a million copies; he made the covers of Rolling Stone and Newsweek. His father remained unimpressed.

Martin found fame limiting. In giant stadiums, it was almost impossible to interact personally with his audience, and his act grew static. Offstage, he was unnerved by the attention of strangers, who expected this rather serious man to be the same zany they saw on TV. After four years, he quit standup and never looked back. As an actor, author and playwright, he at last earned his father’s approval; their final rapprochement is heartbreakingly tender.

Jerry Seinfeld calls this book “one of the best books about comedy and being a comedian ever written.” More than that, it’s a portrait of the artist as a son, as a thoughtful man, and as a deft chronicler of his own, very human condition.

By Marjorie Preston

Marjorie is Managing Editor of Casino Connection Atlantic City.

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