Good story about how Stebve Martin became a comic during the 60's and early 70's. ( )

This was a fast read, an interesting glimpse into the business of comedy. It is smarter and more serious than expected. It was also more limited than I expected, dealing solely with Martin's early career, through the decline of his stand-up. It does not deal with is acting career at all, other than his first movie, The Jerk.

Martin is an erudite, thoughtful, and multifaceted person. I have always admired him, feeling he has done a good job of keeping his "nose clean" in the entertainment business (staying out of the tabloids, staying alive, and being flexible and talented enough to move from one genre to another).

When I told a younger coworker that I was reading this book, she said, "Oh, he's the one from Father of the Bride" and she mentioned Roxanne, but didn't know anything about his stand-up career. I feel so old - but I suppose the same thing would happen if I mentioned Robin Williams or Eddie Murphy, two others who have kept their careers going far beyond the days of stand-up.

Anyway, I loved this book and wish this author would write more memoirs, more thoroughly discussing his early years and his movie years. ( )

This autobiography mainly covers only a portion of Martin’s life – his years doing stand-up comedy. He provides a little background into his family life growing up, which is told with insight and honesty, but he focuses on his rise to fame doing stand-up comedy in clubs and working in television. As already mentioned, he is insightful and honest, talking about his loneliness on the road, his discomfort with fame, and his touch-and-go relationship with his parents. The audiobook version, read by the author, gives the reader a feeling of intimate knowledge. The audiobook also features Martin’s banjo-playing, which I found a fun extra. ( )

Probably it's all been said here already, but I will reiterate that being a successful standup comic implies some pain, and Martin had that in an emotionally distant, occasionally abusive father who'd once had aspirations to show business himself. Some of the best parts of this book are the small glimpses Martin allows of his childhood, and then the difficult last years with his aging parents, during which there is a kind of reconciliation. The truth is, the sadness in Martin's personal life shows through, albeit in a book (like Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays) that often makes you laugh out loud. Martin's anecdotes of his life in comedy often reads like a Who's Who of show business. Because of his youthful and continuing interest in magic, I was also reminded of Sid Fleischman's wonderful memoir, The Abracadabra Kid, and wondered if the two men had ever met. They would undoubtedly have much in common despite the age difference. I guess I hoped for more of the personal from Martin, but what he does reveal is entertaining and even occasionally moving, despite his overall reticence. I hope he'll do another memoir one day, one in which he is a bit more forthcoming and covers his later life as an actor, filmmaker and writer. ( )

Steve Martin is a comic genius, which means a history of pain. His biography of the "stand-up" portion of his career is filled with beauty--comedic, social, geographical, and literary. From his early days as a Disneyland worker to the filming of The Jerk, this book covers all the awe and grit of being a modern-day comedian/performer. The best parts are details of his interactions with his friends and family, all of which served as source material for his various acts. A lovely read. ( )

I could fall in love with him...he's so honest with himself, and that can't be easy. ( )

Absolutely marvelous. Martin explains why he thinks his kind of comedy works, and how he developed it. Plenty of fascinating vignettes about life in the armpits of showbusiness, as Martin worked his way from the magic shop at Disneyland, to Knott's Berry Farm, to dingy clubs, ski lodges, bars, and hotel lounges -- all the while honing his craft, developing the bits that worked and discarding those that didn't. And what makes it so interesting is that Martin will tell you why bits worked or didn't.

A terrific book for anyone who cares about developing their own craft -- whether it's standup comedy, acting, writing, music, or even hawking wares at a flea market. Good stuff. ( )

For someone who knew nothing about Steve Martin's stand-up career, it certainly was an entertaining read. Martin comes across as a very real and genuine person who's relationship with his parents is easy to identify with. Thoroughly enjoyable. ( )

I am a huge fan of Steve Martin's work both as a comic and a writer and I have been looking forward to reading this memoir for some time. It offered great insight into Steve's work, particularly during his stand-up period.

If you aren't already a fan of Steve Martin, however, I'm not sure this will come anywhere near converting you. It seems like a book more for the already inducted, and less for just anybody off the street. I, however, enjoyed it greatly. ( )

Great read. Nice to learn how much of an art his humor really is. Shows a very unique background of this incrediably funny man. ( )

This is a fabulous account of how a creative person perfected his craft. I think it is something that every writer, or artist of any kind, should read because it talks about the patience and devotion that it takes to get really, really good at something. ( )

I was blown away by the first two pages of this book. I thought it would be a fascinating slice of a performing artist's thinking and creative process. And yes, there was some of that in here, but I wanted much more. I guess there was as much as could be tolerated by a mass audience, but since that was the reason I came -so to speak- I left disappointed. It was a fun read, a quick read, and it wasn't much time wasted, but ultimately, that's what it felt like. ( )

I loved this book. The message to me was how intentional he was about his career, how he kept notes about what worked and what didn't. Anybody aspiring to a career in the performing arts should read this book. The fact is, he worked hard to achieve the success he did; it didn't just randomly happen. I want all of my students to read this book. ( )

I was blown away by the first two pages of this book. I thought it would be a fascinating slice of a performing artist's thinking and creative process. And yes, there was some of that in here, but I wanted much more. I guess there was as much as could be tolerated by a mass audience, but since that was the reason I came -so to speak- I left disappointed. It was a fun read, a quick read, and it wasn't much time wasted, but ultimately, that's what it felt like. ( )

I think it is his best written work to date. Describes Steve's development as a comedian as well as his family and friends relations. ( )

An easy read and pretty interesting, but it made me realise I didn't much like the "zany" Steve Martin! ( )

An interesting look at Steve Martin's rise to where he is today. Fun book, though a bit light. A good read for anyone interested in comedy and have enjoyed his work, ( )

A light, fun read, focusing on Martin's childhood and stand-up career. Not terribly deep, although there are a few interesting comments about his family and his developing relationships with them. Not a "wild and crazy" book, but an easy read that gives a few insights into Martin's development. I'll be interested to see the sequel, which should describe his broadening into various sorts of writing and other projects.

I have this idea that the title might refer to a mythological hero who was born feet first and therefore "born standing up," but I can't come up with the name and I have no idea whether Martin intended any link. ( )

I hoped Born Standing Up would be a better than average memoir. Steve Martin, after all, has done some actual writing, and I’d read some good reviews. Listening to the audiobook read by Martin himself seemed like it could be especially enjoyable because he could put in the same inflection he used in his bits, making it funnier than it would be in print. So the formula here seems to be a good one.

Unfortunately, Born Standing Up doesn’t quite live up to its potential. It’s simply another average Hollywood memoir with an episodic narrative and an unfortunate amount of name-dropping. And Martin simply doesn’t bring the funny. Just a couple of chuckles that weren’t memorable enough for me to be able to recollect now and share with you.

My complete review is at my blog. ( )

The nice thing about this biography of Steve Martin is that it is the perfect length. Not too long, so that the reader gets bored and stops sympathizing with Steve Martin, and not too short. Steve Martin accomplishes this by focusing only on his childhood and 18-year stand-up comedy career. Although other topics are brought in, such as his love life, they are clearly not the central point. Probably big fans will weep with unfulfilled desire for details, but the rest of us are completely satisfied. ( )

I have been a life long fan of Steve Martin so I knew I had to read this book. I was a teenager when he was at the peak of his stand-up comedy career. I respect Steve Martin not only because he is a great comedian but also an actor, author, serious musician and art collector. Reading this book brought back some wonderful memories of his great days on SNL. Reading about his early years and future music and comedy stars reads like a whose who of great entertainers. I also found out some interesting things on his personal life growing up. This memoir again shows that it's a long struggle to gain fame and get to the top and while there it can be very lonely. I would highly recommend reading this book for any Steve Martin fan but anyone would certainly gain from it's reading. ( )

I have been fascinated by Steve Martin for years. The zany comedy never did much for me, but when he started doing more writing, I was hooked.
This book gave me a closer look at the man that I found to be such and enigma. A comic, musician, writer, magician, and so much more! An interesting peek into the many parts that make up the whole. ( )

Reading the memoir of a big time comedian is not something I thought would ever be interesting. In this memoir, Steve Martin was able to not simply tell the story of his career, but communicate it to me on a level I could almost relate to. His manner of writing helps him come across as someone with whom anyone can identify. Born Standing Up revealed a much deeper, quieter side of its author than one would gather through viewing his comedic work. ( )

In 1978 Steve Martin was at the height of his Stand Up career and I was four years old giggling at my father constantly shouting "Well EXCUUUUUUUUUUSE ME" while waving his arms erratically(he still does this on occasion). I loved it. And I loved revisiting those days by listening to Steve Martin read his memoir Born Standing Up. I loved so much about the memoir but I was really engaged by his analysis of comedy and his ability to deconstruct his own act. I felt a little more educated about the comedic process. I am sure actually reading "Born Standing Up" would be as enjoyable as listening to the audio book but it was such a treat to hear him explain how it feels to "get small" or to explain that he is sure he is vain because he just heard a song that he thought was about him. Like all good comedy and comedians this book was also a little sad. After losing his mother, Martin returns to the Bird Cage theatre at Knott's Berry Farm where he got his start and he wishes he could return to those early days. And throughout the book I wished he could return to those early days too. ( )

Steve Martin's memoir of his stand-up career has the perfect balance of eloquence and simplicity of his novellas, short essays, and plays. He has a knack for making himself comprehensible, even somebody with whom one can identify, in spite of the fact that his readers must be nearly 100% lacking in life experiences that truly mirror his. (For that matter, has anybody really had a comparable career to Steve Martin's?) The revelations of where little nuggets of absurdity such as "happy feet" came from delight, and even reading brief snippets of his material will have you laughing out loud at them all over again. ( )