Born Standing Up Audiobook By Steve Martin cover art

Born Standing Up

A Comic's Life

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Born Standing Up

By: Steve Martin
Narrated by: Steve Martin
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Steve Martin's riveting, mega-bestselling, beloved, and highly acclaimed memoir of a life, 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 “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.©2007 Steve Martin; (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. Biographies & Memoirs Celebrity Memoir Essentials Entertainment & Celebrities Performing Arts Comedy Celebrity Funny Witty Inspiring Thought-Provoking Heartfelt Feel-Good

Critic reviews

"Absolutely magnificent. One of the best books about comedy and being a comedian ever written." - Jerry Seinfeld, GQ
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Featured Article: The top 100 celebrity memoirs of all time


The best celebrity memoir audiobooks are in a league of their own—there is no greater listening experience than a memoir performed by the celebrity behind the title. Their charisma and authenticity greatly enhance the experience, making it all the more engaging. Many listeners who would never think to read a celebrity memoir in print gravitate to the genre in audio. There’s something magical about hearing, in their own voice, the nitty-gritty of a star’s path.

Featured Article The top 100 celebrity memoirs of all time
Candid Autobiography • Personal Journey • Authentic Narration • Insightful Reflections • Emotional Depth

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I loved hearing Martin's point of view of his rise from amusement park worker to SNL and Hollywood. Some great stories, told by the man himself. You come out understanding why he rose so far, and how he burned out on standup. It's amazing how much though went into what seemed like a freeform act. And you get why he decided it was time to move on.

Highly recommended.

A master

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I had never realized how innovative Steve Martin's humor was. I had only enjoyed it immensely since first experiencing it on SNL and his standup albums. He reads in a rather flat voice but it is Steve himself and that makes it so special. I have trouble imagining reading the book when I can hear it in his own voice. Insightful and revealing. Even touching.

Steve Martin is brilliant

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I was hooked right from the start. At the beginning of the book, Steve Martin writes about his unhappy childhood. He said, of his father: "evidently he saved his vibrant personality for use away from the family." The book is charming and funny, and reveals what an original thinker Steve Martin is, and the doggedness it took to succeed. It was inspiring.

The Little Engine That Could

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I'm a fan of stand-up and a fan of Steve Martin, but I've never really been a fan of Steve Martin's stand-up. this memoir helped me understand exactly why: he broke the mold. The insight he shares by reading this book is a perfect partnership (he sings several parts, making me appreciate the audiobook over the written version). He is a brilliant storyteller and I've thoroughly enjoyed the peek inside his mind.

Steve Martin should narrate everything

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I wasnt sure when i downloaded this audible as i am not that familiar with steve martin although i recall dirty rotten scoundrels was a favourite movie growing up. I found his story fascinating and relatable and having the book read by steve martin was a plus. Very inspiring story.

A winner

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