Born Standing Up

A Comic's Life

By: Steve Martin

Narrated by: Steve Martin

Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

In the mid-70s, 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. Born Standing Up is, in his own words, the story of "why I did stand-up and why I walked away".

At age 10 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.

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 60s, and the transformative new voice of Saturday Night Live in the 70s.

©2007 Steve Martin (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

2008 Grammy Nominee, Best Spoken Word Album

"Absolutely magnificent. One of the best books about comedy and being a comedian ever written." (Jerry Seinfeld)

loved every minute.....

Hearing Steve tell his story, is brilliant! This memoir is warm, funny, insightful and smart....Perfect!

Smart Guy, Fun Book

It is easy to like Steve Martin because he is funny and smart. I found it interesting that how he came in contact with so many other show business and comedy legends. The fact that he reads the book is a bonus.

Fanatic!!!

Wonderful story, beautiful writing and heartfelt telling!! So glad I finally gave it a listen!! I highly recommend it to anyone!

A wonderful journey!

A nice trip through important life stages in the life of Mr. Steve Martin. Thoughtful lessons throughout.

"The best comedic autobiography ever written."

Would you listen to Born Standing Up again? Why?

Absolutely. Steve Martin is a fantastic writer. He captures his thought life, the culture, the struggles and the triumphs in Born Standing Up. As Jerry Seinfeld said, 'this is the best comedic autobiography ever written.'

What was one of the most memorable moments of Born Standing Up?

The process of becoming a comedian and then becoming a good one. This book is about the journey, it encapsulates real life and is told with remarkable sophistication and humor.

Which scene was your favorite?

Every time Steve was broke and persevered anyway - he got better and better.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A comics life. (Which I believe was the original title for the book)

Any additional comments?

So good you will want all of your friends to read it too.

Short, but entertaining

What made the experience of listening to Born Standing Up the most enjoyable?

The fact that Martin narrated his own book added immensely to my enjoyment. To have him deliver his one-liners and sing some of his songs the way he did on stage was wonderful.

What does Steve Martin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

When Martin's own voice is delivering his funny lines and singing some of the songs he actually used to do on stage and TV, it was an incredible delight.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This is not a

Any additional comments?

This is probably the shortest audio book I've ever listened to. If Martin had chosen to dwell on other aspects of his life (his marriage, his movies, his bluegrass music), it would've been a much longer book. But this isn't an autobiography that intends to delve into his entire life. Rather, it is very specific to the development -- and eventual triumph -- of his stand-up-comedy routine. I did find myself wanting to hear what he had to say about the other phases of his life, but perhaps there will be another memoir or two coming from Steve in the future. I hope so!

Really wonderful. Honest and lovely to listen to.

Steve Martin's honesty and heart is obvious as he tells his story in his soothing voice. I really appreciated walking down memory lane with him.❤

Funny, sad, spectacular, and human.

Steve Martin is a very "interesting" guy. I'm not sure what I mean by interesting, it just seems to fit.

Stayed Cracking Up

Would you listen to Born Standing Up again? Why?

Yes. It was great to hear Steve talk about his stand up career and hear his philosophy about career fulfillment.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Steve... were there any others???

What does Steve Martin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His distinct tone. I could imagine his voice if I read the book. I am an 80s child and the earliest work of his that I have ever seen is early SNL. I'm more familiar with his movies. I have never seen his stand up and I would not have been able to properly guess the tone of the jokes if I had not listened to it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The last joke made me laugh for a good five minutes. I cried when he spoke about the death of his parents.

Any additional comments?

He constantly talks about what a shy person he is. He is known to be very private. I gave the story a 4 star rating because like many autobiographies that are specific to one period of a persons life you can literally feel passages where you get the feeling there is more to a story but the author is only going to tell as much as they want you to know. It is the authors right to do so but when the reader can sense the story is censored it leaves a slight feeling of dissatisfaction. I also found this in Tina Fey's "Bossypants". The only autobiography I can think of where I did not feel this was you Michael J. Fox's "Lucky Man."

Interesting Side of Steve Martin's Genius

Any additional comments?

really great book especially if you are a Steve Martin fan and can remember the days of listening to his albums. This book really adds humanity to the comic genius.