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.

Fantastic

Get this audiobook. It’s one of the best show biz biographies I have ever seen. Definitely the best one that ever mentioned Dariel Fitzke’s Showmanship for Magicians. Actor/comedian/writer/art collector/banjo picker/magician Steve Martin details his journey from aspiring young magician to the biggest comedian of all time (he was the first comedian to sell out 45,000 seat venues).

You’ll find out that his overnight success took ten years and only then happened when he decided to go his own path. Despite the frequent bookings on the Tonight Show, fame and headliner status eluded him for a long time. He’d been demoted to performing only on guest host nights for a long period because Johnny wasn’t in to his act. When he slowly found his way, Johnny became his biggest fan.

I sat down with this book to just read a chapter and couldn’t put it down. I read the whole thing in one sitting. I’m getting the audiobook next. It’s an amazing story of how a performer struggled and grew in his art. It’s the best analysis I’ve ever read of what it takes to be an original and how hard it can be to get acceptance for that.

I could go on about this book, but you should really just be reading the book. So I’ll end this right here: Go get this audiobook!

Great for a first timer!

This was my first Audible Audiobook, and I was curious as to whether I would enjoy it or not. I loved it! Steve does a great job narrating the book himself and it keeps you entertained the whole time. I like books that give you an inside look to worlds you wouldn't normally get to see, and that's exactly what this book does. Highly Recommended.

The biography of his career as a Stand Up comic.

So a 6 hour listen was plenty and having Steve read it was fantastic.

Great book on the life of stand up comedy and if you're a Steve Martin fan, the book is a must.

So great. So many memories.

Would love for it to be longer, but totally satisfied. Loved it. Listen and smile.

A truly heartfelt and enjoyable journey

Absolutely great. A no holds barred soul bare of one of my favorite acts. I love that Steve narrates and provides music as well.

Keep. Flip-pin’. Goin’.!.

Steve Martin is a legend.

Disagree?
I cannot stress enough how quickly you’ll connect with the struggle of being born a performer.

If you are not one yourself, there are people who cannot just suck it up and sit in an office. The pull to entertain and please...to compose an entire room to genuine laughter is the only thing You want to do ever again.
And the best ones know they can’t do much...but they can murder audiences. (That’s a good thing to people reading too fast)
To his first dance off to the last time he sang to thousands about a dead teenage pharaoh, Mr. Martin relives his history on the stage with you.
A magicians determination fast forwards to true isolation and then into a beautiful self-realization story about a true artist.
A performer who never did what others were doing. Because he is an extraordinarily giving performer.
He is a master of making you feel part of the story. Like, you’re experiencing this mans artistic journey as he sits and reflects on it for the first time.

Fantastic

This book was a real treat. Martin has an amazing amount of insight into his life and success. Anyone considering a career in show business would learn a great deal from his story. It was great to hear him read his own book as it almost always is, but in this case the listener gets a bonus in that when Martin recounts some of his old material he more or less performs it at times, making the comedy come alive as it did in his appearances and recording. Highly recommend.

Revealing and interesting

Would you consider the audio edition of Born Standing Up to be better than the print version?

Steve Martin is a good writer who knows it's better to tell one slice of a story well than to indulge in memoir arrogance and tell an epic tale that might get dull. This book focuses on his standup career, and in that way tells the story of a gifted American comic through a particular lens. I thought it was fascinating and, at times, deeply personal. I am an editor who coaches people on how to write personal essays, and this is a book I will highly recommend.

What about Steve Martin’s performance did you like?

The banjo, of course!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

a serious look at what was funny

Steve should bring back his old stand-up act. it was funny for all the reasons he cites in this book.

A huge surprise

Steve is honest and real in this wonderful book. Great advices for resilience and perseverance