Born Standing Up

A Comic's Life

By: Steve Martin

Narrated by: Steve Martin

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.

Critic reviews

"Absolutely magnificent. One of the best books about comedy and being a comedian ever written." - Jerry Seinfeld, GQ

....

A master

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.

Steve Martin is brilliant

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.

The Little Engine That Could

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.

Steve Martin should narrate everything

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.

Easy listening, entertaining and insightful

Where does Born Standing Up rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to several audio books here on audible and Born Standing Up: was terrific.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Steve Martin does a fantastic job telling the story of his struggle to success while sharing the humility of being a comic.

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

Steve's voice makes the story come to life.

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

No extreme reaction here, but if you are looking for understanding of why or how Steve was able to reach meteoric success in ten years, I think you will find plenty of ah ha moments.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend, Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life.