Pure Drivel

By: Steve Martin

Narrated by: Steve Martin

Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

In this ingeniously funny collection of humorous riffs, those who thought Steve Martin's gifts were confined to the screen will discover what readers of The New Yorker already know: that Martin is a master of the written word. Hilariously funny and intelligent in their skewering of the topic at hand, these pieces, some of which first appeared in The New Yorker, feature Martin at his finest. With a playwright's ear for dialogue, a sense of irony only Martin could muster, and a first-class comic ability to perfectly time the punch line, Pure Drivel will have listeners crying with laughter, and marveling at the fact that in addition to all of his many talents, Steve Martin is also a superb writer.

Don't miss Steve Martin, Christopher Buckley, and other humorists discussing their craft at the New Yorker Festival.

©1998 40 Share Productions, Inc. (P)1998 Simon & Schuster Audio, All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

"...humor raised to the abstract." (The New York Times)

funny, light, meaningless

Pretty original very funny, happily lacking in obscenities. Martin is very creative and very much his own person.

Pure Delight

I was absolutely tickled by Steve Martin's "Pure Drivel" as an audiobook! The humor is wonderfully absurd and showcases Steve Martin's incredible talent as a writer. Hearing Martin himself narrate the book adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the experience. This book is a collection of his writings from, I believe the New Yorker, and it came out in the late 90s—despite the references to pagers, modems, and the like, the humor is timeless. “Dear Amanda” was hilarious, and so was “Lolita at Fifty,” and “Bad Dog.” The story “Hissy Fit” is a drolly humorous neo-noir about a journalist from New York who gets a dreaded assignment to fly to L.A. to interview an egotistical movie producer—pure delight! I strongly suggest giving it a listen. Indeed, he's recognized as one of the comedy greats, but it's important to note that Martin's humor isn't just funny; it's smart funny, which is a rarity and a true gem.

May be dangerous to people with stitches

This book is ths funniest thing written since Woody Allen's Without Feathers. It can make a good claim to be slightly funnier (though not as subtle) as The Hitchiker's Guide. Brilliant timing, inspired wordplay, new inventive comedic concepts, are all utilized to make this an unparalleled lethal combination of humourous innovations. BEWARE: Sid effects may include, laugh generated hernias, rapid humour induced tear expulsion, and peeing yourself. Do not stand on high tension power lines while listening to this audiobook.

Moments of sheer brilliance

I loved just about everything here. Great stuff.

A Comedic Genius Just Kind Of Messing Around

Reviewers who are disappointed that a book called “pure drivel” is, in fact, pure drivel, have no one to blame but themselves. Is every chapter pure gold? No. Is there enough pure gold in here to make it all more than worth it? Absolutely. Steve Martin’s uniqueness is on full display here, and it’s wonderful to behold.

Truly Pure Drivel (Worthless)

What disappointed you about Pure Drivel?

This book was pointless, didn't even begin to be funny, and was a complete waste of time. This the worst book I have ever read or listened to. Don't make the same mistake I made in thinking that if it is Steve Martin, it has to be funny.

pure drivel...

the name says it all.

Not as good as I thought it would be.

I really like Steve Martin. But this book had way to many things going on.

This should be a stage act - not an audiobook

Even though I LOVE Steve Martin, one of the best comedians ever and creative as one can possibly be, this is a mix of short stories or pieces with no connecting line of which some are nice however most are boring. I think my opinion may have been different if I was seeing it as a stage act.

My first non-finished audio-book.. Sorry Steve, you are great but this one is not.

Really? Only 2 hours and 14 minutes?

Seemed longer.

I wanted to like it based on the excerpt from the book which was the free download for joining Audible.com. I thought that was wonderful.

The rest of the book -- not so much.

Very forgettable.