Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life by Steve Martin

Steve Martin is known in the publishing world for his fiction books so this was a little bit of a departure.  In Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life he chronicles his stand-up career beginning with how he got his start in show business and ending with his decision to pack it all away.  Literally. 

Steve Martin is a private person and the book offers up information on why he tries to keep his personal life separate from his public persona.  The tone is honest, nostalgic, and somewhat detached.  It’s obvious he’s moved on to other things in his life so it would be foolhardy to believe he’d do “one last tour” like so many bands that broke up decades ago.  The book answers questions that I wouldn’t have come up with on my own.  I was too young to watch Saturday Night Live or The Tonight Show when he had his stand-up career so my first exposure to him was through his movies.  One of those questions includes, “Why the white suit?” 

It was difficult to put down; I read it in one weekend.  It is my wish that one day he’ll tackle the subject of his varied writing career with the same regard he’s given his stand-up career.