Using rather spare, elegant prose he reflects on how, and why, he developed and honed his acts over the many years he remained on the comedy circuit. Although he was still drawing large audiences, this was a career he walked away from in 1981 because he felt he had done as much with it as he could, didn’t want to become stale and wanted to pursue his film career. In this fascinating autobiography Steve Martin reflects on his childhood, his family relationships, his early jobs in California theme parks and, following his early days as a magician, his developing career in stand-up comedy. 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.

It took Martin decades to reconnect with his parents and sister, and he tells that story with great tenderness. To be this good, to perform so frequently, was isolating and lonely. Martin illuminates the sacrifice, discipline and originality that made him an icon and informs his work to this day. The story of these years, during which he practiced and honed his craft, is moving and revelatory. 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. Born Standing Up is, in his own words, the story of 'why I did stand-up and why I walked away.'Īt age ten Martin started his career at Disneyland, selling guidebooks in the newly opened theme park. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In the mid-seventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. The Emmy and Grammy Award-winner's candid, spectacularly amusing memoir of his years in stand-up

Born standing up a comics life