Books on the Bike 1 - Born Standing Up

Plans and / or rules were made to be changed and / or broken. Let me take a moment to clarify. It seems that the most difficult part of this 5 part plan to get healthy is “5 – I will write stuff in this here blog.” I think it was too ambitious to try and post a new blog entry three times a week. My full-time job and abiding very strictly to parts 1-4 of my plan (which I’ve been doing very well) I feel that a promise to blog at least twice a week seems more reasonable. Now that is out of the way, let’s move on to the first installment of Books on the Bike.

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

I really enjoyed reading this little book (just over 200 pages worth). It is Mr. Martin re-visiting his past life immersed in magic and stand-up comedy. He paints a vivid picture of his highs, lows, and struggles along the path to becoming a superstar. He challenged comedy standards not only thinking outside the box, but also taking his audience with him (literally, like a pied piper he would often lead them outside the clubs / theaters for the last part of his show). I found myself constantly amazed at the detail with which he re-told so many of his stories remembering names of people that seemed to slide in and out of his life very quickly. (If it were me having to recall such details from my past the reader would be presented with “One time this dude told me that this other guy had this thing that had bunch of stuff in it and it was nice.”)

Martin takes you on a historical journey through the evolution of his act. From his job selling guide books at Disneyland to his stint in a magic shop, the reader gets gradual glimpses into all of the little moments and elements that grew into his visual comedy and iconic catch phrases (“Well, Excuuuuuuuuse me! – Steve Martin had 8 U’s well before Raaaaaaaandy and his 8 A’s). He did not become an overnight success from one Tonight Show appearance. Instead he worked and worked at his act and then several Tonight Show appearances later everything lined up properly and he struck the right chord with the viewing public. As is common with most comic talents there was a dark lonely side to him during his climb to the top. A strained relationship with a resentful father and an overall disconnection from his family made Steve Martin’s lonely life on the road a whole lot lonelier. To add to that his success brought with it fame and fortune, but also more loneliness and isolation. Ultimately he walked away from stand-up to pursue new avenues in show business.

This book is chocked full of stories from his life that are just cool as hell. Working as a writer / performer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and forming a strong bond with fellow writer / performer Bob Einstein (Super Dave Osborne). One can picture the two of them in stitches cracking each other up behind the scenes. The time he met Elvis is another anecdote that stood out. Not only was it a huge star struck moment for him to meet THE Elvis, but Elvis truly appreciated Steve’s off-beat sense of humor (showing empathy for Martin because Elvis also had a sense of humor his audiences did not always understand). How cool is that?

Okay so I give this book 2.5 out of 3 fake prop arrows through the head. Any more than that and you’re just asking for a headache (I’ll be here all week, be sure to tip your waitress). I’m a Newly Fat Guy and I’ll weigh myself soon. “I can lose weight, but you’ll always be a couple of wild and crazy guys.”