Shout Out to the Wild and Crazy Guy

I just searched TTGSiMH for references to Steve Martin and see that I have been woefully sparse in my nods to one of my favorite comedians. How favorite? There was a time when I could quote about 90% of his albums verbatim (if you exclude The Steve Martin Brothers, we didn't have that one). I got the Martin bug from my brother (they were originally his albums) and passed it along to my sister (for awhile we could quote an entire album IN UNISON - that's some scary stuff right there).

Steve has always helped me out. I remember I had to do a monologue in drama class but instead of preparing I just jumped on stage and started with some of the cleaner stuff and kept going until they called time. I even used that little wrist twitch/cuff straightening thing in my performance (plus miming drinking from a glass then swirling the liquid and compulsively setting it down and picking it up while I talked) but I doubt that anyone got it.

I don't listen to my Martin like I used to - the albums were in VINYL, people! But I did get "A Wild and Crazy Guy" on CD a couple of years ago and have spun it a few times. (I actually like "Comedy is Not Pretty" quite a bit - I love Cruel Shoes - and should get that one on CD, too.) I added his website to my sidebar awhile back when I ran across it. I read "Shopgirl" a couple of years ago. I've seen most of his movies, even "Bringing Down the House."

Basically I am quietly, consistently, and insistently a fan. But I was always a fan especially of his stand up. I still use some of his lines on a semi-regular basis (Fred's Bank, I break with thee, I remember now - I'm radioactive!) so I'm delighted that he has released the autobiography "Born Standing Up" which chronicles the years up to when he quit stand-up in 1981. In the foreword he pens, "In a sense this book is not an autobiography but a biography, because I am writing about someone I used to know.”

Tell us more, Steve, tell us more.

11/29/07 Update: I got a hit as related content from The Washington Post. I've made the big time, baby!