I’ve been a fan of Steve Martin’s work ever since he was writing for the Smothers Brothers and appearing occasionally on their TV show, which was more years ago than I like to think about. BORN STANDING UP, his new memoir about his childhood and his years as a stand-up comic, is well-written and entertaining, as you’d expect. It’s not a particularly funny book, however, which is not a knock against it. And there are certainly a few laughs when Martin talks about particular bits or routines from his act. What really surprised me was how much of it I remembered. I must have seen him a lot on TV. I enjoyed the book, which ends with him giving up stand-up comedy in 1981 as his movie career was beginning. If he ever feels like writing another memoir about everything that happened after that, I’m sure I’ll probably read it.
