First, quotes:
Thankfully, perseverance is a great substitute for talent. (page 53)
Despite a lack of natural ability, I did have the one element necessary to all early creativity: naivete, that fabulous quality that keeps you from knowing just how unsuited you are for what you are about to do. (p. 54)
…if I did spot something that was funny, I decided not to just describe it as happening to someone else, but to translate it into the first person, so it was happening to me. A guy didn’t walk into a bar, I did. I didn’t want it to appear that others were nuts; I wanted it to appear that I was nuts. (p. 73)
Through the years, I have realized there is no harm in charging oneself up with delusions between moments of valid inspiration. (p. 80)
It was essential that I never show doubt about what I was doing. (p. 112)
…make the audience believe that I thought I was fantastic, that my confidence could not be shattered. They had to believe that I didn’t care if they laughed at all, and that this act was going on with or without them. (p. 112)
I didn’t worry if a bit got no response, as long as I believed it had enough response to linger. (p. 145)
…it is possible to will confidence. (p. 170-171)
…to me, my act was serious. (p. 187)
Now, thoughts (I cannot do this book justice, as Martin is prolific and his story is a journey you’ll want to take for yourself):
Steve Martin “failed” a lot in his first 10 years of standup – before he became really really really really famous. Many didn’t get his humor and so he played to crickets quite often.
Looking back at his work, even Steve Martin says he doesn’t get some of his own stuff.
Steve Martin wasn’t a traditional comic in the sense that he wasn’t all about setups and punchlines. This struck a chord with me as I’m drawn to comedy but not the traditional punchline thing. It’s probably why I never considered standup for, well, the first THIRTY years of my life.
Steve Martin worked HARD. Much to Simon Cowell’s chagrin, he did start out at a theme park, but was smart enough to move on in his 20s when he realized that’s not where he would make his mark.
Fame ruined the experience standup for Steve Martin, though it should be pointed out that he had more success as a standup than 99% of the comics out there. He was smart enough to know that when the iron did strike very hotly that it would be short-lived. But even a brief period of sold-out crowds wore him out quickly, as he was quite lonely. Just like moving on from the theme park, Steve Martin smartly moved on to movies, where he found that he could do comedy and connect with others. He never looked back. Well, until he wrote this book a few years ago.
