I just finished reading this book last night after getting it at Christmas, so it is a quick read.
I am a fan of Steve Martin so I was predisposed to like this. This isn't a biography, per se, but a telling of how he developed his comic sensibility.
It covers the early part of his creative life. It starts with him as a teenager working at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm up to his last stand up comedy concert in the early '80s. We see how he transformed himself from a stage magician to a comic--how he developed his act, how he chose his jokes, and the epiphanies he found along the way.
He does touch on his private life a bit but he doesn't dwell. You don't get the lurid details of his love life or his struggles with his father. But you get the sense of how they effected him.
The book moves fast. Martin has found a way to provide just enough information in a quick pace. Let's face it, he could probably write a book about his involvement with Saturday Night Live alone. But, as it is, it gets only part of a chapter.
Don't get me wrong, you are not wanting for more or feel cheated. I just included that to illustrate the tone.
I highly recommend this to any fan of Steve Martin or any aspiring stand-up comedian.
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