Born Standing Up

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin wasn't a bad autobiography.

The book details the life of the comedian from when he was born all the way to when he quit as a stand-up comedian.

It was interesting to read that - as a child - he took a job working in Disneyland. I think this had the biggest influences on his career as he worked in a magic shop and he developed ideas for his performances through his work there.

His family life was also intriguing as he was born into what - on the surface - resembled an all American family. He had a loving mother but a hard father.

It seems the majority of Martin's career could be attributed to the lack of confidence his father had in the son's work. The final words between father and son while the former is on his death bed can be evidence of this.

I know that Martin's departure from stand-up was a suitable ending for the book as it was mainly about how his act developed and how he became a national star. I just felt that I would have liked to have read more about his film career. The final portion of the memoir centres on The Jerk but this is the only film he made while working full-time as a comedian.

Hopefully, there will be a sequel that includes memoirs from his time as an comedic actor.