I recently acquired the unabridged audio cd of Steve Martin‘s autobiography thanks to a Father’s Day-related gift card (thanks Mom!). If you have talked art, culture, drama, or writing with me at all, you know that I consider Steve Martin one of the best contemporary playwrights, screenwriters, and novelists.

Ever since watching VHS rentals of his comedy act from the 1970s, I have always had a hard time explaining what I believe to be his genius, but listening to the autobiography helped my quantify it a little more. In the book he discusses the development and philosophy of his act, and how it influenced his body of work. The philosophy is mixed with anecdote, jokes that killed, jokes that bombed, and life story.

It isn’t a story for all time, but it is a great story of how hard work, talent, and serendipity forged the life and career of an amazing writer and performer. I suppose if you don’t like Steve Martin, you won’t like the book. But I found it interesting, insightful and funny. The audio cd is, thankfully, read by Martin so the nuance and meaning isn’t left to interpretation of a narrator. I have found myself laughing out loud less frequently these last few years, but Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life provided ample opportunity.