Born Standing Up

I just finished reading Steve Martins book 'Born Standing Up' and it has made me totally happy and love with stand up and 'the cliiimb' again.

I am slightly afraid this euphoria is superficial and might be short lived (like the depressed priest in Father Ted who gets cheered up by listening to Shaft and is going to get depressed again when they get on the bus and have to hear Radiohead) but hopefully it is not.

But I am not cheered up because I am all fired up about comedy and think that if I believe and my heart is pure I can achieve greatness. I am cheered because I have been re-acquainted with the pure enjoyment side of things.

I loved reading Steve Martins book because it feels like he writes it with no ego or bitterness, and he loves what he is doing. He has a strong work ethic but still treats what he is doing as art, but without being pretentious or letting an ego get in the way of his perception of everything. How many comics can do that? I think the answer might be only him. Maybe Barry Cryer..

And he worked really hard for a long time before he got anywhere he really wanted to be. Him taking a long time isn't cheering because I'm thinking 'if he took a long time to get somewhere, maybe I can still get somewhere too' I'm not thinking that. It's just made me think almost the longer it takes the better, and if you aren't enjoying that bit, what are you even doing in the first place.

I have loads of ideas I am really excited about, and now I feel like I am allowed to enjoy them even if nothing happens with them. Their merit isn't in their outsider success. I don't have to apologise for them because they haven't 'got anywhere.'

Also, I couldn't help but contrast this book with another comic biography I read recently, which was by Frank Skinner. I was struck by the fact that he grew up in a miserable, cold town in the UK, and has quite a cruel and competitive streak, and Steve Martin grew up in lovely, sunny Orange County and worked in Disneyland, and seems much happier. Now I wish I had grown up in California too.

But hopefully this contrast means that I read the depressing, mean book first, (which was my priests Radiohead), so I have left it on Shaft and can be happy forever. Nothing can possibly go wrong with that.