I RECENTLY SAW AN EXCELLENT TV biography of Steve Martin. Hollywood star, stand-up comedian, magician, banjo player and author which revealed a great depth of talent beyond his wacky screen roles seen in films like “The Jerk”, “Dead Men don’t wear Plaid”,  ”Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and many other successful movies.

A man who started his career demonstrating magic and balloons in Disneyland, who developed an off-the-wall style of humour which got him into comedy clubs where he rose to become one of the biggest stars presenting his sometimes ad lib act to arenas packed with thousands. He was feted, successful, financially very happy but gave it all up in one night to go into a film that he had scripted himself – The Jerk. It is said today that it is probably his most successful film and it led to a leading film career in which many of the scripts were written by him both comedic and serious.

In addition he is a self-taught banjo player and acknowledged as among the best in that field,  has written many books and plays, collects art and is respected as a very cultured and knowledgable individual. From that one night break from stand-up comedy to movies he never went back, using films as the vehicle for his comedic talents.

What all this is leading to is that there was recently an excellent book on his stand -up career called “Born Standing Up” which is not only an excellent read but a great source of show biz  information for a patter magician. Also if you pull up You Tube on your computer and list Steve Martin you will find clips of him doing magic when he was a demonstrator  before his hair went white also a clip of the great spoof magic act The Great Flydini in which magic productions - silks, cigarettes and cards are produced by magic from his trouser fly as well as a performing puppet of Pavarotti singing Nessum Dorma. It’s one of the funniest magic spoof bits you will ever see.

Steve Martin billed as the wild and crazy guy is clearly one of our great comedians and actors and much can be learned by performing magcians by watching his uninhibited stage performances and certainly from the book listed above.  

Filed under: Magic Biographies, Magic News