Customer Reviews

Steve Martin: The Magic Years

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Walker is a long-time close friend of Steve Martin, which certainly qualifies him to write a book of this sort, but unfortunately he seems more concerned with dropping his own name into the story at every turn than in illuminating Martin's life and work in any substantial way. Some of the facts of Steve Martin's early days are interesting, but the thread gets lost once Martin becomes famous. You can sense his (Martin's) moving beyond Walker's circle (probably for good reason), and a suggestion of Walker's need to hang on. There is a very interesting book waiting to be written about this gifted and brilliant comedian/actor/writer, but this is definitely not that book.

First, let me start off by saying that I am a HUGE Steve Martin fan and that I had very high hopes for this book. I had never seen a bio on Steve Martin before, and when I saw that this was more about how he got started with comedy and magic, I was really excited.

But half-way through the book, I found myself bored and confused. For example, the author starts off one chapter by saying that Steve Martin makes a lot of money (he seems almost obsessed with the subject of money and how much of it Mr. Martin makes) and then a few paragraphs later, says how "Steve doesn't like to discuss money". Then only a few paragraphs later talks about how much it costs Steve Martin to live each year ($... million he says)...then says how private Steve Martin is about his money. All of these contradictions within a few paragraphs of each other.

Also, we all realize that the author and Steve Martin were good friends growing up...we don't need to hear about it every other paragraph. It's as if the author feels like he needs to prove it to us every page...like we don't belive him or something. This man has something to prove and we as readers have to pay for it. I got the feeling that the author had been telling these stories at parties for the past 20 years and no one belived that he knew Steve Martin so to get back at them, he wrote a book and put a big picture of the two of them on the back cover.

All this being said, there are some good stories, and if you can get past the author, the subject matter is very interesting.

After 50 pages is was apparent that this one trick pony should not have been allowed in the show. I know that's harsh, but fans will want more substance from a so-called insider who builds his effort around childhood pranks and high school clowning. His perceived present impressions of Martin are derived from 'dozens of letters' that are rarely if ever cited. Also difficult to read are the author's implied contributions to the development of Steve's talent with mock protestations of his own implication.

A more focused approach would have presented the material only in the context of that time period instead the author writes with broad strokes and thus sacrifices credibility by claiming to have insight on the present Mr. Martin.

There is a story here; it's just not presented well. No doubt, the author and Martin have a definite bond--one that would have made a nice photo essay for Vanity Fair.

(Take away half a star for amateur publishing.)

Walker seems obsessed with how successful Martin is and how much money he's made. He comes across as envious and at time resentful (which he actually says on the first page.) How could so many readers/reviewers here have missed this? Walker returns to the topic of Martin's income REPEATEDLY.

He frequently refers to his friend as "Steve Martin" or "The Steve Martin," giving the impression that his old buddy's celebrity status is more important than who Steve is as a person.

Many of his stories are laborious in detail and analysis. Where was the editor?

I only listened to this book after reading Steve's memoir, "Born Standing Up" and while Martin had a specific focus in his book (the development of his stand-up act,) I found it more enjoyable reading. Walker does tell many stories Martin didn't, but they were often childhood pranks and don't add much to the story of how Martin created the unique comedy act he did. Though Walker would clearly like to take the credit for the origin of MANY of Steve's routines.
Skip this one!

I'm a big fan of Steve Martin but I can't believe he allowed his childhood friend to publish this book! My best guess is Martin felt sorry for Walker and he thought Walker could use the money. This book details several unamusing incidents (and a couple of truly funny ones) in laborious detail in young Steve's and Morris' life. It is certainly not a biography of Martin but more a very detailed but poorly written account of Walker and Martin's pre-adolescent friendship. I feel bad writing this because Walker is probably a very nice fellow but he comes off in his writing as a person with a lot of issues with the fact that his childhood friend got famous and wealthy and Walker didn't. I was amazed to see that the average review here was 4 stars but I noticed most of them were about the audio tape. Maybe the tape is better.

You will believe that Morris Walker was best buddies with Steve Martin for six years in school a long time ago. You will also agree that while Mr. Martin has made some very smart career decisions and been quite lucky, Mr. Walker has had the opposite experience. This is, at essence, an extremely honest and open book about two show business careers with wildly differing trajectories.

The world is better that this book was written. The author is a gifted storyteller with a couple of dozen good tales to tell. His loving outlook on life will charm many people. It made me nostalgic for my own high school days, about 12 years after these two.

Ultimately, however, I felt more uncomfortable than charmed, because Steve Martin has so clearly moved on from his high school days and comes across as patient and tolerant of his old friend's two-decade obsession with writing this book. I don't need to know about the author's sister's hookup with Steve. Too much sharing for my taste.

Being a long time fan of Steve Martin's, I snapped up this book when I saw it. What a disappointment. Here is a boyhood friend of Steve's who must literally tell you what a good friend of Steve's he is once every 5 pages! A good editor would have cut this book in half, leaving out the author's self references "I did this...I did that" and excluded his rants on drugs and morality. Only the strongest of fans should read this. Get it at the library.

Sorry, but only a Steve Martin fanatic would enjoy this pathetic mess. These poorly written and structured antedotes from adolesence are extremely trite and stupid, and certainly come across as the embarrassing and boring prattle of an author who is desperate to associate himself with success. I can't believe these other reviewers who rave about this book - how based in reality could they possibly be. And what's with the editing of the book. Why didn't they correct the grammatical errors and the myriad spelling mistakes?! I've never seen such a sloppy job of publishing in my life! I'll certainly steer clear of this amateur publisher in the future. Good Grief!!!!!

Kudos to Morris Walker for such a wonderful book on the life & childhood of Steve Martin! I could not put this book down for a second and will read it again and again! A refreshing look into the person behind the comedy legend. This book takes you into a friendship that started in childhood and still continues today. The stories will have you laughing for days! The author takes you through Steve's childhood, family life, career highs and lows, and the man he is now, all with many funny stories and great memories along the way. After reading this book, I felt like I knew them both personally. If you want to know the "real" story of Steve Martin, this is definitely the book to read! I will treasure this book always!

I like biographies, I like Steve Martin. I love Disneyland and there are many references to Disneyland in this book. I am very patient about giving an author a chance and usually stubborn about seeing a book through to its end. I couldn't do it this time, though.

This book is very poorly written and organized. The writing jumps around thematically and chronologically. Much of the writing is boring and some of it is truly cringe-worthy.

I am sorry I gave this a try. I should have stopped much sooner.