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So Many Steves: Afternoons with Steve Martin Audible Audiobook – Original recording

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

Steve Martin is more candid than he’s ever been about his creative life—in this engrossing audio-biography centered around a series of conversations recorded over many afternoons at home with his friend and neighbor, writer Adam Gopnik.

Steve Martin met his good friend Adam Gopnik three decades ago, and in that time, Gopnik has always marveled at Martin’s ability to flourish in a wide variety of artforms: magic, comedy, art collecting, writing, and music. In So Many Steves: Afternoons with Steve Martin, New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik creates a new type of profile: a year’s worth of conversations with Martin where Gopnik pulls back the curtain on his friend’s illustrious career.

This audio-biography places you in Martin’s apartment across from Steve and Adam, listening as their conversation flows from Steve’s first job in a magic shop to selling out stadiums as a standup comedian, starring in major motion pictures, writing his first novel, teaching himself to play the banjo, and starting a respected art collection. Through it all you’ll hear clips from Steve Martin’s iconic stand up routines and movies as well as excerpts from his writing and tv appearances, all knit together by an original banjo score created and played by Steve.

Widely praised for his dada persona and portrayal of funny-yet-relatable parents, Steve shares behind the scenes anecdotes from his films―L.A. Story, The Jerk, Three Amigos, and more―giving listeners a taste of life on set. More than a history, this series of intimate conversations between old colleagues reveal Martin's thoughtful approach to both art and life. As Steve develops as an artist, challenging himself with learning new crafts, Adam sees his friend growing and evolving as a person: becoming warmer, more gregarious, and even more gracious.

With Adam’s tender audio-portrait of Steve Martin as an ever-progressing creator, and Martin's own insights into his career and life, So Many Steves shares new perspectives on the comedy legend.

Product details

Listening Length 2 hours and 46 minutes
Author Steve Martin, Adam Gopnik
Narrator Steve Martin, Adam Gopnik
Audible.com Release Date May 02, 2023
Publisher Pushkin Industries
Program Type Audiobook
Version Original recording
Language English
ASIN B0BYPHN9TW
Best Sellers Rank #23,292 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#426 in Comedy & Humor
#452 in Biographies of Celebrities & Entertainment Professionals
#652 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
5 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2024
I’ve been a fan of Steve Martin since the 70s, and have always marveled at his mastery of so many different things. This book explores them all and his motivations and inspirations. Martin comes off as a genuinely nice, personable guy who just happens to be unassumingly brilliant, and listening to the book feels like sitting down with friends.
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2023
I thought this was going to be a traditional autobiography but instead it turned out to be a discussion about steve martins life and career. korea period much more interesting.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2023
Was a fan of Martin's "Born Standing Up" (also in audio version) which focused on his youth and evolution into a standup comic - where he writes, fascinatingly, about the intellectual basis and evolution of his stand-up career. Some of the narrative from that period is repeated in "So Many Steves" (impact of his philosophy background and his interest in magic leading into comedy) which is fine because it is interesting insight into the singular comic persona he created and became famous for. Also a positive, "So Many Steves" continues the narrative into Steve's later career, while "Born Standing Up" ended at the end of his stand-up years. The huge problem, for me, with "So Many Steves" is mostly Gopnik, who is both unctuous and self-regarding (as he is in many of his New Yorker pieces)- and seems way too taken with his status as Martin's friend to be an interesting interviewer. It becomes so off-putting. Way too much suck-up. Almost Jiminy Glick-ish (actually Martin Short would have been a better interviewer). Gopnik often interjects a "theory" of Steve's work as conversation prompt thinking he is making a genius connection (because, ugh, he knows Steve soooo well and, well, they do travel together you know) but you can tell that, frequently, with Martin's answer whatever Gopnik is babbling about was the furthest thing from Martin's mind when he created the work they are discussing - but Steve is too polite to come out and say so. I also have to say that I found Martin a little bit too self-congratulatory and self-regarding in these recordings. Yes, these interviews act as a retrospective of the man's career but a little bit of humbleness would go a long way. The man is an incredible talent (less so, I feel, in his play and book-writing than his work as a comedian and comic actor), but the entire three hours imparts a certain "I did this and how wonderful I am for doing that" - he should be making fun of this rather than being that guy. There was no such tone in "Born Standing Up"-- there was more of a sense of wonder and self-effacement, at worst, a matter-of-factness- in the tone of that book as he developed from a young magician to a comedian selling out stadiums. Martin is certainly entitled to bask in his accomplishments, but "basking" does not always make for an interesting listen. I usually love interviews with Martin - but thought this was very poor unfurling of an always interesting subject.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2024
As a long time Steve Martin fan I was pleasantly surprised by this audible interview set. I didn’t realize it wasn’t a book until I began, but throughly enjoyed learning about Martin and the conversation format.