I was not self-destructive, though I almost destroyed myself. I didn't sing, dance or act, though working around that minor detail made me inventive.

I did not strive valiantly against doubters but took incremental steps studded with a few intuitive leaps. The course was more plodding than heroic. I was seeking comic originality, and fame fell on me as a byproduct. Ten of those years were spent learning, four years were spent refining, and four years were spent in wild success. (Reading) I did stand-up comedy for 18 years. GROSS: I'd like you to open with a reading from the beginning of the book, and we've edited this slightly to make it just a little shorter for the broadcast. He won the Mark Twain prize for American Humor in 2005 and was one of the Kennedy Center honorees in 2007. Martin is still making movies and in recent years has also written plays, essays and books. As we'll hear, the fame that brought him huge audiences also eventually made it impossible for him to do the kind of comedy that made him original. He became famous from his appearances on 'Saturday Night Live' in the '70s. I spoke with Steve Martin when it was published last fall. His memoir, 'Born Standing Up,' looks back on those years and analyzes how and why he put together his act. GROSS: That was the opening of Steve Martin's 1978 album, 'Wild and Crazy Guy.' He did stand-up comedy for 18 years. So I can just have about as much as I want, you know what I mean? And it doesn't affect me.

MARTIN: That's right, for every one you buy, I get two.

Hey, I'm not trying to be a big shot or anything like that, but I get my drinks half price. Looking for a little different kind of thing tonight (unintelligible). I'm going to do the same joke over and over in the same show. And I think rather than do it just twice, I think I'm going to do it over and over. MARTIN: This is what I enjoy, so I'm just going to do the same thing over and over and over. MARTIN: So, let's get going, huh? I mean, I think there's nothing better for a person to come out and do the same thing over and over for two weeks. We do two shows tonight, and I'm really looking forward to it. Great to be here for the closing night show here at the - where is this? Is this San Francisco? OK, I've been here for two weeks and this is the closing night. (Soundbite of album 'Wild and Crazy Guy')

For our first show of 2009, we have an interview with Steve Martin.

Steve martin stand up book