by Steve Martin and Harry Bliss (Biography Martin)
Comedian/actor/musician/writer Steve Martin and cartoonist Harry Bliss team up for a second collaborative book, following their 2020 release, A Wealth of Pigeons.
This time, it’s even more
autobiographical than it was the last time. The first 60% of the book is Steve
Martin’s reminiscences about his years in the motion picture industry, where he
made over 40 films before ultimately becoming disenchanted with the film-making
process and walking away. This portion of the book is told through a series of
cartoons of Steve and Harry taking a walk with Harry’s (talking) dog, and Steve
throwing out bits and pieces of memories, which Harry then illustrates. The
book is crammed with dry, wry humor and fond memories. And Harry’s artwork,
while occasionally fanciful, also includes absolutely stunning recreations of
many of Steve’s co-stars or the other celebrities in whose orbit he
occasionally found himself.
The latter 40% of the book is a
collection of (mostly) single-panel cartoons co-created by both Martin and
Bliss — which feel very much like Bliss’ frequent contributions to the New
Yorker magazine.
I enjoyed Number One is Walking a great deal, and constantly
found myself in awe of Harry Bliss’ ability to capture the essence and
personalities of so many recognizable entertainers and celebrities in a few
simple brush strokes. However, as much as I enjoyed reading this, I left this
book feeling like I wanted more than I was given…it feels very lightweight,
especially in comparison to most celebrity biographies. On the other hand, even
if each of Steve’s show biz memories is only 2-4 pages long, the artwork brings
them all to life! So…it’s a bit of a mixed bag.
(If you enjoy this, you may also wish
to try A Wealth of Pigeons by Steve Martin and Harry Bliss, or the
autobiography Born Standing Up by Steve Martin, or possibly Steve’s humor
book, The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits of Very Organized People. Make
That Ten. The Tweets of Steve Martin.)
( official Harry Bliss
web site ) | ( official Steve Martin web site )
Recommended
by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
Have you read or listened to
this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
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