Steve Martin

Emmy and Grammy Award winner, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestsellers Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company, and a regular contributor to The New Yorker, Martin has always been awriter. His memoir of his years in stand-up is candid, spectacularly amusing, and beautifully written.

At age ten Martin started his career at Disneyland, selling guidebooks in the newly opened theme park. In the decade that followed, he worked in the Disney magic shop and the Bird Cage Theatre at Knott's Berry Farm, performing his first magic/comedy act a dozen times a week. The story of these years, during which he practiced and honed his craft, is moving and revelatory. The dedication to excellence and innovation is formed at an astonishingly early age and never wavers or wanes.

Martin illuminates the sacrifice, discipline, and originality that made him an icon and informs his work to this day. To be this good, to perform so frequently, was isolating and lonely. It took Martin decades to reconnect with his parents and sister, and he tells that story with great tenderness. Martin also paints a portrait of his times -- the era of free love and protests against the war in Vietnam, the heady irreverence of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the late sixties, and the transformative new voice of Saturday Night Live in the seventies.

One of our country's most acclaimed and beloved entertainers, Steve Martin has written a novella that is unexpectedly perceptive about relationships and life. Martin is profoundly wise when it comes to the inner workings of the human heart.

Mirabelle is the "shopgirl" of the title, a young woman, beautiful in a wallflowerish kind of way, who works behind the glove counter at Neiman Marcus "selling things that nobody buys anymore..."

Slightly lost, slightly off-kilter, very shy, Mirabelle charms because of all that she is not: not glamorous, not aggressive, not self-aggrandizing. Still there is something about her that is irresistible.

Shopgirl revealed the novelist in Steve Martin -- witty, tender, intelligent, and passionate about his craft. And with the successful publication of The Pleasure of My Company, his reputation as one of our most gifted writers has been confirmed. Here, the reader is introduced to Daniel Pecan Cambridge, whose life is full and rich -- but only within the confines of his Santa Monica apartment. Daniel's pathological obsession with street curbs and gas station attendants wearing blue hats may prevent him from venturing into the world outside of his window, but not from pursuing romance in his own peculiar way.

Steve Martin's talent has always defied definition: an actor who's kept us riveted for over 25 years, a razor-sharp screenwriter, an acclaimed playwright. In this ingeniously funny collection of humorous riffs, those who thought Martin's gifts were confined to the screen will discover what readers of The New Yorker magazine already know: that Martin is a master of the written word.

Hilariously funny and intelligent in their skewering of the topic at hand, the audiobook's pieces, some of which first appeared in The New Yorker, feature Martin at his finest.

The acclaimed entertainer and bestselling author Steve Martin and the wildly clever New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast team up in a weird, wonderful excursion through the alphabet.

The ABCs have never had it so good. Created by two of today’s wittiest, most imaginative minds, The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z! is a sheer delight from A to Z. In twenty-six alliterative couplets, Steve Martin conjures up much more than mere apples and zebras. Instead we meet Horace the hare, whose hairdo hides hunchbacks, and Ollie the owl, who owed Owen an oboe. Roz Chast contributes the perfect visual settings for Martin’s zany two-liners. Her instantly recognizable drawings are packed with humorous touches both broad and subtle.

Each rereading—and there will be many—delivers new delights and discoveries. There, hidden behind Bad Baby Bubbleducks, is a framed picture of a beatnik holding balloons; and the letter C finds clunky Clarissa all clingy and clueless adrift in a landscape cluttered with images ranging from a curiously comfortable clown to Chuck’s Chili stand. A smart, laugh-inducing introduction to the alphabet for young children, The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z! will also enchant adults with its matchless mix of the sophisticated and the silly.

I have loved the banjo my whole life," says Martin. "The songs on this record represent the influence of a dozen players and a thousand tunes, and I thank them all. But it's the banjo itself I thank most for generating nostalgia for experiences I never had, joy I was yet to experience, and melancholy that was yet to come."

"Steve shows the same skill at crafting a story within the lyric of a song as he does with a novel or comedic script," according to producer John McEuen. "People will be pleasantly shocked at how vast and varied this music is. This album will show Steve as a composer of unique melodies, hot licks and soulful lyrics. He is definitely a songwriter with an unusual twist for notes and lyrics."

The Crow comes packaged with a 24-page booklet, featuring Steve's writing on the role the banjo has played in his life, along with his inspiration for each song that appears on the album."

This product may be manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media as authorized by the rights holder. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

I have loved the banjo my whole life," says Martin. "The songs on this record represent the influence of a dozen players and a thousand tunes, and I thank them all. But it's the banjo itself I thank most for generating nostalgia for experiences I never had, joy I was yet to experience, and melancholy that was yet to come."

"Steve shows the same skill at crafting a story within the lyric of a song as he does with a novel or comedic script," according to producer John McEuen. "People will be pleasantly shocked at how vast and varied this music is. This album will show Steve as a composer of unique melodies, hot licks and soulful lyrics. He is definitely a songwriter with an unusual twist for notes and lyrics."

The Crow comes packaged with a 24-page booklet, featuring Steve's writing on the role the banjo has played in his life, along with his inspiration for each song that appears on the album."

This product may be manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media as authorized by the rights holder. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Featured banjo players include Earl Scruggs, Steve Martin, Béla Fleck, Alison Brown, Tom Adams, Bill Emerson, Kenny Ingram, Scott Vestal, and Noam Pikelny, performing alongside Chris Thile, Dudley Connell, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Ron Stewart, Michael Daves, and more.

"A great CD! Fine picking!" -Earl Scruggs

"Tony's jovial wit and deep love of the banjo and acoustic music has infected and lifted me many times. Always a trailblazer, Tony plays the banjo like Tony Trischka. And many other people around the world would love to do the same." -Jerry Douglas

"Wow what a CD. For banjo lovers everywhere a Tony Trischka recording is high on the list of acquisitions. When you check out the list of players who join Tony on this project you realize that it is a must have. Get it right now so you can start enjoying it immediately." -Jorma Kaukonen

"I've known Tony Trischka for a long time, and I've always admired his inventiveness. Wherever he goes musically, he always keeps it interesting - and when it comes to bluegrass, he's got a right hand that just won't quit!" -Del McCoury