Comedy albums were common in my house while growing up: Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, and Steve Martin. I listened to Let's Get Small and Wild and Crazy Guy almost as many times as I saw The Jerk. A smooth courtship with my current wife was almost disrupted when I insisted she listen to Martin albums with me. I read Cruel Shoes about ten times as a young teenager. For reasons related to my current living arrangement, I adore Cheaper by the Dozen.
So I was happy to see this story:
There's so much of Steve Martin to love -- actor, comedian, writer, banjo player -- that it was hard to hit all the high spots when he received the eighth annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center last night. . .
Martin, 60, is by far the most versatile of the illustrious group of winners. He has, among many things, won an Emmy for comedy writing ("The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"), won Grammys for two best-selling comedy records; done sketch and stand-up comedy; written two off-Broadway plays and best-selling novellas (one of which, "Shopgirl," has been made into the new movie starring Martin and Claire Danes); and assembled a world-class art collection. In the did-you-know category, Martin also won a Grammy for his banjo playing in the Earl Scruggs video of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."
