I have had satellite radio for some time now. The main comedy channel plays a fascinating variety of performers. Once in a while, they will play an old routine from Steve Martin.

On first listen, you might think he’s bombing. The jokes don’t have a traditional structure and some of the laughter from the audience sounds more nervous and polite than riotous. But Martin – a wonderful performer for so many years – soldiers on, casually stressing the absurdity of the name “Gern Blanston” or rolling through an undecipherable joke which was supposedly intended for a group of plumbers at the show.

He obviously made it work since he turned into one of the most successful stand-up comedians ever, which just served as a precursor to his amazing career as an actor and writer. I just finished reading his 2007 autobiography Born Standing Up and learned exactly how he made those routines I hear on the radio work so well.

I wouldn’t usually read a celebrity autobiography like this, but I had heard good things about the book. He focused on one thing – his stand-up career – and didn’t set out to try and shock the reader. He simply wanted to share how he got to such a high point and why he walked away for other creative pursuits.

Martin paints a fascinating and engaging story. His skill as a writer helps a lot. I read the book in about three days, an incredibly short time for me. I also ripped through his 2000 novella Shopgirl pretty quickly. He just has an easy style of writing that I enjoy.

Combine his gift as a writer, his diverse success in entertainment and the idea of someone creating an almost new brand of comedy in the late 1960s and early 1970s and you have one of the best books I have read in a while.

Side note: I have now completed five books, which has me well on pace to keep up the “average one book a month” pledge I started in 2009. I have started reading two recently – one I got from the library after I started something else so I will finish the library one first, then get back to the other one – so I’ll easily read a dozen and might top last year’s total of 16.