Pure Drivel

Steve Martin's collection of "New Yorker" short pieces is so intellectually inspired, that one is tempted to analyze it and perhaps alienate potential readers. So, I will restrain from doing that. Nor will I try to imitate his inimitable style (uh oh, too late!). On with the review:This is a hilarious, smarmily profound (in the manner that Martin seems to have invented), clever, wise, stimulating, and yes, laugh-out-loud (Martin could do a whole essay on that overused phrase) funny book. As a slim volume (115 pages) it's a bit pricey, but the material is so dense, so rich with humor, that even the least of these is worth reading several times over. Martin absolutely skewers the trendy in such pieces as "Closure" and "On Writing":"Because topics are in such short supply, I have provided a few...'Naked Belligerent Panties': This is a good sexy title with a lot of promise...Something about how waves at the beach just keep coming and coming and how amazing it is (I smell a best-seller here).'Visions of Melancholy from a Fast-Moving Train': Some foreign writer is right now rushing to his keyboard, ready to pound on it like Horowitz."Like Bill Murray, Martin can both inhabit and distance himself from his targets, and he is a master of light-hearted mockery: In "Dear Amanda," as Joey, he writes "It was a lucky coincidence that my cat leapt on your speed-dial button last night, as it gave us a chance to talk again. Afterwards, I was wondering what you meant when you said, `It's over, Joey, get it into your head.'"Martin's own topics are mostly about the arts in general, and writing in particular. He has a knack for the throwaway line (from "Times Roman Font..."): "Bobby Brainard, a writer living in an isolated cabin in Montana, who is in fact the only writer living in an isolated cabin in Montana who is not insane..."), as well as the pithy observation (from Hissy Fit: "He fails to see that Los Angeles is a city of abundant and compelling almosts."). He writes movingly and with great subtlety in a tribute to Walter Matthau that doesn't read like a tribute ("Michael Jackson's Old Face"). And there's his extraordinary tale of irony (the clash, I suppose, of text and subtext) in the very funny "Drivel": "She had painted a tabletop still life that was a conceptual work in that it had no concept. Thus the viewer became a `viewer,' who looked at a painting, which became a `painting...' Dolly could take the infinitesimal pause to imply the quotations around a word (she could also indicate italics with just a twist of her voice)." She breaks up with him when he actually likes one of her paintings "without any irony whatsoever."Every once in a while, in the midst of the non-sequiturs and wise observations, there is a phrase or sentence (only once, a story, "Bad Dog") that sounds off, or a bit lazy, or just sophomoric. For example, after this wonderful exchange (from "Lolita at Fifty"): "'Name?' `Lo-lee-tah.' She spoke her name like a steam radiator with con

This book of humorous pieces by one of our most famous, irreplacable comic minds, was very tricky for me to review. Especially because I was reviewing it while making animals out of balloons, playing the banjo, and writing a screenplay for my next film....while hanging upside down.Yes, folks, this is not an easy book to review.And it's not easy humor to "get" all the time.If you are dumb, don't buy this book. Oops, sorry.If you are pretentious, consider buying this book, but don't read it. Whoops.If you like to pass out laughing at certain things and you are willing to let other things go that are not totally "perfect" for your tastes in humor, BUY THIS BOOK.Steve Martin has an amazing, remarkable BRAIN and he is trying many things with these pieces in this book. It is not meant to be a cohesive whole, written in a single style. Do not expect to love all of it.But the parts that get you..are really really worth it.Good Father's Day book.I love Steve Martin. And this little book is diverse, far ranging, and worth typing upside down for.

from my jail cell and still running for public office, I realize I have taken several actions in my life for which I owe public apologies.And so begins the Author's "A Public Apology" in "Pure Drivel". I thought this little collection of wit to be not only funny, but also extremely well penned. If the thought of Steve Martin conjures the image of him clad in Egyptian Regalia singing "King Tut", you will find there is much more to this actor, comedian, playwright, writer of short stories a forthcoming book, and musician.Mr. Martin not only has an extremely unique view of life, he has the ability to deliver it through all of the methods listed above. I agree this was short, I also believe were it much longer, its impact would have been lessened. Timing is what this man does so well, and knowing when enough means finished, is a rare talent indeed.

Steve Martin. My favorite comedian. I must admit that when I bought this book, I was looking for straight-up comedic laughs as only Steve Martin can deliver. What I got was not what I expected, but still was very intriguing. This book is a short read, true, suited for maybe a book to read while travelling (just not while you're driving) or just trying to pass time.First off, it might not be what you expect. For those of you who have read Steve's 1979 book "Cruel Shoes," this is the same type of humor. Mainly quirky little things that might make you say, "hmm?" Some of it is rather bizarre, as some people have complained, but I don't think that merits a complaint at all. The book is a pleasant read, especially for those with more complex minds who enjoy a more "mature" laugh rather than low-class, low-brow bathroom humor. If you are this kind of person, or if you are a fan of Steve Martin's work, I recommend you buy it.

I would like to warn anybody who is considering taking this book on a plane to read. I did this, as it is a short, humorous read--airplane fare. But ohhh, what a mistake. I had to stash it in my bag after ten minutes and multiple glances from the passengers around me. For you see, a plane is a very quiet, packed-in environment--not very conducive to rolling-on-the-floor, eyes-reddening-with-tears laughter--which was the case when I first tried to read _Pure_Drivel._ All in all, Steve Martin is the comic genius everyone claims him to be, and this book is a fine example of his propensity to write incredibly funny essays. Yes, you SHOULD buy it.