A Night’s Conversation With Steve Martin

After hearing a very negative review, I went to "A Conversation With Steve Martin" last week with some skepticism regarding the show's content. It wasn't meant to be a comedy show, nor was its purpose to showcase Steve's skills as a musician (he's touring with his band right now). It was strictly to be an interview, given by a local public radio personality. You may be thinking what I was thinking- he's going to talk down to everyone about politics, art, and his personal accomplishments... BOOOORING! But to be honest I came out of there with a new-found respect for this multi-faceted -and still very funny- man. He talked about his experiences in show business, shared stories about actors, producers, and friends while sharing wisdom he's picked up along the way. He was humble and courteous but also frank and humorous. I believe he took the criticism that he received from that previous review and responded by cordially tweaking his subsequent appearances. He even took questions from the audience and if he thought the question stunk, he said it!

Steve finished the night with a very skillful banjo solo.

I went in there expecting to hear 2 hours of advertisement for Steve Martin's new book or bluegrass album and while I still would have enjoyed hearing him say "I bought these wax lips for your jar" just once, I left smiling with contentment as if I'd left a casual evening with a friend. If you get the opportunity, I highly recommend giving this show a chance.