|
|
A review of A Review of Steve Martin's
Pure Drivel
By Carol Huebner
This is a marvelously funny collection of short essays, some of which have
appeared in The New Yorker. Martin sometimes reveals (and revels in) sharp
insight into life in LA, as in "Hissy Fit" and "Lolita's Fifty."
Sometimes he creates wonderful, exaggerated characters, such as Jasper (a dog
who placates his owner by singing) and Joey (a young man who really can't let
go of his girl).
He also enjoys the outrageous, such as explaining how the sledgehammer works
or describing art created by artists on Zoloft.
Perhaps the funniest and most true is the essay on a medicine's warning label,
especially the warning that use of this drug (which is for the relief of joint
pain but may cause joint pain) "may cause visions of the Virgin Mary to appear
in treetops."
Steve Martin makes us laugh at Life Around Us by exaggerating it. In this book
he really is, as his SNL character claimed to be, "a wild and crazy guy."
Hyperion 104 pp. $19.95
|
|
|
|
