The Year of the Rat Reading 12: "Born Standing Up"

When I was in 8th grade I wasn't wittiest in class. Some other kid got it. I thought what kind of bullshit is this? I knew I was funnier. So over the next four years I worked even harder on it and in 12th grade I was picked as class clown.
During my first year of university I saw the Second City Comedy Troupe. I thought to myself, I can do this. But I couldn't. I got lazy and never made a mark in comedy or the arts or in theater. I found that it wasn't the person who could do these things because I didn't have the dedication to the craft.
One thing you will notice about me is that I am full of bluster. I talk a good game but then I can't back it up. More accurately, won't back it up. I always say I am going to do something and then something else occurs.
So this all kind of came back to me when I was reading Steve Martin's memoir of his life as a standup comedian. He talks about all of the difficulties of becoming famous and then the difficulties that come once you are on top.
After living in Japan and always being stopped by little kids to talk I kind of felt famous. I never really liked being bothered all of the time. So I can kind of understand what Martin goes though after he is famous and can understand why he steps down from the Olympus of Comedy. It would be nice to see what would happen if he went back into it.
So that is his memoir. It triggered up lots of memories for me.