Steve Martin’s approach to stand-up comedy made him a sensation in the 1970s. Viewing stand-up comedy as an art form, Martin analyzed the science of what makes an audience laugh and then flipped that science completely on its head. Martin’s act was him essentially putting on a performance of an entertainer with no real discernible talent, seemingly turning the stand-up stage into his own one-man variety show. He would play the banjo, make balloon animals, and perform “magic” tricks, and he found an audience that responded to this unusual style. Steve Martin is an integral part of the history of stand-up comedy, his act resonated at the time, and he is a pioneer of absurdist humor.

These days, Steve Martin is mostly known for his amazing acting career. Starring in some of the most celebrated comedy films of all time, such as The Jerk, The Three Amigos, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and The Father of the Bride. He also makes frequent appearances on Saturday Night Live and has starred on the hit Hulu series Only Murders in the Building alongside Selena Gomez and frequent co-star Martin Short since 2021. (All of which may be addressed in future blogs.) What most people do not know about Steve Martin’s approach to stand-up comedy is that it was a deeply informed and philosophical approach. Martin majored in philosophy at California State University, Long Beach, and had also been working at theme parks such as Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm since he was young. He knew how to be a performer and get laughs, but it was his philosophical knowledge that led him to a comedic epiphany. Martin describes his philosophy of comedy in a brilliant interview with Howard Stern, where he discusses what he calls the “two kinds of laughter.” According to Martin, these two kinds of laughter are the difference between sitting in an audience and getting into the rhythm of laughing, and the second kind of laughter, which is the kind that catches you by surprise. 

“You can’t stop laughing, and when you really think about it, you don’t know why you’re laughing.”

This was the type of laughter that Steve Martin wanted to get from an audience. While working as a writer on hit comedy shows such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Martin began developing his act and comedy persona, which he felt would achieve the type of laughter the world had not seen before from a stand-up comedian. Martin’s style of comedy exists entirely within the absurd, and Martin was such a visionary that he knew there was an audience out there who were seeking this type of laughter. Martin’s stand-up persona was that of an overly confident buffoon who thought he was a great entertainer. He was essentially a stand-up comedian, making fun of stand-up comedians. One of my favorite moments from Steve Martin’s early stand-up days is his impression of the Incredible Shrinking Man. Martin would urge his audience to close their eyes, then he would extend the top of the mic stand until it was taller than him (getting some laughs from the audience members who did not close their eyes) before yelling, “Okay, you can open them,” where he was met with laughter and applause. Martin was able to use the basic structure of comedy, the setup, and misdirection in a way in which no punchlines or actual “jokes” were told.

Steve Martin’s stand-up act was definitely unusual to audiences. At the time, comedy was going through its own revolution. There were still comedians who frequently used one-liners and typical setup-punchline material, which was mostly favored by the older generation. Then there were younger comedians who were drawing material from their personal lives and the outside world. This divide in comedy mirrors the one that was taking place during that time in our nation’s history. The 1960s and 1970s were a time when the younger generation questioned and rebelled against the ideas and systems that our country was built upon. Comedians started dressing more casually and growing out their hair. Steve Martin was usually seen in an all-white suit, clean-shaven. His appearance is not only due to the character he plays on stage, but also serves as ultimate misdirection, tricking his audience into believing they know what type of comedy to expect, rather than the circus he would go on to perform for them. I would argue that Steve Martin is a counterculture comedian because he makes fun of the traditions of show business. 

Usually, when you think of counterculture comedians, the likes of George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Cheech and Chong often come to mind. These were people who often explicitly commented on the culture and represented the clash of priorities that the younger generation had at the time. Steve Martin never made explicit references to politics or culture, but his commentary could be seen through his absurdist outlook on life. In one of his most famous pieces, Martin gets his audience to recite “The Non-Conformist Oath,” in which Martin would get his audience to repeat after him:

“I promise to be different.”

“I promise to be unique.”

“I promise not to repeat things other people say.”

While this can be played off as just a silly bit, deep within this joke lies commentary about humans and the concept of conformity. Was Martin trying to say that conformity is inescapable on some level to humans? Was Martin perhaps mocking those within the counterculture movement, a movement built on nonconformity that quickly succumbed to trends that those within the culture felt they needed to take part in? Steve Martin used absurdity to voice commentary. This made Martin very popular among younger audiences, especially as he frequently hosted Saturday Night Live, eventually becoming the host with the second-most appearances (Alec Baldwin is number one). It is my belief that Steve Martin was representative of the counterculture due to his irreverence and deconstruction of the agreed-upon norms of the art of stand-up comedy. 

Martin’s act continued to grow and become immensely popular. He released four comedy albums from 1977 to 1981 and was even performing in arenas and stadiums, still using his signature style of absurdity. Then he had an unfortunate realization. As the act caught on, he noticed he was not getting the “second kind” of laughter he sought when he first developed the act. Martin describes in his memoir “Born Standing Up” that he was performing “old favorites” and described the laughs from the audience: 

“Rather than being the result of spontaneous combustion, now seemed to roll in like waves created far out at sea,” (Born Standing Up, p. 181). 

Martin was starting to feel that his stand-up’s popularity was peaking and that an inevitable decline was likely. His 1981 album, The Steve Martin Brothers, failed to certify on the charts, and as venues grew larger, he became less enthusiastic about performing his act. Signature bits such as his close-up magic routines were no longer entertaining when you have to entertain thousands of people, some of whom are sitting high up and far away. Any new material he tried was easily forgettable. It was then that Martin decided to quit stand-up comedy and pursue a now legendary movie career instead. 

The unfortunate part of being anti-establishment is that as you become more and more popular, you eventually become “the establishment.” Martin was an established comedy star; audiences knew what they wanted from him, and what they would get. It is a good thing that Martin noticed this shift in his audience’s expectations and decided to pursue acting. Steve Martin is still an immense comedy star with a great legacy in film and television. It cannot be understated, however, how impactful his early years as a stand-up comedian were. Steve Martin was the first mainstream absurdist comedian. In the decades since, absurdist humor has only grown more and more prevalent in comedy. Adult animated sitcoms such as The Simpsons and Family Guy rely heavily on absurdist humor. Comedians such as Conan O’Brien, Tim Heidecker, Eric Andre, Sarah Sherman, and The Lonely Island have also found success with absurd and deconstructionist humor. Steve Martin did stand-up the way he wanted to, and he found an audience that responded to it. He was whacky, silly, different, and very smart. Steve Martin popularized absurdist humor and remains one of the most brilliant comedic minds of all time.