Revisiting Steve Martin’s wonderful fan mail replies
Steve Martin is a man of many talents in many industries. Excelling in acting, writing and music and receiving accolades in each field, Martin has challenged the boundaries of comedy with his unique creative vision. Having worked as a frequent host on Saturday Night Live during the 1960s, it was in the following decade that the star moved into some absurd yet successful stand-up comedy routines.
Martin cemented his career in the film industry by blending his brilliant comedy with a series of lighthearted movies portraying the family patriarch. This holy trinity consists of movies such as Parenthood, the Father of the Bride films, and Cheaper by the Dozen. The actor’s work has since been rewarded with a Primetime Emmy Award and an Honourary Academy Award in 2013, which is a simple way to measure his success. However, in August 2022, Martin revealed that his role in the Hulu comedy Only Murders in the Building would be his final acting job.
Elsewhere, Martin’s music career comes from playing the banjo in his stand-up routines, having first learned to play the instrument when he was 17. He would also perform his routine as an open act for the band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, as a member of the group had taught him how to play music. In 1977, Martin released his first album, Let’s Get Small, followed by A Wild and Crazy Guy in 1978, and then Comedy Is Not Pretty in 1979. His debut album won the Grammy Award in 1979 for Best Comedy Album and has been cited as culturally significant.
When it comes to advising and guiding aspiring comedians who look to Martin as an idol, he gives the advice: “You don’t have to have a special gift. I had no special gift, except I loved being on stage, and I loved comedy. And that’s all I had.” He also says, “remember you are a thought machine. You have 1,000, a million thoughts a day. Just learn to observe them a little bit, and say, ‘Oh, is that an idea I could use.'”
The comedian also offered some nuggets of brilliance in a lighthearted reply to fan mail he once gave. In 1979, a 17-year-old fan named Jerry Carlson wrote to Martin to share his love for his work, to which he received a response titled ‘A personal letter from Steve Martin’. This was one of many fan mail responses that were personalised for each recipient in a few words. Martin wrote back to Carlson: “Dear Jerry, what a pleasure it was to receive a letter from you. Although my schedule is very busy, I decided to take time out to write to you a personal reply”.
The star continues: “Too often performers lose contact with their audience and begin to take them for granted, but I don’t think that will ever happen to me, will it Jerry?”. He then references Carlson’s letter directly with a joke, writing, “I don’t know when I’ll be appearing close to you, but keep that extra bunk made up in case I make it to Flint”.
Martin then signed the letter: “SINCERELY, STEVE MARTIN”.
