A Wild and Crazy Guy

Performer: Steve Martin
Engineer: William McEuen
Producer: William E. McEuen; William McEuen
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Steve Martin (vocals, banjo, background vocals); Michael Elias, Richard Hathaway, Brian Savage, Merle Brigante, Jeff Hanna (background vocals). Recording information: Boardinghouse, San Francisco, CA; Red Rocks, Denver, CO. Editor: William McEuen. Photographers: Bobby Klein; Norman Seeff; Lynn W. Gregg; Gary Nichamin; William R. Eastabrook. Unknown Contributor Roles: Brian Savage; Merle Brigante. Arranger: Jeff Hanna. '80s funnyman Steve Martin's follow-up to LET'S GET SMALL finds everyone's favorite rubberhead in the coterie of the stars. At this point, Martin was a national phenomenon, having already moved beyond nightclubs into stadiums. His stature was that of a juggernaut rock band. Martin's film debut ("The Jerk") helped to solidify his superstar status, as did the hit single "King Tut" (included here) and his frequent (and brilliantly hilarious) appearances on NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, where the "wild and crazy guy" moniker originated and stuck. A WILD AND CRAZY GUY is split between a single San Francisco gig and one of Martin's first stadium extravaganzas before a mob of adoring fans. Martin is at his comedic apotheosis here, meshing surrealism and slapstick into a howlingly funny whole. Among the featured routines are Martin's classic "rubberheads throw fish" bit and his sidesplitting soliloquy about religion and philosophy ("In philosophy, you learn just enough to screw you up for the rest of your life").

Before he became one of America's top comic actors, Steve Martin was one of the biggest phenoms stand-up has ever seen. During the 1970s, the prematurely grey comedian and longtime television writer scored million-selling records, sold out arenas, and hosted numerous network specials. In 1978, Martin even scored a hit record, cracking the Billboard top 20 with "King Tut," his novelty ode to the mummy fad sweeping the nation. While he played up his zany arrow-through-the-head persona, his wider appeal rested on a subtle, yet ever-present intellectualism. Martin studied philosophy in college, and an existential sense of the absurd ran through his oddball observations. In the `80s, the original wild and crazy guy officially announced his permanent retirement from stand-up.

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