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I Must Say
I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend | Martin Short
20 posts | 39 read | 16 to read
In this engagingly witty, wise, and heartfelt memoir, Martin Short tells the tale of how a showbiz- obsessed kid from Canada transformed himself into one of Hollywood's favorite funnymen, known to his famous peers as the "comedian's comedian."Short takes the reader on a rich, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking ride through his life and times, from his early years in Toronto as a member of the fabled improvisational troupe Second City to the all-American comic big time of Saturday Night Live, and from memorable roles in such movies as Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride to Broadway stardom in Fame Becomes Me and the Tony-winning Little Me.He reveals how he created his most indelible comedic characters, among them the manic man-child Ed Grimley, the slimy corporate lawyer Nathan Thurm, and the bizarrely insensitive interviewer Jiminy Glick. Throughout, Short freely shares the spotlight with friends, colleagues, and collaborators, among them Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Gilda Radner, Mel Brooks, Nora Ephron, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Shaffer, and David Letterman.But there is another side to Short's life that he has long kept private. He lost his eldest brother and both parents by the time he turned twenty, and, more recently, he lost his wife of thirty years to cancer. In I Must Say, Short talks for the first time about the pain that these losses inflicted and the upbeat life philosophy that has kept him resilient and carried him through.In the grand tradition of comedy legends, Martin Short offers a show-business memoir densely populated with boldface names and rife with retellable tales: a hugely entertaining yet surprisingly moving self-portrait that will keep you laughingand cryingfrom the first page to the last.
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Twainy
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It‘s interesting to listen to memoirs where the subject is reading it and telling you that they‘ve been fans and been tongue tied.

A wonderful story from his youth to second city to SNL to a very sad yet uplifting chapter regarding his wife.

Four & a half hugs.

#31by31 … 40/31

Reggie There was this show on FX called Damages where Glen Close plays this ball busting lawyer who@takes down crime people. He is in the 2nd season where he plays this very greasy lawyer and Lily Tomlin is one member of a very crooked family he represents and it‘s crazy seeing these people who@you thought were hilarious all your life be very unlikable characters. Sooo good. That season was crazy. 13mo
Twainy @Reggie now I feel I need to go watch this! 😁 I love when an actor pulls off something surprising! 13mo
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Dragon
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I had a touch of insomnia so I finished this audiobook. I can‘t imagine just reading it. Martin Short brings so much to the audio- he sings - he jokes - he gossips ( mimicking the voices of his famous friends) . I laughed and groaned and cried. A very satisfying experience- 👍👍

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Dragon
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Listening to this audiobook before going to work. Martin Short really gives a stellar performance - he‘s a great mimic and singer - he‘s touched on some very sad events in his childhood but he never gets maudlin- he‘s soon telling funny stories and name dropping - his Toronto friends all hit it big 🤣💚

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DieAReader
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5⭐️

Definitely worth listening to the audiobook! So many impersonations & so much more that I think would have fallen a bit flat (for me) had I simply just read the book.

One ✅ on my #JoysOfJune TBR!! 😉📚🥳

Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 4y
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ontheBL
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I grew up loving Martin Short's comedy. His memoir reads like a love story to his wife.

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DrexEdit
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I'm not a big memoir person but I do enjoy the occasional celebrity autobio. This one was fun with lots of comedy name dropping. Martin Short is such a normal-seeming person despite the fame. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Ncostell
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This was fantastic on audio, I‘m not sure that reading it would do it justice. Martin Short of course performs some of his most famous characters but I especially enjoyed his impersonations of many celebrities. It was unexpectedly poignant as he has experienced much loss over his lifetime. This was my choice for a book written by a comedian for the Litsy Reading Challenge 2018.

Velvetsun One if my fave memoirs. Live him. 7y
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AngieAvers
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I like Martin Short and I really enjoyed reading his book. He tells his story in such a way that you feel as if he is talking to you directly. It feels intimate and as if he is sort of lost in the moment. I was given just enough information to feel I know what was and is important to Martin Short.

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Lauren_reading
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I saw Martin Short and Steve Martin perform together here in Vegas a few months ago. I don't always get Short's humor, but I really enjoyed this book. His stories of his early days in comedy and the amazing people he worked with were cool. His story about losing his wife so sad and touching.

tpixie I saw him on TV years ago talking about the loss of his wife and it WAS very touching and sad. He showed it tender side of himself that many comedians don't show 8y
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Melkyl
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I just finished listening to this audiobook read by the author on Hoopla. Short really has led an interesting life, and he has associations with many large names in the entertainment community. It was touching to hear him speak of his wife who passed away in 2010. His love for her was obvious and strong. I have always enjoyed him as an entertainer, so I am glad I got to learn more about him and his life through this book. Enjoyable book!

ReadingEnvy One of my favorite movies used to be Pure Luck but I haven't seen it in ages! 8y
Melkyl @ReadingEnvy Yes, when he gets stung by the bee it is hilarious 😂 8y
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TofuandBooks
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I've always loved Martin short but I never knew much about him. As soon as I found this audiobook book I was so frigging excited I must say. I will be buying this and the hardcover to read and hear over and over. His words on grieve struck close to home and had me weeping like a totally embarrassing amount. I want to thank him for sharing his story.

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Leelee08
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This #autobiography has been on my TBR pile for a while now. I've always loved Martin Short, especially in Three Amigos! I need to move this one up on the list....📚😊 #readjanuary

Karenlovesbooks I love Martin Short, too! 💕 8y
Leelee08 @Karenlovesbooks He's awesome!😀 8y
Zelma Three Amigos is fantastic. And Innerspace too! (edited) 8y
Leelee08 @Zelma I agree 💯%!!! 8y
RadicalReader @Leelee08 I love Martin short he is fantastic. Will have to check this out. Wish that with autocorrect it would learn people's names so there wouldn't be a mistake when typing their names 8y
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Aseleener
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Audio, loved hearing it in Martin's own voice. This was really interesting. Not hilarious, but had a few LOL moments. There were several very somber moments also. The name-dropping got to be a bit too much for me. But I enjoyed learning many things about Martin Short that I didn't know. He's always been one of my favorite comedians. I think he's a pretty great guy. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #nonfictionchallenge17 @Ebooksandcooks #memoirs #nonfiction #readbytheauthor

Mdargusch Clifford is one of my favorite movies. 8y
Aseleener @Mdargusch I had never heard of it before. Going to have to look for it! 8y
Aseleener Ran out of room to mention that this is my "I" book for #LitsyAtoZ. @BookishMarginalia 8y
BookishMarginalia 👍🏼👏🏼 8y
Megabooks 👍🏻👍🏻 What I've found reading celebrity memoirs is that the older a celebrity is, the more they names drop! 😉😉 (edited) 8y
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Aseleener
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I get pretty down during winter and reading really helps me get through it. Unfortunately I am stuck with David Copperfield, which is not providing the distraction I need. So I snagged this #audiobook. It's not overly hilarious, as it's a memoir, but it's light-hearted and pleasant to listen to. I did LOL when he said Paul Shafer looked like a suit that had a great idea. 💡😂 #memoir #humor

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LaurenEH57
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A couple choices for my last book of the year, to hit my Goodreads Reading Challenge. Still haven't made my decision. #readingchallenge

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webhau1
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I listened to the audio addition of this book. It is read by the author which adds so much. He breaks into song and has character interludes in between chapters. His love for his family and friends comes out so strongly. He comes off very genuine in this. I laughed many times and also cried listening to this. Worth it!

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KrisConstantReader
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I absolutely love Martin Short. I bought this book when it first came out and it was excellent. This is a steal at $1.99, Ebook

bookwrm526 He narrates it himself, it was very entertaining 8y
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SuziQoregon
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Just an excellent memoir. I highly recommend the audio format so you can hear his characters. The chapter about his wife's battle with cancer and death jut about did me in. I'm more of a fan of his after listening to this.

LitHousewife I couldn't agree more. 9y
TheWordJar I've only heard good things about this one. I haven't listened to many audiobooks, but I think I'll have to check this out. 9y
webhau1 I just listened to it also. I agree wholeheartedly with your review. 8y
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SuziQoregon
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Martin Short on Robin Williams …

LitHousewife That was a really good memoir. It only gets better. 9y
SuziQoregon @LitHousewife I'm really enjoying it. 9y
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