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Comedy Legend Andrea Martin Releases New Book
ARTS | OCTOBER 10, 2014 5:33 PM
________________________________
By Alin K. Gregorian
Mirror-Spectator Staff
SAN FRANCISCO -- For anyone who is a fan of comedy, Andrea Martin's
name is a familiar one.
>From her early television presence on the Canadian sketch show "SCTV,"
where a host of insane characters people the headquarters of a
fictitious television station, to her recent turn on Broadway, Martin
has gone from strength to strength in her four decades entertaining
audiences.
The actress and comedienne, who divides her time between New York and
Toronto, jokes that she is often thought to be Jewish and Canadian,
but indeed, she is an Armenian and a Mainer. "I don't think I said I
was Jewish. It is just that no one knew I was Armenian and it was easy
for people to assume it," she said.
Martin, 67, when not donning wigs or prosthetic butts or guts, is a
beautiful woman. However, she did not always see herself that way. "I
don't think it was until I was a lot older that I was comfortable with
how I looked. It was 1995, when I was 47-48, that I believed I had any
merit looking like myself," that she could be "really sexy and pretty
and really comfortable with myself."
Martin often plays over-the-top characters but when speaking in
person, she is self-effacing, polite, charming and sweet to a fault.
It is hard to think that Edith Prickly, the brash, bossy and
aggressive station manager from the Canadian sketch show "SCTV," clad
in her trademark leopard print outfit and rhinestone-covered glasses,
has occupied the same body as this elegant, charming woman.
Martin's Armenian Genocide survivor grandfather changed the family
name to Martin from Papazian upon arriving in Maine. "I think my
background really infused a lot of the characters that I did on
'SCTV.' I wasn't aware of it, but it was cellular, really. There is
great pride in being Armenian, humility, self-effacement," creating a
balance. "One kept the other in check," she said.
Martin has received acclaim in every field she has tackled. She has
received two Emmy Awards for writing for "SCTV," as well as garnering
several Emmy nominations for acting and writing on "SCTV" and other
shows. In addition, she received a Gemini Award in Canada for her TV
work as well as two Tony Awards for her roles on Broadway, as Berthe
in "Pippin" and as Alice Miller in "My Favorite Year." She has won a
host of other stage awards, including the Outer Circle Critics Award,
Drama Desk Award and the Elliot Norton Award.
She has appeared in many movies, also, including brilliant roles in
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" as Aunt Voula who is puzzled by vegetarians
and Phyllis Stein in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," who is Hedwig's
manager.
She came up in the world of comedy with several other legends, such as
Martin Short, who was her former brother-in-law, Eugene Levy, John
Candy, Joe Flaherty, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara and Harold Ramis,
among others.It seems it is on stage that she is happiest. "What
brings me most joy is theater. I love the routine of the theater, the
camaraderie of the cast, the community of the cast. You are with the
same people every night."
She added, "I love doing the part of Berthe in 'Pippin.' It is age
appropriate. I perform on a trapeze in a corset." She added that at
age 67, she is "very fit, agile and vital and I feel the part allows
me to be very expressive."
A veteran of both comedy and drama, Martin said for sure, it is harder
to make people laugh in a theater rather than to act seriously. In
fact, she has done solo stage shows, including "Nude, Nude, Totally
Nude" and "Final Days! Everything Must Go!!" which she said were
incredibly rewarding though terrifying.
Speaking from San Francisco, Martin said that she was in a special
abbreviated tour of "Pippin" there and in Los Angeles for two weeks.
"I really love the show," she said.
HarperCollins Publishers in September released her autobiography, Lady
Parts. The book is by turns hysterically funny, observant, empathetic,
confessional and somber. So much of it revolves around her two sons.
She is brutally honest about the challenges she faced as a single
parent after she divorced her husband when her boys were young. She
speaks about her anxiety which sometimes would cripple her, her
battles with alcohol and bulimia, as well as her work ethic.
Martin admits in the book that she has been flying regularly to
Atlanta for the one hairdresser in the world that can manage her wild
mane. (On the day of our interview, a delighted Martin in San
Francisco her eyes had misted over when a young hairdresser had shown
just the right touch with her hair, the day before.)
She added, "I'm a hair diva and bitch."
Martin also freely discusses sex, her dependence on one particular
psychic in New York and the effects of age on various parts of her
body.
She has a light touch that can make the reader chuckle or bring tears
to one's eyes when she talks about her childhood friend with whom she
had stayed in touch all their lives, who lost her battle with cancer.
Martin also writes extensively on her own private demons, including
anxiety. She said that for her, speaking openly about mental illness
and banishing stigmas was important. "It is how we think about
anxiety. It is taboo to talk about the illnesses of the mind. There
are afflictions that I thought were particular to me. Many of us deal
with what I have dealt with. I don't think we talk about it enough."
The process of writing the book was "grueling," Martin said. "You
think of every reason not to write," she said, but once she got
started, she said, "I loved it. I loved the storytelling aspect of it.
I love entertaining audiences [albeit] in another genre. It was really
gratifying."
And entertaining it is.
She has some great reviews from fellow comic geniuses. Says Tina Fey,
"I have loved Andrea Martin from afar for many years, but now, after
reading this funny and heroically honest book, I would like to take
things to the 'next level' and marry her."
Steve Martin calls the book "A lovely, bawdy and emotional memoir from
one of our finest comedy artists."
And Martin Short says, "Andrea's genius at combining hilarity and
poignancy is breathtaking and will break your heart. From the first
page, you know this is going to be a brilliant and joyous ride with
one of the truly great, funny originals."
It is clear both from the book and from conversations that Martin
dotes on her sons. "They are my biggest fans. They love to laugh. They
are proud of me and are an amazing audience."
She noted, "They have grown up around show biz and are not intimidated
by it or are in awe of it."
As for the key to her success, Martin, in typical style, downplayed
her genius. "I'm a hard worker. Talent is overrated. I have been
lucky. I think there was less competition [when I started]. I don't
know where I would be if I started out now. It is all luck, talent and
perseverance, never being bored at what I do. The idea of retirement
is not even in the realm."
When Martin speaks, it is hard to believe that she has spent decades
in a competitive business. In fact, she calls herself "enormously
naive" and says that she has always had difficulty with
self-promotion. If she had a bit more of that, she said, "It would
have propelled me to be a household name. It is not something I do
very well. I just put it out there."
Martin said she has been pleasantly surprised by the different people
that she has reached with her book. "I thought I was writing it for my
demographic. It has been so gratifying, particularly when young women,
or gay men come up to me, crying. I learned the most powerful
connection is honesty."
People, she said, "feel compelled to connect with someone so authentic."
Martin has advice for young people just starting in their path in show
business. "It's a business. Take nothing personally. Hone in on your
own voice and exploit that for all its worth. That is what people want
to see and hear. Don't be shy."
She concluded with this humorous appeal to Armenian-American readers:
"If you are a good Armenian, go to Amazon.com and take $20 and make me
a best-selling author. Chris Bohjalian can't be the only
Armenian-American author on the New York Times Bestseller List!"
Lady Parts is available at amazon and at all major bookstores.
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2014/10/10/comedy-legend-andrea-martin-releases-new-book/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
ARTS | OCTOBER 10, 2014 5:33 PM
________________________________
By Alin K. Gregorian
Mirror-Spectator Staff
SAN FRANCISCO -- For anyone who is a fan of comedy, Andrea Martin's
name is a familiar one.
>From her early television presence on the Canadian sketch show "SCTV,"
where a host of insane characters people the headquarters of a
fictitious television station, to her recent turn on Broadway, Martin
has gone from strength to strength in her four decades entertaining
audiences.
The actress and comedienne, who divides her time between New York and
Toronto, jokes that she is often thought to be Jewish and Canadian,
but indeed, she is an Armenian and a Mainer. "I don't think I said I
was Jewish. It is just that no one knew I was Armenian and it was easy
for people to assume it," she said.
Martin, 67, when not donning wigs or prosthetic butts or guts, is a
beautiful woman. However, she did not always see herself that way. "I
don't think it was until I was a lot older that I was comfortable with
how I looked. It was 1995, when I was 47-48, that I believed I had any
merit looking like myself," that she could be "really sexy and pretty
and really comfortable with myself."
Martin often plays over-the-top characters but when speaking in
person, she is self-effacing, polite, charming and sweet to a fault.
It is hard to think that Edith Prickly, the brash, bossy and
aggressive station manager from the Canadian sketch show "SCTV," clad
in her trademark leopard print outfit and rhinestone-covered glasses,
has occupied the same body as this elegant, charming woman.
Martin's Armenian Genocide survivor grandfather changed the family
name to Martin from Papazian upon arriving in Maine. "I think my
background really infused a lot of the characters that I did on
'SCTV.' I wasn't aware of it, but it was cellular, really. There is
great pride in being Armenian, humility, self-effacement," creating a
balance. "One kept the other in check," she said.
Martin has received acclaim in every field she has tackled. She has
received two Emmy Awards for writing for "SCTV," as well as garnering
several Emmy nominations for acting and writing on "SCTV" and other
shows. In addition, she received a Gemini Award in Canada for her TV
work as well as two Tony Awards for her roles on Broadway, as Berthe
in "Pippin" and as Alice Miller in "My Favorite Year." She has won a
host of other stage awards, including the Outer Circle Critics Award,
Drama Desk Award and the Elliot Norton Award.
She has appeared in many movies, also, including brilliant roles in
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" as Aunt Voula who is puzzled by vegetarians
and Phyllis Stein in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," who is Hedwig's
manager.
She came up in the world of comedy with several other legends, such as
Martin Short, who was her former brother-in-law, Eugene Levy, John
Candy, Joe Flaherty, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara and Harold Ramis,
among others.It seems it is on stage that she is happiest. "What
brings me most joy is theater. I love the routine of the theater, the
camaraderie of the cast, the community of the cast. You are with the
same people every night."
She added, "I love doing the part of Berthe in 'Pippin.' It is age
appropriate. I perform on a trapeze in a corset." She added that at
age 67, she is "very fit, agile and vital and I feel the part allows
me to be very expressive."
A veteran of both comedy and drama, Martin said for sure, it is harder
to make people laugh in a theater rather than to act seriously. In
fact, she has done solo stage shows, including "Nude, Nude, Totally
Nude" and "Final Days! Everything Must Go!!" which she said were
incredibly rewarding though terrifying.
Speaking from San Francisco, Martin said that she was in a special
abbreviated tour of "Pippin" there and in Los Angeles for two weeks.
"I really love the show," she said.
HarperCollins Publishers in September released her autobiography, Lady
Parts. The book is by turns hysterically funny, observant, empathetic,
confessional and somber. So much of it revolves around her two sons.
She is brutally honest about the challenges she faced as a single
parent after she divorced her husband when her boys were young. She
speaks about her anxiety which sometimes would cripple her, her
battles with alcohol and bulimia, as well as her work ethic.
Martin admits in the book that she has been flying regularly to
Atlanta for the one hairdresser in the world that can manage her wild
mane. (On the day of our interview, a delighted Martin in San
Francisco her eyes had misted over when a young hairdresser had shown
just the right touch with her hair, the day before.)
She added, "I'm a hair diva and bitch."
Martin also freely discusses sex, her dependence on one particular
psychic in New York and the effects of age on various parts of her
body.
She has a light touch that can make the reader chuckle or bring tears
to one's eyes when she talks about her childhood friend with whom she
had stayed in touch all their lives, who lost her battle with cancer.
Martin also writes extensively on her own private demons, including
anxiety. She said that for her, speaking openly about mental illness
and banishing stigmas was important. "It is how we think about
anxiety. It is taboo to talk about the illnesses of the mind. There
are afflictions that I thought were particular to me. Many of us deal
with what I have dealt with. I don't think we talk about it enough."
The process of writing the book was "grueling," Martin said. "You
think of every reason not to write," she said, but once she got
started, she said, "I loved it. I loved the storytelling aspect of it.
I love entertaining audiences [albeit] in another genre. It was really
gratifying."
And entertaining it is.
She has some great reviews from fellow comic geniuses. Says Tina Fey,
"I have loved Andrea Martin from afar for many years, but now, after
reading this funny and heroically honest book, I would like to take
things to the 'next level' and marry her."
Steve Martin calls the book "A lovely, bawdy and emotional memoir from
one of our finest comedy artists."
And Martin Short says, "Andrea's genius at combining hilarity and
poignancy is breathtaking and will break your heart. From the first
page, you know this is going to be a brilliant and joyous ride with
one of the truly great, funny originals."
It is clear both from the book and from conversations that Martin
dotes on her sons. "They are my biggest fans. They love to laugh. They
are proud of me and are an amazing audience."
She noted, "They have grown up around show biz and are not intimidated
by it or are in awe of it."
As for the key to her success, Martin, in typical style, downplayed
her genius. "I'm a hard worker. Talent is overrated. I have been
lucky. I think there was less competition [when I started]. I don't
know where I would be if I started out now. It is all luck, talent and
perseverance, never being bored at what I do. The idea of retirement
is not even in the realm."
When Martin speaks, it is hard to believe that she has spent decades
in a competitive business. In fact, she calls herself "enormously
naive" and says that she has always had difficulty with
self-promotion. If she had a bit more of that, she said, "It would
have propelled me to be a household name. It is not something I do
very well. I just put it out there."
Martin said she has been pleasantly surprised by the different people
that she has reached with her book. "I thought I was writing it for my
demographic. It has been so gratifying, particularly when young women,
or gay men come up to me, crying. I learned the most powerful
connection is honesty."
People, she said, "feel compelled to connect with someone so authentic."
Martin has advice for young people just starting in their path in show
business. "It's a business. Take nothing personally. Hone in on your
own voice and exploit that for all its worth. That is what people want
to see and hear. Don't be shy."
She concluded with this humorous appeal to Armenian-American readers:
"If you are a good Armenian, go to Amazon.com and take $20 and make me
a best-selling author. Chris Bohjalian can't be the only
Armenian-American author on the New York Times Bestseller List!"
Lady Parts is available at amazon and at all major bookstores.
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2014/10/10/comedy-legend-andrea-martin-releases-new-book/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress