A Wild and Crazy Guy
Encyclopedia
A Wild and Crazy Guy was an album by American comedian Steve Martin
. It reached number two on a Billboard
's Pop Albums Chart
. The album was eventually certified double platinum
.
It contains the hit novelty single "King Tut
", which Martin also performed on Saturday Night Live
. It also has Martin revealing his 'real' name (due to the myth that his real name was not "Steve Martin"), which he admits is the sound of him flipping his lips.
The album was released just as his celebrity status grew and the format reflects this. The first half of the album was performed in front of a small audience at The Boarding House
in San Francisco, California
, where his previous album had been recorded. The second half of the album was performed at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre
. The switchover between venues is handled in a clever segue in the opening minute of the track "A Wild and Crazy Guy" which opened Side Two of the original vinyl long-player – Steve reads a bogus financial disclosure report to the audience at The Boarding House nightclub, and when he gets to calculating concert revenues he reveals his desire to make over $2 million on a single show; the audience reaction quickly segues from the enclosed intimacy of The Boarding House to the far more raucous open amphitheatre of Red Rocks near Denver.
Martin reprises his role as Yortuk, one of the Czech
Festrunk Brothers (a role he'd popularized with Dan Aykroyd
on Saturday Night Live
) on two tracks – the second half of "A Wild and Crazy Guy" and "You Naive Americans."
This album won the Grammy Award
in 1979 for Best Comedy Album
.
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
. It reached number two on a Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Pop Albums Chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The album was eventually certified double platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
.
It contains the hit novelty single "King Tut
King Tut (song)
"King Tut" is a novelty song performed by Steve Martin and the Toot Uncommons . It was released as a single in 1978, sold over a million copies, and reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Martin previewed the song in a live performance during the April 22, 1978 episode of Saturday...
", which Martin also performed on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. It also has Martin revealing his 'real' name (due to the myth that his real name was not "Steve Martin"), which he admits is the sound of him flipping his lips.
The album was released just as his celebrity status grew and the format reflects this. The first half of the album was performed in front of a small audience at The Boarding House
The Boarding House (nightclub)
The Boarding House was a nightclub located at 960 Bush Street in San Francisco, California. Steve Martin's first three albums, Let's Get Small, A Wild and Crazy Guy, and Comedy Is Not Pretty were recorded there, in whole or in part...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where his previous album had been recorded. The second half of the album was performed at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure near Morrison, Colorado, where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left and a...
. The switchover between venues is handled in a clever segue in the opening minute of the track "A Wild and Crazy Guy" which opened Side Two of the original vinyl long-player – Steve reads a bogus financial disclosure report to the audience at The Boarding House nightclub, and when he gets to calculating concert revenues he reveals his desire to make over $2 million on a single show; the audience reaction quickly segues from the enclosed intimacy of The Boarding House to the far more raucous open amphitheatre of Red Rocks near Denver.
Martin reprises his role as Yortuk, one of the Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
Festrunk Brothers (a role he'd popularized with Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
) on two tracks – the second half of "A Wild and Crazy Guy" and "You Naive Americans."
This album won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1979 for Best Comedy Album
Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album was awarded from yearly 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to present day. There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time:*From 1959 to 1967 it was Best Comedy Performance...
.
Track listing
- "I'm Feelin' It" – 5:32
- "Philosophy/Religion/College/Language" – 10:18
- "Creativity in Action/I'm in the Mood for LoveI'm in the Mood for Love"I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...
" – 2:25 - "A Wild and Crazy Guy" – 7:00
- "A Charitable Kind of Guy" – 1:38
- "An Exposé" – 2:54
- "Cat Handcuffs" – 1:41
- "You Naïve Americans" – 2:00
- "My Real Name" – 3:06
- "King TutKing Tut (song)"King Tut" is a novelty song performed by Steve Martin and the Toot Uncommons . It was released as a single in 1978, sold over a million copies, and reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Martin previewed the song in a live performance during the April 22, 1978 episode of Saturday...
" – 2:56