Steve Martin's banjo and memoir

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/arts/music/02banjo.html?em

It wasn’t easy to silence the set of “Saturday Night Live,” which at Friday evening’s rehearsal was a cacophony of banging hammers, buzzing saws and chattering crew members, but Steve Martin did it with a banjo.

On the main stage of NBC’s Studio 8H in Manhattan, wielding a Gibson Florentine from the 1920s and accompanied by a quintet of bluegrass musicians, Mr. Martin was plucking, strumming and, yes, singing his way through an original song called “Late for School,” about a young delinquent racing to beat the tardy bell. The hoedown brought the room to a halt, and when it was over even the surliest stagehands couldn’t help but stand and applaud.

Steve Martin's memoir..."Born Standing Up" is one of the best books about the entertainment business I have read. One of the most interesting aspects is the number of 60's rock starts and other celebrities with whom he crossed paths. It is very well written. Highly recommended.