I just caught Steve Martin on the
Colbert Report where he discussed his new book,
An Object of Beauty. Just like
Shopgirl, I knew that this would be a side of the classic comedian that I'm not used to. Colbert described a recent event held at the 92 Street Y in Manhattan. Martin was there to promote his book and discuss art but the crowd wasn't happy with that. They wanted to hear about
Father of the Bride,
The Jerk, and
Bowfinger. Martin was even interrupted halfway through the event with a note requesting that he talk about his movies. I'm not much of an artist nor would I pick up a book about art, but I also wouldn't be angry if I went to an art lecture and had to hear about art. It's sad that the general public is not only confused but upset about anything with more than one side to it.
This article sums it up nicely. The Y even gave displeased attendees $50 certificates to make up for the disappointment of the event. Jeez!