Steve Martin might be much beloved in the film world, and increasingly in the literary world, too, but not so much in the interview atmosphere at the 92nd Street Y in New York.
Martin was there Nov. 29 for an interview moderated by Deborah Solomon -- an interview that was followed up by an e-mail apology from the Y to attendees that came with an offer to have their money refunded.
What went wrong? According to the e-mail from the Y's executive director Sol Adler, the interview did not meet the organization's "standard of excellence" and was not the "comprehensive discussion" that was hoped for, the New York Times reports.
Hints of dissatisfaction were evident about halfway through the talk, when Solomon received a note explaining that viewers watching on closed-circuit televisions had complained that Martin should talk more about his career and less about the art world, which is the subject of his new novel, "An Object of Beauty." Martin said the message was “a little like an actor responding in Act III to an audience’s texts to ‘shorten the soliloquies.’ ”
Those who attended the talk were offered a $50 certificate for each ticket purchased to be used toward future events.