Who doesn’t like Steve Martin? I’ve been a fan since his first appearance on Saturday Night Live. I love his early, funny stuff; his later, even funnier stuff; his dancing – both his side-splitting King Tut and his beautiful turn with Gilda Radner dancing in the dark on SNL. I love his banjo-playing, his novels, his movies, his twitter feed (funny and classy). I love Steve Martin!

The music journal Pitchfork has a terrific article by the man himself on the music that’s influenced him over the decades. It comes complete with links to the music. My favorite of his movies is L.A. Story. Who knew that the film was influenced by a Celtic folk song, The Maid of Coolmore? He writes, “I was touring as a comedian, which is very isolated and lonely. I loved the dark poetry of Celtic music—especially the Bothy Band and the Chieftains. The Bothy Band’s “The Maid of Coolmore” affected the writing of the screenplay I did called L.A. Story—if you look at the lyrics to the Bothy Band song and the story of L.A. Story, it’s identical.[1]”

Just check out these lyrics and you see it right away:

Medieval Weather Vane by rones/CC BY

If I had the power, the storm to rise
I would blow the wind higher for to darken the skies
I would blow the wind higher to make the salt seas to roar
On the day that my love sailed away from Coolmore.

Read the article and listen to The Maid of Coolmore. The music from the grand finale of L.A. Story is either a reproduction of or a homage to that song. So cool!

[1] Snapes, Laura & Martin, Steve. Steve Martin. Pitchfork, http://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/9742-steve-martin/?mbid=social_twitter