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# Steve Martin Gives His Own Refund For 92Y
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/steve-martin-chat/
- Published: 2010-12-03T16:00:07.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T15:41:13.000Z
- Description: I am offering to erase my signature from signed books at 92nd St. Y.less than a minute ago [http://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGo/status/10532711747821568] via web[http://a2.twimg.com/profile_images/1121180802/twitter_normal.jpg]http://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGoSteve Martin [http://twitter.com/SteveMa
- Author: Kyle Chayka
- Tags: Opinion, #image-position-hidden, 92Y, Collectors, LOL, Steve Martin, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-17 09:23 (2009-2011)

http://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGo/status/10532711747821568

Reacting to the refunding of tickets to the actor’s [conversation with Deborah Solomon](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/nyregion/02refund.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) held at [92Y](http://www.92y.org/?ref=hyperallergic.com), Steve Martin has offered to erase his name from books he signed at the community center. A gesture oddly reminiscent of [Robert Rauschenberg](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blixity.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/12543w%5Ferasuregenteel%5Feraseddekooning.jpg%3Fw%3D438%26h%3D512&imgrefurl=http://blixity.wordpress.com/tag/contemporary-art/&usg=%5F%5FFOt5gXi7Sr5jrXFLligNNQ0-FSo=&h=512&w=438&sz=40&hl=en&start=0&zoom=0&tbnid=xhc9JINJvYjE8M:&tbnh=131&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drauschenberg%2Berase%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1440%26bih%3D747%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1249&vpy=302&dur=489&hovh=131&hovw=112&tx=117&ty=48&ei=Uof4TIznF4H98AbA7N3OAw&oei=Uof4TIznF4H98AbA7N3OAw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0&ref=hyperallergic.com)!

Why so much fuss, you may ask? The public chat held between the actor/art collector and Solomon, a New York Times Magazine columnist, bored audiences so much that 92Y has offered a $50 refund to all who purchased tickets to the event, which had earlier sold out. So Steve, peeved by the talk’s reception, offered his own refund, seen above.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2010/12/martinzs_illus.jpg "martinzs_illus")

Blog [Em Dashes](http://emdashes.com/2010/11/steve-martin-and-deborah-solom.php?ref=hyperallergic.com) reports that “it took only a few minutes for Solomon to alienate the audience thoroughly,” as the writer treated her interview “more like a book report” documenting Martin’s latest novel, [*An Object of Beauty*](http://www.amazon.com/Object-Beauty-Novel-Steve-Martin/dp/0446573647?ref=hyperallergic.com), which takes place in the art world. Solomon led Steve and the audience in a chapter by chapter, scene by scene analysis of the book. But as it turns out, audiences were a little less interested in the actor’s fictionalized art world travails than, say, his acting.

Surprised? I’m not, really. However, 92Y’s reaction to the misdirected conversation comes off a little like one of those canes that drags actors offstage. A staff member came onstage and handed Solomon a card that read “Ask him about his career,” an unsubtle attempt to move the chat to more universal subject matter.

Steve Martin came off as bemused and maybe a little amused in the [*New York Times* piece](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/nyregion/02refund.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) covering the refunded chat, but on his Twitter the actor was more forceful:

http://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGo/status/10191932340830208

If this isn’t the most serious topic in the world, at least it’s entertaining. While I don’t foresee any lasting consequences for 92Y as a result of this affair, I think they’ll be more careful handing out cue cards in the future. Maybe audiences should just be allowed to boo and throw rotten fruit to express their displeasure instead?