If you (like me) couldn’t take the “comedy” of Saturday Night Live this weekend long enough to see Steve Martin and his banjo, here’s the clip from the NBC web site.

UPDATE 8:40 a.m. – The Sunday (2/1) edition of The New York Times features a lengthy piece on Steve, focusing entirely on him as a banjo player. Entitled, Jokes and Films Are Fun, but He Loves His Banjo, the article by Dave Itzkoff includes quotes from Martin, childhood-friend and producer John McEuen, and Grammy winning singer Vince Gill, who sings on Steve’s newly released CD, The Crow.

If Mr. Martin’s collaborators believed his comedy background meant he didn’t take music seriously, those notions were quickly dispelled. "The first image I have of him is the arrow through his head, playing the banjo," Mr. Gill said. "Everybody does. But when you hear him play, you know he’s not goofing around."

Read the full piece online.

But wait… there’s more!

The Los Angeles Times likewise had a piece on Martin and The Crow on Saturday (1/31). The tone of the article by Randy Lewis is set in the opening paragraphs:

Steve Martin has a reputation as one of the toughest interviews in the entertainment business. He’s known for clipped yes-no responses to questions about the making of his latest film, his thoughts on the art of comedy or, especially, his personal life.

But bring up a subject that’s near and dear to his heart — like, say, the banjo — and he’s a different guy.

“I’m ready to talk music,” Martin said recently between a raft of promotional interviews for “The Pink Panther 2,” which opens next week.

It is also available online.