JUDY WOODRUFF: Steve
Martin and Martin Short
met more than 30 years ago.

And the legendary
comedians have been nearly
inseparable ever since.

They sat down with Brief
But Spectacular host,
Steve Goldbloom, to
talk about their latest

touring special, "Now You
See Them, Soon You Won't."

STEVE MARTIN, Writer/Comedian:
This is now a standard now
on all the interviews, the

moving sideways camera.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Yes.

STEVE MARTIN: But I always
find it odd to cut to someone
who's not talking -- who will

be talking into camera.

MARTIN SHORT, Writer/Comedian:
But, you know, you
have always struggled.

Remember when you
struggled with the talkies?

When the talkies came
in, you were always, I
had to work on my voice.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN SHORT: Now, don't
keep looking at him.

Remember, look at
the green tape.

STEVE MARTIN: Ah, just relax.

MARTIN SHORT: OK.

One, two, three.

(HANDS CLAPPING)

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: It's hard to
make a career in show business,
possibly even harder to

sustain a career
in show business.

Did you ever think that you
would be relevant for this long?

STEVE MARTIN: I guess
he's talking to me.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN SHORT: Let me just
say, Steve, what an honor it
is for me to be standing next

to a man who is a
novelist, a playwright,
a musician, a composer,
and a legendary comedian.

STEVE MARTIN: And let me say
what an honor it is for me to
be standing next to the man

who is standing
next to that man.

(LAUGHTER)

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Seeing your
work together, it feels like
it commands the attention, the

same way like an Oscars
monologue commands attention.

And then you slow things down,
and you become reflective,
and you're talking about each

other's work.

Tell me about the design of
your special and your tour.

STEVE MARTIN: This was a real
moment for both of us, when
we -- we're totally rehearsed.

We have done the show 100 times.

Everything was just in its
beautiful little comedic place.

MARTIN SHORT: You know,
it was a work in progress
as we developed it.

STEVE MARTIN: And still is.

MARTIN SHORT: I mean, there
would be time we'd think,
gee, should we cut the chat?

Does the chat slow it down?

And someone else would say,
no, no, no, that's like
having dinner with you guys.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: The banjo helps
slow things down a little bit.

STEVE MARTIN: Yes,
let me get it.

MARTIN SHORT: No, no, no.

He just -- he just mentioned it.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN SHORT: Just
because you mention a
banjo doesn't mean you...

(CROSSTALK)

STEVE MARTIN: I got it
back at the apartment.

MARTIN SHORT: No, no, no.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Steve, what is
your relationship to the banjo?

Martin, what is your
relationship to Steve's banjo?

MARTIN SHORT: I dated
Steve's banjo for many years.

(LAUGHTER)

STEVE MARTIN: I started
playing in the '60s.

I have been playing
for 55 years.

I know.

I should be better.

We're in show business, but I
have another life as a musician.

You have a whole other
set of friends that
kind of levels you out.

It's really nice.

That's why you're un-level.

MARTIN SHORT: Mm-hmm.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: In the show
that I saw last year, it seems
like there's an honest mistake.

Steve, you say "Grinville."

Martin, you say "Greenville."

And you say, you would tell
me, Steve, if you were having
a stroke, wouldn't you?

And it looked like a --
is that a real mistake?

Are there real mistakes?

STEVE MARTIN: No, it
was a real mistake.

Yes.

Yes.

MARTIN SHORT: Yes.

Totally, yes.

STEVE MARTIN: We will
never intentionally make a
mistake, but, sometimes...

MARTIN SHORT: Yes.

STEVE MARTIN: Because
that looks phony.

I think the audience smells it.

But if something
happens, we exploit it.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: In your
work together, left-handed
compliments play a
big role, and you talk

about a lot of them.

What are some of your favorites?

STEVE MARTIN: One of the great
things about touring around
the country with Marty Short,

no paparazzi.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Ah.

This is...

MARTIN SHORT: Boy,
that landed good.

(LAUGHTER)

STEVE MARTIN: Thank you.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: The crew's
been instructed not to laugh.

STEVE MARTIN: Oh, just
like our audiences.

That must be what happens.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: There is a
Martin Short on Twitter, but
it's a nutritionist in London.

MARTIN SHORT: Really?

STEVE GOLDBLOOM:
You're not on Twitter?

MARTIN SHORT: No, I'm not.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: OK.

Steve, you're very
good at Twitter.

STEVE MARTIN: I stopped.

I thought it was too dangerous.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Just that
you might say something
that would offend people?

STEVE MARTIN: You can say the
most innocuous thing, and,
suddenly, you're in the news.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Martin, does
Jiminy Glick allow you to
say things that you wish you

could say in real life?

MARTIN SHORT: One time I
was interviewing Edie Falco,
and I asked her a question.

I said, "What was
it like starting off
as a young actress?"

And she started answering.

And I went, "Shh.

Just because I ask
you a question doesn't
mean I need an answer."

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN SHORT: And she said she
used to be shushed as a kid.

And it was an
electrical shock in her.

STEVE GOLDBLOOM: Faux flattery
plays such a character in your
role, in your work together

and your appearances
on talk shows.

For this moment, if you could,
look at each other and pay each
other just a genuine compliment.

STEVE MARTIN: We can't do that.

MARTIN SHORT: I can't do that.

STEVE MARTIN: No,
I will tell you.

I have said this before.

But you are great singer,
and you use it exactly right.

I have heard you talk about it.

No, I don't want to
sing a serious song.

But when we do, do our
comedy songs, they're
so beautifully sung.

And I worked with
Karen Carpenter.

I toured with her, who has
an amazing voice, an amazing
instrument every night.

And you have this kind
of amazing instrument,
because you really sound
like Karen Carpenter.

MARTIN SHORT: Thank you.

STEVE MARTIN: Don't go there.

MARTIN SHORT: I
don't have anything.

STEVE MARTIN: Yes.

MARTIN SHORT: Sorry.

STEVE MARTIN: Hi,
I'm Steve Martin.

MARTIN SHORT: And
I'm Martin Short.

STEVE MARTIN: And this is our
Brief But Spectacular take on...

MARTIN SHORT: ... our fabulously
popular and undeserved success.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And we
could watch them for
much longer than brief.