I used to laugh at Steve Martin, but it was in a "laugh at the class clown" kind of way - laughing at his behavior, not so much at his jokes.
If you ever read his biography “Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life”, you’ll quickly understand his humor was more in the line of a vaudeville act or street performer vein.
This would explain why his humor is less about the jokes and more about the slapstick and drawing of attention. I still think it holds up well in that regard sort of in the Chaplain/Keaton vain more so than the a true standup such as Button, Newhart, early Pryor, etc.
Book was well done I thought.