"You are going to die" and other humorous stories

Though I have seen a few authors read from their books in bookstore appearances or small college readings, I have never before paid to see a performance by an author. But last night, I went with my mom, my cousin, and my friend Kathleen to see David Sedaris live "in concert."

David Sedaris is one of my favorite writers, and he is hand-down one of the funniest, most talented nonfiction writers alive today. If you have never read any of his books, I recommend checking them out immediately. The books I have devoured include Naked, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and Holidays on Ice. His essays appear regularly in The New Yorker, and he is a frequent NPR contributor.

I did not know what to expect from a live show of an author reading his works. I did know from my brother (who had seen Sedaris last year) that he reads new stuff -- work that he is testing out for publication, rather than work that has already been published. The hour-an-a-half long show was absolutely hilarious. The entire audience rarely stopped laughing. Sedaris's stories consist mostly of incidents involving his dysfunctional family or his many experiences travelling and working all over the country. But the stories are almost always very poignant as well. He relates the story of his partner Hugh's Christmas request for a human skeleton into a very funny meditation on mortality.

The funniest stories last night involved a foul-mouthed old couple on an airplane (which he described as "a couple from a Ralph Lauren ad forced into a David Mamet play"), a fable about a crow and a ewe, and a story about life-as-parody involving a too-good-to-be-real southern woman. Sedaris uses scathing sarcasm, biting wit, crude language, and pure goofiness, and the result is literary magic. He has been called the literary world's only "rock star," and the sold-out show supports this notion.

Talking about it does not do the show justice. It was truly one of the most entertaining events I have ever been to.
(As a side note, since some of my readers are from the Great North, I will mention that David Sedaris will be in Fargo on the 19th and in Duluth on the 21st. Details here.)


Inexplicably, I have not read one of his more famous titles, Me Talk Pretty One Day. Fortunately, he had a book-signing in the lobby after the show. I purchased that book, and my cousin purchased his Live at Carnegie Hall cd. Even in the signing line he was funny. There was a teenage couple in front of us, and when they got to the table, Sedaris asked, "How old are you?" They said, "19" and Sedaris asked, "Have you started smoking yet?"
The girl said, "No."
Sedaris responded, "Why not? Smoking is great." Then he gave them a pack of cigarettes and told them to start smoking immediately. And he signed their book "Don't ever quit."

He signed my cousin's cd with "I am so happy you are alive," and then signed my book with "You are going to die."