David Sedaris - Anyone a fan? Have any of you seen him live?

Cafe Society
21

I love David Sedaris, and have seen him live twice.

I think his work is great to read, and phenomenal to listen to, so I usually go for audiobooks.

I don’t bother to see him live anymore, though, since to me, listening to a recording of him is just as good as listening to him actually reading live, and the ticket to the live showing is more than I care to spend.

But I’m kind of an anomaly. I don’t care about live shows for most things. Plays and musicals are the exception, but even then, I’d be happy to watch a video production if it existed (which it usually doesn’t).

Most people seem to love live shows, so if you like David Sedaris, you’ll probably like seeing him live, too.

22

I’ve just read it all the way through. I’m afraid I got the same reaction I did to skimming his stuff in the bookstore. That is to say, nothing. David Sedaris is to me as phenylthiocarbamide is to some people – either you get a strong reaction, or you find it tasteless. I lack the equivalent of the TAS2R38 taste receptor gene for Sedaris.

23

I had seen him do readings on talk shows several times before I read any of his collections.

During his peak years (e.g., Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim), I could feel the rhythm of his voice in his writing. It works really well.

It seems to have fallen off in quality and I doubt Theft By Finding will be worth reading. Selections from old diaries, from an obsessive diarist? Not sure about that.

24

I like most of his stuff very much, and some of it is truly awesome. I’m not sure he’s any better than Stephen Leacock, who I think is wonderful as well, but I think Seradis has it all over Benchley or Perlman. Funny how tastes differ.

I’m generally not much for audibooks, but I do enjoy hearing recordings of Sedaris reading his stuff. In many cases–not all–it adds to the humor. (Or the nonhumor…some of his stuff has a much more serious message.)

I haven’t seen him live. However, about eight years back my son, a bigger fan of Sedaris than I am, was going to be home from college when Sedaris was appearing at the local theater. We gave our son a ticket for his birthday. (I thought about going with but decided it was too expensive…) I drove my son over so he didn’t have to deal with parking and said “Call when it’s over, I’ll come get you.”

When I got there, he was at the end of a very long line of folks waiting to have books signed. As others have said, the line moved glacially because Sedaris really was interested in each person, engaged them all in conversation. I plunked myself down on a chair nearby, listened to the conversations, and waited…and waited…and waited…

And it really was fine, waiting, but after fifteen minutes or so he noticed me. “Are you waiting for someone?” He asked. “Yes, my son,” I explained. He peered around the corner. “Where is he?” “Back in the theater still,” I said, “close to the end of the line. It’s fine.” He frowned, evidently thinking my son was about 13 instead of 20, or maybe I just looked really really tired. “Well, that won’t do,” he said, “bring him up front.” I demurred but he insisted, and so that’s what happened–and while I still feel a little guilty about cutting the line, it was a nice gesture and he couldn’t have been nicer in his conversation with my son. Even if I didn’t admire his work, I’d appreciate him for that.

25

Re: S.J. Perlman. See “Eine Kleine Mothmusik” from The New Yorker, 1960. An exchange of letters between the vacationing author and his Manhattan dry cleaner. You will SHIT IN YOUR PANTS from the laughing. Sedaris wishes he could accomplish anything this funny.

26

I’ve loved David Sedaris’ work for YEARS. I always seem to miss him when he comes here to do a live reading. Some of his odd facts in his books just stay in my mind for years.

I do wonder, however, how much of his screwy family anecdotes are actual facts or slightly, uh, enhanced. He has SUCH a screwy family and they are SO amusing that I began to wonder…I do like his stories about living with his partner in France. They showed up one day to live out in the country and it was like ‘my goodness, what on earth made you guys come HERE to live?’

I also like his sister Amy Sedaris’ work, she’s pretty strange and amusing herself.

27

There’s a very dark side to his childhood. Little bits dropped here and there indicate that he’s enhancing certain things in order to deal with the bad stuff. It’s a lot clearer in the essay he wrote after his sister killed herself.

So I lot of time I cringe when reading about his family.

28

Read his stuff. Saw him live. Big fan, big fan.

29

I finally read one of his many books recently. I forget the title; it was whatever I was able to first grab from the library, so maybe it was available because it wasn’t his best. Whichever it was, I found it dull and unimaginative. It seems like something I would have enjoyed in high school, but today? Meh.

I think it was Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, going by the essay titles.

30

Big big fan, never have seen him live but on Book TV

31

Yeah, other than him having to explain the Hamburglar to a Greek audience which provoked a smile from me, it was strictly meh.

32

Holy God, I just listened to David Sedaris read Six to Eight Black Men and he was horrible! He stumbled badly while reading it, and put no oomph into the piece whatever.

Jeez, they say this guy’s stuff is much funnier when he reads it, but that was awful. I’ve heard it said that his voice is what makes it so funny, but really, he just sounds like a relaxed Truman Capote. What’s funny about that?

33

His essay explaining the Easter Bunny to the French was my first and best experience with him. Him reading it was the best way to experience it.

A bell??

34

His impersonation of Billie Holiday singing “Away in a Manger” is one of my all-time favorite Sedaris bits.

35

I’ve read several of his pieces, and seen him twice locally. Thought he was funny. He has this subtle deadpan delivery while saying the most vile things. I like that juxtaposition.

36

I laugh that Sedaris ruined Billie Holiday for me. I can only hear her sing in his voice…

37

de gustibus non est disputandum.

Funny is highly subjective. I laughed so hard I had trouble breathing the first time I heard that bit. I don’t really think I (or anyone) could explain why it’s funny in a satisfactory way, though. Apparently, Sedaris is not your cup of tea.

38

This is actually the piece I was thinking of when I said I enjoyed listening to him reading his works…

“Two…morsels…of lumber!”

39

Thanks for the link. But I checked my pants afterwards :grin:, and…well, I will reiterate what I said: I think Sedaris has it all over Perelman. You obviously don’t agree; that’s fine.

I’m always intrigued by differences in what we find funny. My mom has a good sense of humor, in general. She has a habit of reading comic strips she finds amusing out loud when I visit, over breakfast. Mostly I agree, they’re funny. But there was this strip, I think it was called Sylvia, and she thought it was hilarious, and I don’t think I ever once found anything even mildly amusing in it. Each to his own, said the old lady as she kissed the cow…

40

I’ve read and enjoyed 2 or 3 of his books, but never seen him live or even heard him on the radio.