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Oct
07
An evening with David Sedaris
2008 at 10am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Last night I took advantage of one of the many perks of working in a bookstore by tagging along to help another store sell books while David Sedaris spoke at Richmond’s historic Landmark Theater. Sedaris is one of my favorite authors, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a free ticket (in a box seat, nonetheless!) and hang out with several thousand other booklovers, even if it meant working a 17-hour day. I’d been looking forward to the event for several months, and it didn’t disappoint.
Mr. Sedaris arrived about an hour before showtime and pulled up a chair at our booksale—he was scheduled to sign books afterward and fully intended to hang out and meet his fans until every book was signed, but he wanted to give those people who couldn’t stay late an opportunity to get theirs signed ahead of time. He entered quietly, but people caught on pretty quickly, and I had a great time listening while he chatted with fans about anything and everything. He mentioned in his talk that he loves book tours because he can ask people pretty much anything, and I am here to confirm that he does that. He spent several minutes talking to each person, and it was clear that he really appreciates his fans and wants to be generous with his time.
Shortly after the talk began, my colleagues and I ran up to our supersweet seats to enjoy the show. While most authors stick to reading from their most recent book and taking a few questions, Sedaris prefers to test out new material and to read pieces he’s working on for his next book. He stands at the podium, pencil in hand, and makes notes for himself about what works and what doesn’t work, about what gets laughs and what doesn’t, and he is constantly revising these pieces as he travels from town to town. It takes guts for an author to do that—to share material that isn’t in its final form and to listen carefully to the audience’s response—and it makes for a very entertaining evening.
Mr. Sedaris read several new pieces, including one about the upcoming election and the media’s fascination with undecided voters. Referring to the token undecided voters featured on nightly news broadcasts, he wondered “Are these people professional actors? Or are they just laymen who like a lot of attention? Is anyone really still undecided?” He shared his first experience with voting, when in 1968, his mother, who was undecided between Nixon and Hubert Humphrey, allowed him to pull the lever, and the thing he liked best was the voting booth. “Can we get one of these for the living room?” he wondered. And then a few minutes later, he delivered one of my favorite lines of the night:
Calling yourself a maverick is a sure sign that you are not one.
I generally try not to be too political here, but things are heating up, the election is less than a month away, and the man has a very good point. It’s kind of like how in high school, you know the kids who are talking the most about all the sex they’re having are really the ones who are having it the least.
Sedaris moved on to read a piece he’s working on for a collection of animal stories. The opening line was
Being a male ladybug is kind of like being a female man-of-war. Or a mommy daddy-longlegs.
It was a ridiculously entertaining piece about a male ladybug who is harassed by a male ant, who, of course, thinks the ladybug is a lady and wants to come on to her (really him) construction-worker style. Sedaris’s skill with satire was on full display as he described a familiar dynamic in human relationships that was made funny and easier to critique by the fact that we were picturing the dialog between an ant and a ladybug. It was one of my favorite moments of the evening.
Another highlight occurred when Mr. Sedaris read entries from the diary he keeps as he travels. He told us about a flight attendant he met at one booksigning who told him that she and the other flight attendants relieve their gas pains (caused, she claimed, by air constriction at high pressure and altitude) by farting as they walk up and down the aisles of the plane. The noise from the engine covers it up, and passengers always assume it’s coming from other passengers. “We call it cropdusting,” she told him. And the room roared.
The true highlight of the reading, though, was when Mr. Sedaris shared a piece he had written for When You Are Engulfed in Flames, but which wasn’t published because “it didn’t work.” He promised us that we would see why it didn’t work, and he was right. The piece itself was hilarious, but it was about a teacher he had in college who selectively pronounced foreign words with a very thick accent. Words like “latino, Chicano, and, Nicaragua.” Imagine the most exaggerated pronunciation possible, and you’ve got what happened on stage. I just about peed in my pants. I think it was one of those “you had to be there” moments, but it was hysterical.
Almost as hysterical as his contemplation of whether or not Barack Obama is circumcised.
Seriously, the man is not afraid to talk about anything, and that is what makes him so wonderful. Isn’t this a great picture?
After an hour and a half of laughing until my face hurt, I rushed back to the table to sell books to eager fans and was thrilled when the event staff offered to bump the booksellers to the front of the line, so we wouldn’t have to wait until he was finished with everyone else, at midnight or beyond, to have our books signed and get a chance to chat with him for a few minutes. He asked my young colleague how old he was (17), handed him the complimentary bottle of lotion from the room at his fancy hotel, and recommended that he start moisturizing now. He showed me a book of disfigurations another fan had given him—it was held open to a page displaying pictures of people with horrible boils on their faces—and we had a conversation about how my sister, a recent graduate of nursing school, loves to watch home lancings on youtube. “Your story has touched my heart,” he wrote in the book he was signing at that moment. “Thank you for making me rich,” he inscribed in another. It was unlike any other author signing I’ve attended, and I loved it. Sedaris seems to truly enjoy talking with his fans, and not just because they provide excellent fodder for future essays. He was generous, gracious, and unbearably funny.
He also does something I wish more authors would do—each time he goes on tour, he recommends a book he’s read and enjoyed. He wrapped up his talk by reading selections from The Brain-Dead Megaphone by George Saunders and discussing why he loved it and wanted to share it. I wish I had a photo of myself with David Sedaris, but he requests that no photographs be taken, and it’s a good thing—he’s chatty enough that the booksigning line takes quite a while to get through, and if he took photos with every fan, it would be twice as long.
So that was my evening with David Sedaris. Click here to see a list of his upcoming appearances. If he’s in your area, don’t pass up the opportunity.
What are you up to this week?
Oh, wow. That sounds like a great evening. I have to admit that I have yet to read any of Sedaris’s work, though. He (well, one of his books) is on my wish list, though.
That sounds awesome! I haven’t read any of Sedaris’s work, but it seems like he’s one of those amazing authors that pay attention to their fans. Thanks for sharing. =)
[...] Rebecca wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptSedaris’s skill with satire was on full bdisplay/b as he described a familiar dynamic in human relationships that was made bfunny/b and easier to critique by the fact that we were picturing the dialog between an ant and a ladybug. b…/b [...]
Oh my gosh, I am so jealous! I love Sedaris and I love it when authors turn out to be really cool people.:)
Wow that is a great book signing. I just love those kinds of signings! Sedaris sounds like a really appreciative author…those are the best kinds. I love his comment about the maverick! Hilarious…I’ve thought that for some time!
I haven’t read any of his stuff yet. He sounds really funny though.
I got to meet him a few months back! What a good time it was! I’m pretty sure he drew Abraham Lincoln in one of my books! We had a little chat about the cover of “When You Are Engulfed In Flames” how he wasn’t sure about it since it’s a picture of a painting. Definitely a great day!
My daughter and I were also there!–She got the thrill of her life–by intoducing him!!! She got to spend 20 minutes in his dressing room–and didn’t stop talking about it till about 12:30 last night! He is her favorite author–and she is (a very mature)13…..no photo though…..oh well she will never forget it!
Cindy–I met you guys! I was the bookseller with curly red hair, and I remember saying something to you like “I’m 25 and I love him,” and hearing your daughter say, “And I’m 13 and I love him!” That’s so wonderful that your daughter got to introduce him–it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen an author do, and I’m thrilled for you.
Haven’t read any of his books yet, but I’m all the more encouraged finding out what an interesting, courteous and funny man he is. It’s nice that he makes that personal connection with his readers. I never heard of an author testing new materials on a book-signing audience this way. It sounds like a great event to attend.
I’m so happy that you had a great time! I haven’t read any of David Sedaris’ work, but it’s time for me to change that. I just need to find the time…
[...] and Denim and a the new edition of Holidays on Ice (see “currently reading”) at the David Sedaris event I attended on [...]
I really enjoyed reading “Me Talk Pretty One Day”. It’s nice to hear that he is as cool as he seems to be in his books!
Thanks for the report, I’ll have to attend vicariously through you–he’s coming to my city on Halloween night! Somehow I don’t think my kids would go for me taking off in the middle of trick-or-treating to go to a reading. I love that he read unpublished stuff, and something by another author.
That sounds wonderful. I have always been jealous of the people who work at my local bookstores and get to meet the fantastic authors!
[...] Earlier this week, I reviewed Greasy Rider by Greg Melville, revealed six quirky things about myself (I’d love to know yours!), and told you all about my evening with David Sedaris. [...]
I’m (obviously) behind in my blog reading, but I’m going to see him tomorrow! I can’t wait! I haven’t been too impressed with my first foray into his work, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, but from what I’ve heard, seeing him live will be a real treat!
[...] 28, 2008 by Rebecca A couple weeks ago I told you all about my evening with David Sedaris. It was a grand time, and one of the highlights was hearing his take on undecided voters (and his [...]
I have a guest blogger on my site today who shared about her experience meeting David Sedaris at a book signing too. She also thought it was unlike any other book signing she had ever been to. She is off to see him again tonight in Denver. Here is the link if you want to read her blog entitled, “My First Time.”
http://the-writing-bug.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-first-time.html
[...] Rebecca loved seeing him live. This is the first post about it. [...]
[...] books (for the most part), but I don’t think I truly appreciated Sedaris’s talent until I saw him live in Fall 2008. Whereas most authors use book tour appearances to read from their recently published work, Sedaris [...]
[...] I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love David Sedaris. Naked was the first of his books I ever read, and it’s been a good six years since then, so it was about time for a re-read. As funny as Sedaris’s stories are on paper, they are infinitely better when presented in his voice, and this audio recording of my favorite Sedaris book really hammered that message home. Opening with “A Plague of Tics,’ which is easily my favorite piece in any of his works, Sedaris describes the odd compulsive behaviors that defined his childhood—licking light switches, making strange vocalizations, and rocking back and forth just a few among them—and recalls witnessing his mother and teachers imitate him during supposed parent-teacher conferences. [...]