In August of last year, I came across an ad saying David Sedaris (bumping Dave Barry as my favorite writer on the Hierarchy) would be doing a book reading at Town Hall for March 31, 2006. On September 10th, I bought tickets. After a 6 month wait, the day finally came.
Erin and I went to Town Hall. We sat in the 6th row and received our programs. Already excited and thinking it couldn't get better, it did. Sarah Vowell, author of the brilliant book Assassination Vacation and The Partly Cloudy Patriot, would be doing the introduction.
Just as the lights dim and Sarah comes on stage, 2 people two rows in front of me take their seats. My first reaction was the same as anytime people get to their seats, especially good ones, at the last minute. I'm annoyed for them not getting there earlier and why be so late if you have good seats. Of the two women, one looks really familiar. Lo and behold it's Amy Sedaris, David's sister, star of Strangers with Candy and frequent favorite Letterman guest.
Sarah's intro was very funny. David comes on stage wearing a blue & white stripped shirt and an orange and white tie. The first essay he reads was in the New Yorker a couple of months ago, regarding a sheep and a crow. The second was a truly brilliant essay to be published in an upcoming New Yorker about his family's experience with a baby-sitter while he was 11. The family stories are always my favorite and even better with Amy sitting so close. She has such a distinctive laugh, and interesting to see family react to his stories. The third was about going to the doctor in Paris. He then read some entries from his diary and did a Q&A before calling it a night.
Town Hall was packed -- not an empty seat to be found. All to hear a man read. And paying good money to hear a man read. I have all of his books, not only on tape, but audio is well. And as amazing he is to read, hearing him gives his essays a whole new dimension. With the Q&A he is so quick witted, making even the most banal question interesting.
Amy was wearing a green and white dress with black fishnets. I'm not sure if I should find it amusing or creepy that a 40-year old woman carries a Sylvester the Cat pencil bag in her purse.
All in all an A+, 5 star, two thumbs up evening. I highly recommend reading David Sedaris' work, especially Me Talk Pretty One Day and "the Santaland Diaries" from Holidays on Ice. "Santaland" is the funniest piece of work I have ever read -- ever.
Quote of the Day:
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Winston Churchill
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