David Sedaris at State Theatre on November 1st, 2022

When I was a kid, I kept a “Slam Book.''  For those of you unfamiliar, this is a notebook that’s passed around class, and includes prompts to slam one’s opinions down about a question/idea on each page.  It also includes prompts for writing fill-in-the-blank stories. I loved being able to write prompts and read my classmates' crude attempts at storytelling. Later, I would find David Sedaris did something similar with comedic stories he collected from patrons at his book signing events. Since then, I’ve read several of his memoirs including Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, and Calypso.

I enjoyed his stories about international travel and specifically to France; first for summer getaways to Normandy, then to Paris As far as travelling goes, we had Paris in common.  Sedaris recalls learning French and preferring lesser known venues over places like the Louvre. He became the American voice on Parisian life, overcoming barriers and turning them into opportunities to be indifferent, and regard the French as funny when unfriendly.

It was gratifying to find out that Sedaris was a writer, like myself, that marched to the beat of his own drum. In 1977, Sedaris dropped out of Kent State University to hitchhike around the United States. While doing so he held several jobs and began writing notes on his travels on diner placemats. Sedaris’ memoirs are filled with stories and anecdotes he’s had while holding those positions.

When I heard he was coming to the State Theater in Minneapolis, I knew I had to bring a friend who enjoyed comedy as much as I. After all, one has to enjoy humor to really enjoy the master of satire.

Sedaris is on tour because he recently released his book Happy-Go-Lucky, a new collection of autobiographical sketches. Sedaris discussed topics from his book, some light hearted, some quite crude, maybe not an event to bring a child to, but otherwise quite hilarious.  Sedaris comes on stage smiling and wearing baggy pants with shoes that one might wear in a bowling alley, eccentric for sure but he explains his attire and it gets a laugh.

After introducing a fellow author who reads from their book. The audience is entranced throughout the reading, and even though he occasionally looks down at his text, you’d believe it's memorized, or being told in the moment, with tone and inflection. There’s no interruptions, only loud robust laughter from the audience when Sedaris predicts its arrival. He takes questions at the end, and someone asks if he’s ever been called Dave or Davey.  He says he refused to be called either and pointed out that nicknames can only be given to you or else he'd give himself a few.

Sedaris travelling across the US, and will be in cities like Boston and New Jersey in April, and  St.Cloud, Minnesota in May 2023. Check his tour dates at https://www.davidsedarisbooks.com/