David Sedaris is a thoroughly modern man, making his way in a style more befitting a well-known personality about 100 years ago. Sedaris has become a household name by writing books rather than tweets and by appearing on the radio (what?!) rather than television. Like titans of the past such as Dickens and Twain, he tours the world and holds audiences rapt by spinning tales of exceptional humor and wit. In other words, Sedaris is old school. This master of the anecdote will be bringing his quips to Ann Arbor’s Hill Auditorium on April 15. But just because this guy is an anachronism isn’t really reason enough to attend, is it? I mean you wouldn’t pay to watch someone wear spats or buy a laser disc, would you? Let me elaborate.
Sedaris began to garner acclaim after nuclear nerd crush and host of “This American Life,” Ira Glass, discovered him reading excerpts of his diary in a Chicago club – a fortuitous occasion after which Sedaris and his soul-baring, oft embarrassing, riotous and touching tales became fixtures on National Public Radio. He has published bestseller after bestseller, with autobiographical hits like “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.” These intimate glimpses into his neurotic mind and frenzied family won Sedaris the Thurber Prize for American Humor, three Grammy nominations and landed him the plum title of Time’s “Humorist of the Year” in 2011.
But if you think that his raft of awards and adulation have given Sedaris a big head, I’d be willing to wager you’ve not read the man. His work is self-deprecation perfected – spilling the beans about his inability to grasp the French language even while living in France and being kicked out by his father because of his homosexuality among other things. Through the lens of his own experiences, he turns the camera on larger questions about human nature and has become an incisive and important voice. His personal admissions often reveal stirring truths about the things that shape us and make our lives so painful and magical. His forthcoming book is due late this spring and has a Sedaris-typical bewildering title “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls.”
Having penned half a dozen plays with his celeb sibling Amy, Sedaris is no stranger to the stage. Tickets to the performance are on sale now and start off at a surprisingly reasonable $20 – a steal for an unforgettable evening of laughs.
