Humorist and New York Times bestselling author David Sedaris donned a pair of shiny elf-like shoes paired with a tailored suit and took the stage at the Overture Center Oct. 22 as part of his world tour promoting his upcoming book, “The Land and its People.”
The book promises to be a satirical look at the “land or people” of the world.
With a knack for transforming the quotidian into hilarious magic, Sedaris uses the human condition to assemble satirical masterpieces.
With more than ten million book copies sold and translations in 25 languages, Sedaris has a powerful and extensive reach. He is the author of “Naked,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,” and countless other works.
Sedaris grounds his writing in human peculiarity and often uses personal anecdotes to do so. Describing his process to the audience, Sedaris said he often draws from daily entries in a diary he has kept for nearly 50 years.
Throughout the evening, Sedaris read excerpts from “The Land and its People,” testing out new material to gauge audience responses. It was shocking how honest and personal his stories were, and listeners were constantly leaning in for more.
One anecdote that was particularly appealing to the audience involved Sedaris’ attempts to outsmart the Duolingo AI chatbot, Lilly, during his process of learning new languages.
“I told her, ‘I’d like to cut my tongue off with a chainsaw,’” Sedaris said, as audience laughter filled the room. He smiles as he emphasizes his pursuit of eccentric, out-of-the-ordinary content in his writing, personal life and now Duolingo relationships.
Following the show, Sedaris greeted a long line of fans for conversations and book signings. Fans eagerly held their books open to him, and he drew a unique illustration on each person’s page above his signature. His white table-clothed workspace overflowed with a rainbow of markers as he scarfed down a late dinner between interactions.
Many fans promptly greeted him with a crazy or hilarious story of their own, perhaps in the hopes of appearing in a future essay.
During my signing, Sedaris chatted with me briefly as he drew a gold match in my book. “If you haven’t made your Christmas list yet, you’re really falling behind,” Sedaris said, and in the same breath, “I found this rubber baby in the elevator – I’m thinking of naming it Robin.”
When told about this article, Sedaris responded with his classic wittiness.
“Write whatever you want, because I assure you I’ll never read it,” Sedaris said. “I never read anything about me!”
