A David Sedaris Sampler From His 2012 Durham Performance

David Sedaris Delights Durham – Oct 26, 2012

Last night’s An Evening With David Sedaris was delectable, earning paroxysms of laughter from Duke of Derm, Princess of Peds, Duchess of Durham, me, and, indeed, the entire audience that filled the Durham Performing Arts Center. Consequently, I thought it only right to share a few lines from the show with readers.

• I intended to start with something from the introduction by Paul Sedaris, David’s brother who is better known to Sedaris fans as The Rooster, but I find myself unable to find words that even approximate an accurate description. Suffice it to say that the point at which The Rooster began hurling tighty-whities, allegedly belonging to his brother, into the audience was not the most outrageous part of his contribution to the show.

• The David Sedaris joke most favored by Duke of Derm was, happily, featured when Sedaris appeared on The Daily Show so it is available on video:

• Sedaris reported telling the following joke to a ticket agent who was unresponsive, forcing him to resort to an explanation that was, of course, no more successful in evoking the desired laughter:

What’s the worst thing you can hear while blowing Willie Nelson?
I’m not Willie Nelson.

• The title Sedaris himself favored for his book that was published as “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary,” was Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls.

• David Sedaris has traditionally included something offered as a gift (condoms were big during one tour) or a recommendation. Last night, his suggestion was Sweden, largely because “In Sweden, they decided they needed to come up with a better word for little girls to call their vaginas. ‘Vagina’ is too adult.”

• He also traditionally recommends a book by another author. In this case, the book was “The Bill From My Father: A Memoir” by Bernard Cooper. Sedaris explained the choice and read a selection from the book. While I found no video of Sedaris reading from Cooper’s book, I did find a reading by Bernard Cooper himself, which includes the same portion we heard David Sedaris read last night.