Dave!

So I got a call from my friend, W today. She was calling to see if I was free on Tuesday night. I am. She wanted to know if I could go with her to Charleston to see David Sedaris. She has tickets.

"AM I FREE?" I shouted. "Are you kidding?" David Sedaris is probably my favorite author ever. He is hilarious. I've read or listened to all of his books about three times each. (BTW, if you have never read any of his stuff, drop what you are doing and run to your local public library. You will laugh your ass off! His family is crazy!)

If you don't know anything about him, he is this guy who grew up near Raleigh, NC. His Greek-American family is totally bonkers and he tells the funniest stories about them and his various life experiences. His sister is Amy Sedaris, who starred in the Comedy Central show (now cancelled) called Strangers with Candy. She, too, is hilarious and fairly well-known. (She appeared as Carrie Bradshaw's book publisher in Sex and the City. She and Molly Shannon proposed that awful book cover where Carrie is naked and trying to catch a cab, remember?) Anyway, I think David now lives in Paris with his boyfriend, but luckily he still makes appearances here in the States. I have two words of advice for novice David Sedaris fans:

1. You don't have to read his stuff in order, but it can be helpful.
2. He is fun to read aloud with someone so you can take turns reading it out loud, but he is best enjoyed when you listen to his books on tape or CD. He reads all of his own books and does a great job with the characters' voices. (I usually grab one when I have a road trip to take.)

So I have the coolest plans ever for next Tuesday. Yessssss!!!

[Insert VB's readers' envious glares here.]

If you want to learn more about David Sedaris, you can check out these websites:
Wikipedia Entry
David Sedaris items @ Amazon
David Sedaris Article on NPR