The Wit of David Sedaris

One author I’ve come to love like a best buddy who you find really entertaining but doesn’t even know you are alive is David Sedaris. He is actually the brother of the actress Amy Sedaris, which I think should be reason enough to read his books.

I however, like I do with most books these days, listen to his audio books, which I think adds an extra special layer to the enjoyment of his stories. He doesn’t do much fiction, he mostly shares odd stories of his life and something about his voice I think makes everything that much more amusing.

Here are clever remarks of his from different books:

“If you’re looking for sympathy, you’ll find it between shit and syphilis in the dictionary.”

“We were not a hugging people. In terms of emotional comfort it was our belief that no amount of physical contact could match the healing powers of a well made cocktail.”
— “Naked”

“Follow seven beers with a couple of scotches and a thimble of good marijuana, and it’s funny how sleep just sort of comes on its own. Often I never even made it to bed. I’d squat down to pet the cat and wake up on the floor eight hours later, having lost a perfectly good excuse to change my clothes. I’m now told that this is not called ‘going to sleep’ but rather ‘passing out,’ a phrase that carries a distinct hint of judgment.”

“It was my friend Frank, a writer in San Francisco, who finally set me straight. When asked about my new look he put down his fork and stared at me for a few moments. “A bow tie announces to the world you can no longer get an erection.”

“I recalled my mother, flushed with wine, pounding on the tabletop one night, saying, ‘Love? I love a good steak cooked rare. I love my cat, and I love… ’ My sisters and I leaned forward, waiting to hear our names. ‘Tums,’ our mother said. ‘I love Tums.’”
— “Me Talk Pretty One Day”

If only he blogged or was on Twitter, then at least someone could amuse me while I’m at work. Instead all I have is you people to amuse me and that’s really sad.

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