Touching on family dynamics and mortality, he told an amusing story about how his food-hoarding father — who's still alive, by the way — described in full detail the harrowing torture of getting a colonoscopy, then advised his son, "You really should get one, too." Sedaris went on to share the numerous times his father recommended he get a colonoscopy, once in response to a question about what he wanted for Christmas ("or an iPhone") and another a whispered urging apropos of nothing in the middle of a high-profile literary event.
He alluded to another health issue during a reading of his latest article in The New Yorker, a story about his adventures in Parisian medicine and dentistry, wherein he discusses the fatty tumor by his rib cage — of which he was repeatedly reassured, "Dogs get them all the time." The funniest disorder joke came by way of a conversation with a women with Tourette's syndrome, which ended with him yelling, "Cunt!"
At each of Sedaris' tour stops, he encounters funny people and situations. He told the audience about a large-breasted women whose shirt read, emblazoned across her chest: "Too bad these aren't brains."
He recounted funny jokes told to him, too, such as, "What's the worst thing you can hear from Willie Nelson when you're blowing him? ... I'm not Willie Nelson."
Throughout the evening, Sedaris reveals that he's intent on registering his audience's feedback by noting the laughs on a sheet of paper while taking a sip of water. He rewrites his material at each show, and the stories get shorter and shorter. His friendliness and connection with the audience, mitigated with a salty, bitchy irreverence, made him more endearing than some smarmy bestselling author.
Sedaris also read a passage from a book called Deadly Kingdom: The Book of Dangerous Animals about a monkey who threw rocks from cars. He offered high praise for the author, Gordon Grice, whose book was among those being sold at Sedaris' merch table. A brief Q&A session followed the talk, after which Sedaris adjourned to the lobby to sign autographs.
Speaking of signing stuff, Sedaris shared that his autographs include fun recommendations of things he'd like to do with his readers, such as the quip offered to Bluebird Book Bus' Mitzi Gordon (pictured above). The line for the book signing following the show was long and wound around the entrance. Gordon kindly agreed to help out a Tarot card/palm reader by carrying his book to the front of the line for him. He gave her a reading to show his gratitude — though she really wanted a sandwich in return. Of course, Gordon had a good laugh about this with Sedaris once she got her autograph.
