I remember going to get a book signed, and they don’t look at you, they don’t talk to you, and you feel somewhat betrayed. But, more than that, I just remember what it’s like to be on that side of the table. You are known for interacting with fans for hours you seem like you have a genuine interest in people. But it also is such a great way to talk to people. I know it’s weird to say those things about yourself, but I just feel like that’s when I’m at my best. I’m my most gracious, caring, alert, kind self when I’m on tour. I also think it allows me to be my best self.

He shared his thoughts with The Times on late-pandemic touring, generational shifts, his own bout of Twitter backlash and whether any topic is off-limits.Īttention. Even amid the overwhelming gloom of the pandemic, a summer of unrest and the death of a father toward whom he still has complicated feelings, Sedaris never loses his wit or his crack timing. “Happy-Go-Lucky” is a snapshot of Sedaris’ life in the final years of the Trump administration, rendered in shadows and light.

The purported right to offend is very much subject to debate. Comics are being attacked onstage ( Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle) or accused of “punching down” on vulnerable populations ( Ricky Gervais, Dave Chappelle again). It’s a tricky one to have just at this moment. The topics themselves didn’t seem inherently funny: the deaths of family members, Black Lives Matter, Twitter fights, Balthus paintings, waiting on line at Starbucks. When I spoke with the writer over the phone about his new collection, “ Happy-Go-Lucky,” my laughter ranged across the spectrum you could build a complete taxonomy of belly laughs and nervous giggles from the call alone. He admits that he likes to get “a mix of laughter,” including the particular kind that comes from shock: “It’s a laugh that doesn’t sound like any other laugh. Though the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to take the longest break from touring that he’s had in his decades-long career, Sedaris, 65, has been back in theaters around the country since last fall. If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from, whose fees support independent bookstores.Īuthor and humorist David Sedaris loves his job - which after all is making people laugh for a living - but that doesn’t mean he worries too much about offending people.

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