34 Out in the Mountains |May 2000

Sedaris on Paris
(and not-quite-Paris)

REVIEWED BY ROLAND F. PALMER

Bur1ington’s Flynn Theatre was
filled with laughter on the evening
of April 13 as author David Sedaris
read from his upcoming book of
essays, Me Talk Pretty One Day, a
chronicle of his experiences living —
or more truth-

Bunny to his French teacher, with
less than successful results.

Sedaris also tried out some limer-
icks he is working on in honor of Ira
Glass, former producer of NPR’s
Morning Edition, and read some

s e 1 e ct i o n s

fully, surviving‘ from his
life — in diaries. The
France, Me Talk Pretty One DGY evening ended

The author with a ques-

of bestsellers
Naked and

David Sedaris

Apfi|l3,2000

 

t i o n - a n d -
answer session

Barrel Fever, . and a book
Sedaris is a fl-e_ Flynn Theatre, Burlington Signing,

quent com- S e d a r i s
mentator on seemed gen-
NPR’s This uinely over-

. American Life

probably best known for his
“SantaLand Diaries,” his memoir of
elfdom at Macy’s. He has an amaz-
ing talent for blending humor with
incisive social critique. Nothing
seems to escape his eye as he shows
how funny life really is.

Two of the most memorable

V essays of the evening were “Make It

A Double” and “Jesus Shaves.”
“Make ItA Double” deals with his
attempts to master French. His prob-
lem lies in the fact that every noun
in the language is either masculine
or feminine, with differences in pro-
nunciation, spelling, and meaning
hinging on these seemingly random
gender assignments. He soon real-
izes that plurals have no gender, and
finds this to be a costly loophole
when it’s time to do the shopping. In
“Jesus Shaves,” he recounts his
attempts to explain the Easter

_ whelmed by
the audiences’ cheers and applause.
He was shy and reserved — until he
started reading, and then nothing
was sacred, including his family. It
was a rare treat to be able to interact
with an author. When asked by an
audience member if his family is
really as he described, he answered

simply, “yes.” When another person‘

mentioned that Vermonters liked
gays, he quipped, “I’d rather you
liked smoking.”

Sedaris’ new book will be avail-
able this spring. In addition, he and
his sister Amy are currently working
on a play that they -hope to produce
in the fall.V

Mon-Sui W“-“““‘
Sunlini 9“‘“'9l““ Over 500 music listening stations to preview CD5

29 CHURCH STREET MARKETPLACE ° BURLINGTON ° 802-865-2711

Over 200,000 book, music, video 8: DVD titles
7' Over 2,000 periodicals
30% discount on Borders best-selling books
Over l50 titles discounted, every week!
Most Extensive Music selection in Burlington!

Mtm~Sat 9,,,,,_, 1pm
unday 9g,,,_9pm

BORDERS®

Stay Up to Date
Stay Connected

mountainpridemedia.org

The

of Rochester

GRANNIS GALLERY

“Fine Qglb

Vermont's premier showcase for the very best in contemporary

 

jewelry designers, featuring owner and designer/goldsmith Timothy Grannis.

   

Corner

ofchurch 8; Bank, Burlington - 660-2032 - M-S 1o-6 - Sun 12-5