some people have a knack of telling their life stories with an addictive humour leaving their audiences clamouring for more. my genetic make-up seems to lack that story-telling trait, or, perhaps in a more optimistic light, such phenotype has not yet come to manifest behaviourally.
a couple of weeks ago, i found myself in the audience listening to David Sedaris read from his latest opus "When You Are Engulfed in Flames". i had only very recently discovered that the university bookstore held such events. as i waited excitedly in the reserved seating section in the bookstore's underground premise, i felt quite alone amongst the sea of strangers and Sedaris pilgrims.
unlike most other people in the audience, i am the odd-ball who has never before this event read any of Sedaris's works. friends, monoceros and DSD, in particular, adore his writing, and have mentioned that i ought to look up his other works. as i haven't heeded their good advise, i thought that attending his reading might make up for the apparent lack of solidarity.
with a rather straight face, Sedaris read his anecdotes aloud. one does not really know if he ever laughs in his pants with the audience or that it's a facade he's learnt to assume during readings. the stories are undoubtedly funny; awkward life situations that are both embarrassing and ridiculous, but quite plausibly true, too. some of his trans-cultural experiences are uncannily similar to mine, although mine were never quite so embarrassing. it seems that linguistic faux-pas can be a devastatingly easy cultivator of unfortunate circumstances, and at the same time, potentially a lot of laughs. while his conversational style and thematic approach to his subject render his readers an expectation of what subsequent developments might be likely... he offers suspense with digressions, not too far removed from the main theme. we arrive at the end of each anecdotal chapter of his life enlivened, and perhaps a little more at ease at laughing at ourselves if we weren't already used to doing so.
the book-signing queue was endless, and for the most part remained in situ. the wait was made a little more miserable by the fact that many buildings in the midwest, while magestic in its sheer volume, do not capitalize in their architectural design, the natural sunlight that is pleasantly abundant in this part of the world where winters dominate the weather forecast. it's an utter shame for summer has finally arrived!
when i finally got to the table where Sedaris was perched, he mentioned 'having to' visit Hong Kong later this year... i said he ought to explore Singapore but forgot to add that i think he might find his visit interesting fodder for his travel anecdotes... i guess if he were to visit he'll figure that out himself! in any case, i was one of the few hundred patient but restless readers who left the stuffy underground that evening with an autograph and a bit of random doodling from the man; apparently, if i had a cat, it would look as weirdly crossed-eyed as it appears in my book.
for those who missed the event, here's a podcast, a list of programmes related to Sedaris, and a recent entry by the man reflecting on his letting go of a habit. but be warned... laughing might be a necessary and natural response.
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