David Sedaris at Union Square Barnes & Noble

"If you read a story in Esquire and don't like it, there might be something wrong with the story. If you read a story in the New Yorker and don't like it, there's something wrong with you."

Tonight I saw David Sedaris kick off his latest book tour at the Barnes & Noble at Union Square. This is a victory, make no mistake. I have been trying for years to see Sedaris read live. There's always been a fatal scheduling conflict, or sold-out tickets. And my favorite consolation prize, a signed copy of Me Talk Pretty One Day procured by one of my favorite people, sits on my shelf in a place of honor. But I was never able to get to any of the events in Connecticut or Boston.

So today I left work and headed straight to Union Square, well in advance of the 7:00 start time. And I'm so glad I did--not only did I get one of the last seats available and bond with my neighbors, but Sedaris showed up an hour and a half early (!) just to sign books. I decided not to wait in line, but it was still extremely impressive. Even the store employees seemed nonplussed. Usually authors push through the reading, wearily answer some questions, and sigh through the signing line. I've never seen a writer voluntarily show up ahead of time to accommodate more people.

The reading itself was fantastic--probably the best I've ever attended. Sedaris was more energetic, more attractive, and more charming than I expected--definitely more so than he comes across on camera, or even on radio. He read one of the essays from When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and then some hilarious bits from his personal diary. Did I mention the energy? He just kept going. If there weren't eight million more people waiting for signatures after the talk, I'm pretty sure he would have kept plowing through silly jokes and the snippets from his journal.

And the questions were--get this--tolerable. Not a single person asked what his inspiration/influences are. That, my friends, is unprecedented. Unprecedented! The epigraph above came in response to someone's question about how his writing style has changed now that he's been published so much and in so many different places. It was cute.

The whole event was great from start to finish. It also sets the bar high for the next reading to come along. It's probably just as well that I won't be able to go to see Salman Rushdie tomorrow. Fatwa drama is such a downer.