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High flying Sedaris

Last night, humourrist, essayist and all-round nice guy, David Sedaris, spoke at the Melbourne Writers Festival. He opened by reading Crybaby (renamed Journey into Night for The New Yorker), which was a devilish meditation on having your first class interupted by someone who just can't enjoy the luxury of two kinds of nuts on their sundae because their mother just died. Hearing the story in Sedaris' whiney voice just made it all the funnier.

He also shared his diary entries. The best was from a chat he'd had with a flight attendant who told him about first class being like an ICU, due to all the crybabies. They also told him how fun it was to march up to passengers at the end of the flight holding open a garbage bag, look them in the eye and say "You're trash." My favourite was that when they need to 'pass wind' flight attendants do it by walking up and down the aisles gleefully farting without anyone hearing over the engine noises. This they refer to in the trade as cropdusting.

Comments

  1. a) Their mother. Sorry. Feel free to smack me in the face.

    b) Sedaris! What a wonderful, sarcastic, fey slip of a man. Although I didn't really get into the story about the cat and the baboon, his baboon voice was entrancing... so melodic.

    c) Sorry to bail you up and talk shop like that. Although, I think you started it. I can't remember. I was already a wee bit tipsy at that point.

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  2. Ah, Jess your eagley eye is better than my out the door spelling.
    I loved the idea of the baboon story and the spider.
    You're right - I was in the shop but should talk more.

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