Houston Southard

David SEdaris - Happy Go Lucky

Essayist. Satirist. Dime-store philosopher. Sedaris might not give himself those monikers, but that's what he is. The man's become world-famous for going out into the world and writing what he sees. His bibliography is saturated in observation: sometimes mean, often gross, and always poignant. He's the Stephen King of memoiring because from the audience's perspective all he ever needs to do is put his fingers to the keyboard and he can sell a few million copies.

The most impressive thing about David Sedaris is how appealing his inappropriate writing is. He talks about cutting the back out of his underwear as a kid in hopes of some lewd sexual encounter with a father figure. The shame, the confusion, and his pity in the year's later retrospect on the perils of prepubescent hormones bumping up against blossoming homosexuality. He's whimsically disappointed that out of the almost one million dead from COVID-19, he didn't get to choose a single victim.

He'll self-deprecate on how embarrassed he is to smile his Dolarhyde teeth as quickly as he'll rip on his parents, his siblings, his husband. They've grown wary around him over the decades knowing their behaviors are being shelved away as future story kindling. Nothing like an intimate moment being nonconsensually shared with the world.

But that's why David is the world's number one autobiographer: He's harder on himself than he is anyone else and we can all relate to it. His biting social commentary is never not timely. His masterclass talks about how any moment in our lives can be as exciting as his seem. Be honest, give up trying to control others' reactions, and embrace shamelessness. Like me plugging these two stories I tried in his format.

In Fat Lip, I recount a time in high school when my wrestling coach/chemistry teacher slapped me across the face in a crowded hallway because he thought I had chewing tobacco in my gums. In Relay4L, I reminisce on my dad's cancer, his involvement in the Relay For Life, and how I subsequently got caught selling the event's leftover donated beanie babies to my neighbors in order to buy more Pokemon cards.

I shamelessly encourage you to check them both out.