If you don't know who Elaine Stritch is then you're not a homosexual.
David Sedaris, this evening at the Boulder Theater.
Sedaris shared this observation just before he queued three minutes worth of Stritch reading from his new book: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk.
The delight on his face as he listened to Ms. Stritch read from his story was one of the highlights of the evening. Alongside it: the way he pimped Wells Tower's first collection of stories, Everything Savaged, Everything Burned. Not because he was a friend -- "I've never met Wells Tower but I'm told he's very tall" -- but because he loved the book.
I knew the recommendation was coming because friends had seen Sedaris a short while back and they passed along the book title; what I didn't expect was the pure generosity of Sedaris' action. I was lucky to snag a seat with a good view to the stage, which afforded me a good look at the sweet smile that plays across Sedaris' face as he performs -- something I missed the last time we saw him from a great distance. He doesn't overplay his lines and they're terribly dry. Unless you're right on top of him it's easy to miss the deep kindness in his eyes -- especially when he's reading this kind of thing »
