Customer Reviews

David Sedaris - 14 CD Boxed Set

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There is only one thing better, funnier, laff-out-loud more hilarious than reading David Sedaris' short stories: hearing them read to you by Sedaris, himself. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Sedaris' published work, but I first came across him driving to work and hearing Sedaris on the radio read about his Christmas experience at Macy's Department Store in his "Santaland Diaries." I was laughing so loud and so hard that I, literally, had to pull my car off of the highway. Almost every story on these tapes is that funny and that insightful. Are they all top notch? Probably not. But there is so much pure joy on these tapes (on which Sedaris is aided and abetted by his sister, actress/writer, Amy Sedaris)that I'm willing to give 5 stars to comic writing that sometimes falls from brilliance to mere hilarity.

I first heard of Sedaris through This American Life (An amazing Public Radio show) and immediately bought and read his books. David's writing is beyond belief, but hearing David read them (along with his sister Amy and one story read by Ann Magnuson) brings everything to a new level. While the tapes are abridged, the stories he reads, he reads in full. There are different versions than what is read on This American Life, and he sings some different songs than on TAL (in the style of Billie Holiday). Santaland Diaries are even longer than the TAL uncut version. I did prefer Julia Sweeney's rendetion of Merry Christmas(Seasons Greetings) to Our Friends and Family over Ann Magnuson's. This set is 14 hours long (10 Tapes). At the end of most of the books, there is an additional track of David singing or talking/laughing.

Fourteen hours of David Sedaris! Are you kidding me? The DAVID SEDARIS BOX SET is almost too much of a good thing. As I have no doubt stated elsewhere, the best way to experience David Sedaris apart from going to a live reading is to hear his work on the radio or through his audio recordings. The DAVID SEDARIS BOX SET offers the most substantial collection of his audio recordings to date.

Those parts of his live performance which do not translate as well to written text include his Billie Holiday style of singing, the rendition of The Rooster (from "You Can't Kill the Rooster:" Amy does it here, though I've heard David do it to perfection live), and his attempts at speaking French (translated into broken English in "Me Talk Pretty This Day," "Jesus Shaves," and others). All are well represented in this comprehensive collection. This box set includes his work from "Santaland Diaries," "Barrel Fever," "Naked," "Me Talk Pretty One Day," as well as some bonus tracks.

At the current price, this collection is an incomparable value and I highly recommend it for anyone's audio collection.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

As a lifelong fan and follower of Spalding Gray's monologues I was deeply saddened by the recent news of his failing health (both mental & physical) especially after the joy of "Morning, Noon & Night" where he finally seemed to have laid his demons to rest. It put me into a bit of a funk really and the prospect of no more Spuddy monologues in light of these events was quite upsetting.

Searching around I took a gamble and after only reading a few of his Esquire articles bought this boxset. It must be one of the best risks I have ever taken. My wife and I now adore his work and are eagerly awaiting his next book.

Sedaris' deadpan, ironic perspective is the cry of the outsider realising the inherent madness of society and their place within it. Like Spalding Gray he may sometimes seem flip and working for comic effect but there are dark edges and depth to all of his stories and articles.

At 14 hours (even paying for overseas postage) this is well worth the expense and a sheer delight - You Can't Kill the Rooster & I Eat What He's Wearing are particular favourites.

If you're an ironic outsider you'll love it.

Let me explain my rating. For Sedaris' work, 5 stars plus. My problem is with Amazon listing this as "Unabridged". It is not--it is significantly abridged. What is here is great, as you might expect, but some of my favorites are missing (such as "We Get Along" from Barrel Fever). Funny thing is, nowhere on the item itself does the word "unabridged" appear. Why then does Amazon list it as "unabridged"? Not good--makes me wonder about their other descriptions. Buy it if you love Sedaris, but don't expect everything to be on these recordings.

I have absolutely no idea why anyone would write a review saying that David Sedaris' reading takes away from his books. I have always had exactly the opposite experience. Though I have read all his books, I prefer to listen to them because the author's voice is so unique and his delivery so apt. As much as I love reading "You Can't Kill the Rooster", hearing the phrase out loud adds a whole other dimension of hilarity. Obviously, listening to a book is a subjective experience, but I felt compelled to weigh in after reading the previous review. Don't pay any attention to that person, or to me either except for the part where I tell you not to pay attention to the other review. Decide for yourself.

The drive on I-45 between Houston and Dallas is not one of your more picturesque journeys. Plus, there are stretches during which the only programming on the radio is high school football and unlistenable music. I wasn't looking forward to nine or ten hours on the road driving up and back.

In anticipation of the trip, I ordered these CDs to pass the hours. I had such a good time listening, I was almost sorry when the drive ended. I've read many of his stories before but hearing them, with Sedaris' understated delivery, was even more enjoyable.

It would be hard to pick a favorite story among the gems here; however, the SantaLand Diaries and several of the stories of Sedaris' time in France are classics.

One quibble: These are not unabridged. Several stories from the books are not included on these recordings. However, at about 14 hours, you should have enough Sedaris to keep you happy for a while.

Very very funny. A must read, or in my case, a must listen to on CD. David is the best storyteller out there. You'll be enjoying his stories for years to come.

I bought this for my cousin thinking it was a deal, I mean it says unabridged. But it is in fact abridged, they all are. So why do they say "UNABRIDGED?" I still like his work, very funny, but I don't like the false advertising.

The absolute, earth-ending joy gained from reading David Sedaris' stories is only topped by listening to him read them to you. Sedaris' humor is unstoppable, yet his stories touch that blood-pumping heart often as well. Here's the chance to get his complete works on tape, so that you can listen to them in the car or in your walkman on the subway, and people can look at you strangely as you laugh out loud to yourself.