Wes Locher's Blog - Posts Tagged "david-sedaris"

Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays by David Sedaris


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Even though this is one of David Sedaris's earliest offerings, I did not read it first. I came onto Sedaris's sardonic wit through the fantastic essay collection "Me Talk Pretty One Day." After laughing my way through those 200 plus pages I was hungry for more by the author. Being a completest, I usually read everything I can by authors that I enjoy.

Coming from the high that was "Me Talk Pretty..." I was a little put off by "Barrel Fever," the next title I attempted from the author. Where as "Pretty" contains mostly true stories about Sedaris's life, the first section of Barrel Fever (and the largest chunk of the book) was made up of fictional essays. The essays are still hilarious and after having re-read them since, they hold up as some of the craziest writing that I've read to date. It's clear that the earlier Sedaris was a bit more daring and willing to go for some shock value within his writing.

In fact, upon re-reading Barrel Fever, I find the true stories, which make up the second half of the book to be almost lackluster compared to the zany writing up front.

Overall, a solid collection of stories, but not his strongest work, in my opinion. Will you laugh while reading it? Oh, yes you will. Will you remember these stories after checking out some of his other works? Eh, it's not likely.

If you enjoy the first half of Barrel Fever, then I recommend following this book with Sedaris's "Holidays on Ice" which also contains several essays that are just... well... out there.

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And Here's the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on their Craft and the Industry by Mike Sacks


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Mike Sacks's And Here's the Kicker, was a wonderful read. I had trouble putting it down and I was late for work several times because of it.

I purchased this mainly for the interviews with Sedaris, Barry, and Handey, as they were the humorists closest to my personal style but all the comedians and writers interviewed provided great insight and knowledge into the craft. As has been said in several reviews of this wonderful book, you may not recognize all of the names that emblazon the cover, however, you will definitely be familiar with their work.

The interviewer asked a lot of great questions and allowed his subjects to display their humor all while providing insight into their backgrounds and helping the reader to figure out what makes a comedy writer tick. I was able to benefit from not only a lot of insider knowledge, but found out about some great new authors and books in the process.

It's reassuring to know that most comedy writers suffered the same horrible high school years that I did, and that comedy writing is not something that can be taught in a college course or bought with tuition dollars. Either you have it or you don't. And if you have it... it's up to you to use it.

If you're curious about the world of humor writing, or looking to break in, this will be a helpful piece of reference.

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