His hand blocking his eyes from the brightness, or more likely the view, David Sedaris began his Salt Lake City appearance last night with a call for darkness. He wanted someone to cut the lights on the crowd assembled at Abravanel Hall, explaining later, "This is fine, as long as I can't see you."

In a way only this humorist, author and radio contributor can do, Sedaris regaled the audience with stories of the absurd, most of it autobiographical. From buying condoms in bulk for teens, a perfect "light and individually wrapped" gift when pills aren't available, to his adventures with a "slave monkey" and a riff about the house guest with an annoying French accent, he had the crowd roaring. He shared tales from the road, including insights into how he might prioritize people in line at book signings — selecting first, for example, smokers, grown women with braces or men under 5-foot-6-inches.

But some of the loudest cheers came when he turned to the presidential election, wondering out loud if undecided voters might be professional actors. He painted a picture of a flight attendant offering up meal options to make his point.

"Can I interest you in the chicken, or would you prefer the human s--- with bits of broken glass in it?," he said, as the hall exploded. "To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and ask how the chicken is cooked."

Sedaris, who tours often, said he likes coming back to Salt Lake City in part because of The Little America Hotel.

"It's like a four-star motel... It should be depressing, but it's not," he said. "I've stayed at The Big America Hotel, but I really prefer The Little America."

Labels: Books, politics