Pam on Amy Sedaris
From: pamelamk@sas.upenn.edu (Pamela M Kuklinski) Message-Id: <200102201705.f1KH5C026393@mail1.sas.upenn.edu> Subject: amy sedaris To: whseminar@dept.english.upenn.edu Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 12:05:12 -0500 (EST) Let's see, where do I begin... Amy Sedaris is a distinctly individual character, and should not be referred to as the "sister of David Sedaris." Described as a "manic, perverse Lucille Ball," she has her own successful career, personality, and strong and loyal following of fans. Some background info: after finishing high school in Raleigh, she moved to Chicago where she got her first break as a performer in the Second City Comedy Troupe. From there, she moved to New York, where she appeared first on "Exit 57," and most famously on "Strangers with Candy," both appearing on Comedy Central. She has appeared in several off-Broadway plays, for example, _The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told_, _The Country Club_ (nominated for Drama Desk Best Featured Actress), _The Little Frieda Mysteries_, _Stitches_, and _One Women Shoe_ (won an Obie). I'm sure Ashley will have more to say about Amy's plays. Together with David, they call themselves "The Talent Family" and work together in comedic theatre. The pair was named #48 on Theater Week's Power List, and Amy herself has a strong base of followers and supporters. "Strangers with Candy," a twisted remake of the situations found on 70's after school specials, is the place where she garnered her largest exposure and success. Amy plays Jerri Blank, a 46 year old prostitute and druggie who returns to high school after 30 years of jail time. In a comic spoof on peer pressure, body image, drugs, alcohol, and teenage pregnancy, Jerri encounters all of these classic teenage angst situations, but deals with them in an anti-moral, politically incorrect way. The show had high ratings for a few years, but had its final episode on October 2, 2000, with its special guest Winona Ryder, and its version of that quintessential teen flick, _Heathers._ From what I could find, it seems that Amy is just as nutty off-screen and off-stage, as on. She lives in a West Village apartment with her rabbit Tattle Tail, her pet cat and an imaginary boyfriend, Ricky. She bakes her own cupcakes and makes her own cheese balls to sell during the intermissions of her plays. When asked why, she replies, "I just love making money. Besides, baking is something to at 3 am. If you're bored, why not bake?" She has a large plastic turkey sitting on top of her television in her apartment. Amy says, "I covered it with foil for Thanksgiving and the people who came over were extremely disappointed when they found out it wasn't real." There is also a stuffed squirrel featured prominently on a coffee table. "I really like squirrels. My whole family does. We all like small woodland creatures." Her relationship with David seems to be unbelievably sarcastic. She refers to him in conversation as her "alcoholic, homosexual brother." In his new book, _Me Talk Pretty One Day_, there is a story called "Shiner Like A Diamond." Amy did a photo shoot for the book with makep that made her look like she had a black eye. David says, "Following the shoot, she wore her bruises to the dry cleaners and the grocery store. On the rare occasions when someone asked what happened, my sister smiled as brightly as possible, grabbed my arm, and said, 'I'm in love! Can you believe it? I'm finally in love and I feel great!' Like Al said, it looks like she gets a kick out of embarrassing her brother every chance she can. Amy still waitresses at an East Village diner called Marion's, and when she is performing, she finds people to cover her shifts. If you're in New York, look her up and maybe you'll go on a day she is working. There is much more, I'm sure, to be said about this amazing and funny woman. I tried to hit the highest points here. Some other web sites to look at: www.salon.com/people/feature/2000/05/05/sedaris.index.html www.flakmag.com www.comedycentral.com home.pacifier.com/paddockt/sedaris.html