Comedy is tragedy plus time

“Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” (Time Warner Audiobooks, five CDs, six and a half hours) written and read by David Sedaris . Reading Sedaris’ based-on-true-life stories is fun. Listening to the writer read his own work, though, is best. Sedaris first made a name for himself as an occasional commentator for National Public Radio . His high-pitched, nasal, sibilant voice wouldn’t seem to be the best radio instrument, but it perfectly fits his often hilarious, always interesting takes on his eccentric family, his growing up in North Carolina , his life in Paris with his partner and more. Sedaris is openly gay, and the contrast between this and his early struggles makes for a lot of his humor. He’s discovered the perfect antidote for the pain of real life and its more maudlin aspects: If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you funnier.