A brief warning before we get started.

Toward the end of this interview, there's some conversation that gets into accusations of sexual assault, including some graphic descriptive terms.

It's Depression Mode. I'm John Moe. I'm glad you're here. David Sedaris first became widely known as a humorist and storyteller with the broadcast of his story, The Santa Land Diaries. That was in 1992, 30 years ago. Santa Land Diaries is a recollection of his time spent as a costumed elf and Macy's during Christmas.

And it's hysterically funny, made him a star. It's so funny that it's easy to miss in that essay

the pain that he expresses, the poverty, the humiliation of the whole thing. The anger in that story is a bit easier to notice.

The shopper who says she's going to have him fired, to which he thinks, quote,

Go ahead, be my guest.

I'm wearing a green velvet costume.

It doesn't get any worse than this.

I'm going to have you fired.

And I want to lean over and say, I'm going to have you fired. And I want to lean over and say,

I'm going to have you killed, unquote. Notably, he wants to lean over and say that, but he

doesn't because he can't because he needs the job. He wants to speak his anger, but is prevented

from doing so by life circumstances.

And then 30 years pass, and here we are today at the publication of David's new book,

the somewhat deceptively titled Happy Go Lucky.

David is not poor anymore, not by a long shot.

He's written numerous best-selling books. He tours the world,

speaking to large audiences that adore him. There is a lot of pain, though, also in happy-go-lucky.

He writes about his father's death in 2021, and about a lot of very difficult memories

related to his father that he didn't want to share

until Lou Cedaris was gone. David talks about the death by suicide of his sister Tiffany in

...