Event: David Sedaris, comedy, City Halls, Glasgow

Verdict by Stephen McCrossan, Glasgow: five stars

The term 'stand-up comedian' doesn't really do David Sedaris justice.

Humourist or essayist is probably more appropriate for such a waspish and witty individual.

He was in a standing position throughout his excellent stint at Glasgow's City Halls but came close to making many of the audience fall off their seats with laughter.

Now a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4 thanks to his regular Meet David Sedaris series, he prefaced one of his best stories last night by admitting that it would never make it onto the corporation's airwaves.

His description of a flight he shared with a foulmouthed American couple who hated everything from the background muzak to the inedible airline food was hilarious, full of highly creative swearing and all the funnier because it was delivered in Sedaris' high-pitched, whiny but refined voice.

The audience reaction to that story was surpassed only by the equally unprintable story of a grandfather's response to his grandson's question, 'tell me something I don't know'.

An audience of all ages - and presumably varied sensibilities - was momentarily stunned but then swiftly breathless with laughter at the graphic punchline.

Sedaris' talent was also evident in his ability to move from this kind of material to some very poignant reflections on his family and, specifically, the death of his sister Tiffany last year.

The show's concluding Q&A section attracted some interesting queries from the audience including one about Scottish independence. Unlike David Bowie, Sedaris chose to remain entirely neutral.