The Brian Lehrer Show Theater of War on the Radio: Cash and Carry
Mar 20, 2026
David Patrick Kelly, veteran actor who performs and joins the talk. Rosie Perez, actor known for spirited NYC stories. Jesse Eisenberg, actor who reads part of David Sedaris's essay. They perform Sedaris's “Cash and Carry” and then dive into short conversations about neighborliness, unexpected kindness, city encounters, and how New Yorkers connect—or don't—on the streets and stoops.
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Episode notes
Carrying A Cabinet Sparks Neighborly Conversation
- David Sedaris helped a silver-haired Puerto Rican woman carry a bulky eight-drawer cabinet down York Avenue.
- She insisted he not strain himself, mentioned playing pickleball, and later hired a man in coveralls to carry it up her stairs.
Luck Is The Unseen Currency Of New York
- Sedaris frames New York as a merit-plus-luck testing ground where chance encounters create opportunity.
- Luck, not just credentials, levels the playing field and can arrive anywhere from a library to a traffic island.
Refused Thanks Followed By A Curse On The Street
- After helping the woman, Sedaris passed a man outside a liquor store asking for help who shouted at him to 'burn in hell.'
- The encounter made Sedaris oscillate between guilt and gratitude for New York's unpredictable confrontations.