Before a small group of “friends,” Peter Sagal stood behind a podium beside a blazing fireplace. Not wanting to repeat himself, he “furiously” wrote a new speech on his laptop earlier in the day in a friend’s office.

The good news is that his speaking engagements are always fresh, he said. The bad news is that no one has heard the speech before, and “it may suck.”

Sagal, host of National Public Radio’s weekly news quiz “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” spoke at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center Tuesday night to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Friends of NIU Libraries.

Using his recent book as a jumping-off point, “The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them),” Sagal skewered the trend by rich and powerful figures, such as Larry Craig and Bill Clinton, who become involved in a wide range of controversies, particularly sex scandals.

When discussing former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Sagal said the reason Spitzer spent so much money on call girl Ashley Dupre was “so she would not laugh when he introduced her to the lieutenant governor.”

Keeping the crowd laughing while discussing all things politics, Sagal examined why people are attracted to vice and how they deal with it.

Vices are a certain type of fun, he said. They are a type of activity that one does not need to be convinced is fun.

“It’s like getting a lap dance compared to running a community half-marathon,” Sagal said.

Robin Grande, senior industrial engineering major, volunteers at local station WNIJ and enjoyed Sagal’s take on the political figures.

“I laughed the whole time,” she said. “He was very entertaining, as always.”

After having gone to the live taping of his show three times before in downtown Chicago, Grande said Sagal managed to transfer his insight and wit to the NIU campus.

Dean of Libraries Patrick Dawson said the first big event of the anniversary celebration could not have booked a better guest.

“Sagal is clever, articulate and a good observer,” Dawson said. “And he’s funny.”

Lynne Thomas, faculty liaison for the Friends, whose office served as Sagal’s impromptu writing room, said he was chosen because of his local connection. He lives in Chicago, and his show’s popular among the Friends’ core members.

Sagal was originally scheduled to speak Sept. 30, but it was postponed after CBS asked him to fly to California to film a pilot for a TV version of “Wait Wait.”

He said the pilot was similar to the radio show in format and style. He is unsure whether it would be picked-up, but he said, “Like many other pilots, it will probably sink without a trace.”

Aside from being a host and author, Sagal is a playwright, screenwriter and stage director. He was also cast as an extra in Michael Jackson’s 1992 “Remember the Time” music video. Despite being in Ancient Egyptian garb and meeting Jackson, Sagal was cut from the final version.

Sagal said he would like all NIU students to take away one thing from his visit.

“Peter Sagal: 6’3 and extraordinarily handsome.”