Maybe 4 stars. I always thought that he could write men really well, but women- not so much. And I thought Peggy Atwood, maybe, the other way around. So if HE wrote the male characters and SHE wrote the women...perfect. BUT the other day I was reminded of a great quote of hers: "Men worry that women will laugh at them, but women worry that men will kill them". So maybe she was on to something.
My mother, an avid reader, developed macular degeneration and lost her sight in one eye. The other eye has poor vision. She had no interest in audio books. We got her a Kindle for Christmas a couple of years ago. It looks a lot like a printed page, but she can make the text as large as necessary. She is reading again and it has been a blessing.
Good morning-I noticed you mentioned Al Kaline in your column of 4/26 that talks about current famous people who you are not aware of, and wow am I surprised. As a young boy with a paper route he was on my route and very occasionally he would come to the door when I collected. (Not a great tipper though) So he became, of course my favorite. However as I watched his career I noted that he was good day in and day out. He showed up and knew what to do, never really great but always dependably good. So I can see why you have included him in your column. A good guy to have around and that should be enough to be famous and be remembered. Take care-David from Detroit
I guess I miswrote. The "accusatory talks" I meant were not 12-step or AA but rather the lectures by progressive academics about the ills of society. I should've been clearer about that.
I enjoyed reading about some of your readers' writing efforts. I plan to write my autobiography eventually but need to wait for several more people to die first. In the meantime, I have been working on genealogy and have traced a few of my French and N. Italian branches back to the 1400s. Like you, I have some Yorkshire ancestors, via a great-grandfather from Nova Scotia. My most infamous ancestor was one of his great-grandfathers who was a slaveholder and Tory from S. Carolina who emigrated to Nova Scotia to avoid the war of independence from Britain. As a person from Concord, MA, I felt terrible about having a Tory ancestor, but even worse when I found out that he had owned slaves.
You're welcome, Brother John. I'm touched. A tornado warning siren is going on in Minneapolis but I'm thinking of you parked where you can hear the signal from the U.S.
I was in Wabash, Indiana on Friday to see your show. You stayed at the same hotel as I did, and I saw you twice during the 2 days there. At one point you walked into the restaurant for breakfast and sat with someone who asked you to join him for breakfast (I was so envious). I wanted to talk with you, and yet I just couldn't interrupt you. However, while I was upstairs and about to collect my things to check out, I had an epiphany. I actually said to myself: "Life is too short not to meet Garrison Keillor, if the moment arises." So--I proceeded downstairs with new resolve. I was waiting for my husband to bring the car around, and you walked out. I meekly said, "Excuse me", and you were nice enough to stop and talk with me. I told you I didn't want to interrupt you, and you graciously said, "I am very interruptible." We discussed how much we liked Wabash, I said that you were the reason I wanted to move to Minneapolis/St. Paul (and you warned me away from that notion). I wanted to say that you must be heartbroken about how the area has changed relative to how you knew it for so long. Also: I meant to tell you that the Shakespeare sonnet that you recited during the show was my favorite: "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes....." The show was wonderful, as always, but meeting you was the highlight. Thank you for those few moments of connection. Please keep doing what you do so well. ----Marcia from Wilmette, IL ("2 suburbs north of Chicago").
That was awfully good of you to come so far but Wabash was worth it, I think. The Ford and Honeywell families were devoted to historic preservation and now there's this magnificent town for anyone to come and admire. It makes me think highly of Republicans, that they appreciate magnificence.
I had a ticket for the Denver show but the agency cancelled my ticket the day of the show. They said it was due to covid 19 restrictions. Maybe they were making people be 6 ft. apart? I have never been at a live show and don't expect this 75 year old will get another chance. I did not understand cancelling the Red Rocks location, there was some rain during the day but the forecast said no rain in the evening (and there was none). So it would have been a cool evening (that you can dress for) but everyone would have been able to attend.
It seems to me, Robert, that you might be missing the point about ethnicity and gender. I've got nothing against white males "Some of My Best Friends are White Males." The problem is, for many of us who don't fall fully in that category, we've repeatedly been reminded that "Only Those Who Are In The Club" have valid opinions in American society.
As a woman with two Masters' Degrees, I worked in a research facility as a librarian. At times I would offer theories to my white male colleagues. They'd sit, staring out the window as if a bumble bee were buzzing nearby. Once I stopped theorizing, they would definitively say "My (White , Male, because that was the only kind of Professor they would have had at MIT, Stanford, or whatever distinguished University they had attended) Professor said that isn't so. So, quit your silly daydreaming and stay within the margins of your (lowly, female) competence.
At other times, I attended group presentations. One time during the question and answer session, I posed an idea based on an amalgamation of the offerings I had just heard. The silence was as if Niagara Falls had ceased falling. After a pause, a Chinese male researcher reframed my summary, changing barely a word or two. "Great idea, Steve!" the all male, all white (other than Steve) department members chorused. The reason I recall that incident, is that I had attended a Governor's State Conference for Professional Women just a week before that. One of the speakers had asked us how many times it had happened to us - an identical situation to that one I was experiencing among "my fellow professionals."
As "clients", these professionals would come to me and ask me to find literature on research they were doing. In those situations, I was "visible" - they expected me to "be competent." But when it came to what my white male fellow professionals thought of as "original concepts" - their gender bias seemed to blind them to the concept that women might be able to think creatively, too.
You seem to think that "gender equality" means closing the doors on "White Males". That's not happening. If there were a computer voice delivery that could give your public image a female, non-white impression - I think it wouldn't take you half an hour to understand the great disadvantage those of us who aren't white or male are under in our current American society. I suggest you review Mary T. Lathrup's 1895 poem, in which she coined the phrase "Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes." Even she used the masculine, as if she felt that asking any man to understand how demeaning it could be to carry the burden of being female in a patriarchal society like ours.
Good luck on your writing. Submit your efforts in the blissful realization that because you are a white male, you might even have a decided advantage for literary acceptance. See, for example:
The Complicated Reality of Gender Bias in Writing and ...https://writersedit.com › news › complicated-reality-gen...
What is clear is that gender imbalance in the publishing industry is a reflection of broader society's continued preference for the male voice and expertise.
Sorry about that, Robert, but asking women and non-Caucasian folks to have pity on you for your white male status really isn't going to gain much sympathy from many of us. Have you thought of taking some community college courses on writing, to hone your skills and marketability? One factor you didn't discuss was your level of education. That can be significant, too!
My wife and I were old PHC junkies. She went back to 70's with you. Me the early 90's when we married. Never looking for an excuse to go out on a Saturday night, we loved listening to the show between 6 and 8pm while she worked her magic in the kitchen. The other night when dinner prep was a bit delayed she said, "Let's listen to Garrison." So I pulled out my smart phone, found the website and chose a show from '98 (Billy Collins was a guest, always a treat!). And listening on the phone's speakers sounded so much like your show on our old kitchen counter radio! It was perfection to have your show in our kitchen again. The humor, the stories, the skits. But what really struck me again was how great ALL the music was on the show. The range and quality of the musicians was stunning. How did y'all do it, week after week? Find and arrange all that talent? You really were a Great American Music Hall.
Over and over I wish that I had known about/been interested in Keillor's Saturday night show - perhaps God will allow me to go back in time for re-runs. Helen S,
AUDIOBOOKS !!!! Hello Garrison. You really must start listening to audiobooks. BUT - be careful to avoid any that are simply someone reading to you. There are Performers who make a good story come to life with just audio; you of all people should know this. Your Royal Academy of Radio Actors are (is?) as entertaining as any film and far, far better than anything simply read as written words, and that my friend is the Straight Skinny.
I recommend starting with "Tambourines to Glory" by Langston Hughes, performed by Myra Lucretia Taylor, who can sing with the best of them.
p.s. My hat is off to Sara Bellum, who has given me Ruth Harrison, Dwayne and his Mom, Rhubarb Pie, and so many others for so many years now, and to all the people who contributed to make the show so excellent. Hope to see you in Bend in June.
So, Gary, when my sweet young teenage grandchild, who increasingly lives in a world of hostility and violence towards transgender people, "gently corrects you" on their choice of pronouns, will you take the high road of kindness and respect?
Good to hear. Much better to hear it in the public forum where thousands heard your first comment. The road is very high. Think if it were your sweet daughter. P.S. - Of course, you may be speaking of my grandchild, and possibly even in front of my grandchild, in which case the pronoun is they or them, I believe.
My grandmother and my aunt, both beloved, lived in Wabash, Indiana, and I spent many, many happy summer days visiting there. One of my favorite summer activities was movies at the Eagles Theater, so I was delighted to be there again last Friday night for your show. We stayed the night at the Charlie Creek Inn; that afternoon, In the lobby, I asked you for a photo together…..appreciated your good-natured response. Here is a limerick I wrote:
FWIW, sins are either mortal or VENIAL, although "venal" works very well, come to think of it. So would MORAL sins, now that you mention it. Maybe what we're talking about there is the difference between humour (note the "u", because...Canadian) and wit? Either can try too hard sometimes, but probably the greater sinner (to bring it home) is the wit.
Robertson Davies...The Trilogy..brilliant! Give yourself a treat.
Maybe 4 stars. I always thought that he could write men really well, but women- not so much. And I thought Peggy Atwood, maybe, the other way around. So if HE wrote the male characters and SHE wrote the women...perfect. BUT the other day I was reminded of a great quote of hers: "Men worry that women will laugh at them, but women worry that men will kill them". So maybe she was on to something.
Brilliant!
My mother, an avid reader, developed macular degeneration and lost her sight in one eye. The other eye has poor vision. She had no interest in audio books. We got her a Kindle for Christmas a couple of years ago. It looks a lot like a printed page, but she can make the text as large as necessary. She is reading again and it has been a blessing.
Good morning-I noticed you mentioned Al Kaline in your column of 4/26 that talks about current famous people who you are not aware of, and wow am I surprised. As a young boy with a paper route he was on my route and very occasionally he would come to the door when I collected. (Not a great tipper though) So he became, of course my favorite. However as I watched his career I noted that he was good day in and day out. He showed up and knew what to do, never really great but always dependably good. So I can see why you have included him in your column. A good guy to have around and that should be enough to be famous and be remembered. Take care-David from Detroit
Sorry but you misread me --- I remember Al of course, but younger people don't.
I don't think I misread you. I was musing and extrapolating on your ideas about fame.
I guess I miswrote. The "accusatory talks" I meant were not 12-step or AA but rather the lectures by progressive academics about the ills of society. I should've been clearer about that.
I very much appreciated your little essay on kindness last week.
I enjoyed reading about some of your readers' writing efforts. I plan to write my autobiography eventually but need to wait for several more people to die first. In the meantime, I have been working on genealogy and have traced a few of my French and N. Italian branches back to the 1400s. Like you, I have some Yorkshire ancestors, via a great-grandfather from Nova Scotia. My most infamous ancestor was one of his great-grandfathers who was a slaveholder and Tory from S. Carolina who emigrated to Nova Scotia to avoid the war of independence from Britain. As a person from Concord, MA, I felt terrible about having a Tory ancestor, but even worse when I found out that he had owned slaves.
First listened to GK when in Welland ON Canada
Then, when in Eastern Nova Scotia I would have to park my car in a special spot to catch the signal from Maine.
Your shows touched me spiritually.
I modeled my homilies on your style of story telling.
Great delight when a parishioner told me that I sounded like
GK when I preached.
Fulfilled a longtime dream by seeing you in person on cruise ship
Simple,beautiful humor.
Much thanks
Rev John T Tracey CSC
You're welcome, Brother John. I'm touched. A tornado warning siren is going on in Minneapolis but I'm thinking of you parked where you can hear the signal from the U.S.
I was in Wabash, Indiana on Friday to see your show. You stayed at the same hotel as I did, and I saw you twice during the 2 days there. At one point you walked into the restaurant for breakfast and sat with someone who asked you to join him for breakfast (I was so envious). I wanted to talk with you, and yet I just couldn't interrupt you. However, while I was upstairs and about to collect my things to check out, I had an epiphany. I actually said to myself: "Life is too short not to meet Garrison Keillor, if the moment arises." So--I proceeded downstairs with new resolve. I was waiting for my husband to bring the car around, and you walked out. I meekly said, "Excuse me", and you were nice enough to stop and talk with me. I told you I didn't want to interrupt you, and you graciously said, "I am very interruptible." We discussed how much we liked Wabash, I said that you were the reason I wanted to move to Minneapolis/St. Paul (and you warned me away from that notion). I wanted to say that you must be heartbroken about how the area has changed relative to how you knew it for so long. Also: I meant to tell you that the Shakespeare sonnet that you recited during the show was my favorite: "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes....." The show was wonderful, as always, but meeting you was the highlight. Thank you for those few moments of connection. Please keep doing what you do so well. ----Marcia from Wilmette, IL ("2 suburbs north of Chicago").
That was awfully good of you to come so far but Wabash was worth it, I think. The Ford and Honeywell families were devoted to historic preservation and now there's this magnificent town for anyone to come and admire. It makes me think highly of Republicans, that they appreciate magnificence.
I had a ticket for the Denver show but the agency cancelled my ticket the day of the show. They said it was due to covid 19 restrictions. Maybe they were making people be 6 ft. apart? I have never been at a live show and don't expect this 75 year old will get another chance. I did not understand cancelling the Red Rocks location, there was some rain during the day but the forecast said no rain in the evening (and there was none). So it would have been a cool evening (that you can dress for) but everyone would have been able to attend.
The site was changed by the promoter and I think the audience was grateful. I wasn't aware that any tickets got cancelled, and I'm sorry yours was.
I think you would like the character Carol Kennicott. After 67 years I just read the novel by Sinclair Lewis.
It seems to me, Robert, that you might be missing the point about ethnicity and gender. I've got nothing against white males "Some of My Best Friends are White Males." The problem is, for many of us who don't fall fully in that category, we've repeatedly been reminded that "Only Those Who Are In The Club" have valid opinions in American society.
As a woman with two Masters' Degrees, I worked in a research facility as a librarian. At times I would offer theories to my white male colleagues. They'd sit, staring out the window as if a bumble bee were buzzing nearby. Once I stopped theorizing, they would definitively say "My (White , Male, because that was the only kind of Professor they would have had at MIT, Stanford, or whatever distinguished University they had attended) Professor said that isn't so. So, quit your silly daydreaming and stay within the margins of your (lowly, female) competence.
At other times, I attended group presentations. One time during the question and answer session, I posed an idea based on an amalgamation of the offerings I had just heard. The silence was as if Niagara Falls had ceased falling. After a pause, a Chinese male researcher reframed my summary, changing barely a word or two. "Great idea, Steve!" the all male, all white (other than Steve) department members chorused. The reason I recall that incident, is that I had attended a Governor's State Conference for Professional Women just a week before that. One of the speakers had asked us how many times it had happened to us - an identical situation to that one I was experiencing among "my fellow professionals."
As "clients", these professionals would come to me and ask me to find literature on research they were doing. In those situations, I was "visible" - they expected me to "be competent." But when it came to what my white male fellow professionals thought of as "original concepts" - their gender bias seemed to blind them to the concept that women might be able to think creatively, too.
You seem to think that "gender equality" means closing the doors on "White Males". That's not happening. If there were a computer voice delivery that could give your public image a female, non-white impression - I think it wouldn't take you half an hour to understand the great disadvantage those of us who aren't white or male are under in our current American society. I suggest you review Mary T. Lathrup's 1895 poem, in which she coined the phrase "Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes." Even she used the masculine, as if she felt that asking any man to understand how demeaning it could be to carry the burden of being female in a patriarchal society like ours.
Good luck on your writing. Submit your efforts in the blissful realization that because you are a white male, you might even have a decided advantage for literary acceptance. See, for example:
The Complicated Reality of Gender Bias in Writing and ...https://writersedit.com › news › complicated-reality-gen...
What is clear is that gender imbalance in the publishing industry is a reflection of broader society's continued preference for the male voice and expertise.
Sorry about that, Robert, but asking women and non-Caucasian folks to have pity on you for your white male status really isn't going to gain much sympathy from many of us. Have you thought of taking some community college courses on writing, to hone your skills and marketability? One factor you didn't discuss was your level of education. That can be significant, too!
My wife and I were old PHC junkies. She went back to 70's with you. Me the early 90's when we married. Never looking for an excuse to go out on a Saturday night, we loved listening to the show between 6 and 8pm while she worked her magic in the kitchen. The other night when dinner prep was a bit delayed she said, "Let's listen to Garrison." So I pulled out my smart phone, found the website and chose a show from '98 (Billy Collins was a guest, always a treat!). And listening on the phone's speakers sounded so much like your show on our old kitchen counter radio! It was perfection to have your show in our kitchen again. The humor, the stories, the skits. But what really struck me again was how great ALL the music was on the show. The range and quality of the musicians was stunning. How did y'all do it, week after week? Find and arrange all that talent? You really were a Great American Music Hall.
Over and over I wish that I had known about/been interested in Keillor's Saturday night show - perhaps God will allow me to go back in time for re-runs. Helen S,
Reruns on demand: https://www.prairiehome.org/
AUDIOBOOKS !!!! Hello Garrison. You really must start listening to audiobooks. BUT - be careful to avoid any that are simply someone reading to you. There are Performers who make a good story come to life with just audio; you of all people should know this. Your Royal Academy of Radio Actors are (is?) as entertaining as any film and far, far better than anything simply read as written words, and that my friend is the Straight Skinny.
I recommend starting with "Tambourines to Glory" by Langston Hughes, performed by Myra Lucretia Taylor, who can sing with the best of them.
p.s. My hat is off to Sara Bellum, who has given me Ruth Harrison, Dwayne and his Mom, Rhubarb Pie, and so many others for so many years now, and to all the people who contributed to make the show so excellent. Hope to see you in Bend in June.
Bertie in Oregon
So, Gary, when my sweet young teenage grandchild, who increasingly lives in a world of hostility and violence towards transgender people, "gently corrects you" on their choice of pronouns, will you take the high road of kindness and respect?
Of course, but if I'm talking to the grandchild, the pronoun is "you," I believe.
Good to hear. Much better to hear it in the public forum where thousands heard your first comment. The road is very high. Think if it were your sweet daughter. P.S. - Of course, you may be speaking of my grandchild, and possibly even in front of my grandchild, in which case the pronoun is they or them, I believe.
Good morning, Garrison
My grandmother and my aunt, both beloved, lived in Wabash, Indiana, and I spent many, many happy summer days visiting there. One of my favorite summer activities was movies at the Eagles Theater, so I was delighted to be there again last Friday night for your show. We stayed the night at the Charlie Creek Inn; that afternoon, In the lobby, I asked you for a photo together…..appreciated your good-natured response. Here is a limerick I wrote:
To Wabash, along the River,
Came Garrison K, the giver
Of limericks bold,
Of tales sweetly told—
Salacious—well, just a sliver.
Keep on keeping on………
Bonnie Anderson Wyss
Fort Wayne, Indiana
A fine hotel, a beautiful theater, and a magnificent Main Street. Not many towns of ten thousand can claim the same.
FWIW, sins are either mortal or VENIAL, although "venal" works very well, come to think of it. So would MORAL sins, now that you mention it. Maybe what we're talking about there is the difference between humour (note the "u", because...Canadian) and wit? Either can try too hard sometimes, but probably the greater sinner (to bring it home) is the wit.