Ah, you've touched my heart: you got to sign that wonderful song "Lift Every Voice and Sing". I so envy you that opportunity. I was introduced to this song many years ago by a friend who played this on the organ, and I've loved it ever since. I've just found and purchased the organ sheet music and hope to spend some time with that arrangement with an organ professional. It's in most Protestant hymnbooks nowadays, but I've never heard it played or sung. I'll agree with your remarks about music in church moving my dead old soul!
I believe you are right that President Eisenhower did not say, "An atheist is a man who watches a Notre Dame–Southern Methodist University game and doesn’t care who wins." The quote does not appear in my copy of "The Quote Verifier," by Ralph Keyes, but on barrypopik.com it says the likely source is – are you ready? – Bob Hope! The unattributed quote appeared in newspapers in the mid-Fifties, and somebody decided to pin it to our sitting president, and there it stuck. Now when you google it, the sites that float to the top of your screen all say Ike came up with it. Trouble is, they don't say where, or when, or why he would have tossed that remark out. It's not an off-the-cuff type of remark, unless you're Oscar Wilde, which is unlikely, seeing as how he died in 1900 and SMU did not have a football team until 1913. Some quotes are authored by not those who we thought had said them, but to those who really did, who, once we’ve found out who they are, are who we would have been happy that they said them, had we known.
No way I can match Kay Sather for loquacity, so I’ll go for concise. I’d always wondered why you insisted on the long and heavy “Garrison” over the familiar “Gary.” Finally figured it out: “Garrison Keillor” has a truly poetic resonance (a dactyl and a trochee and nobly Virgilian) while “Gary Keillor” is simply two boring trochees back-to-back. You were right: Virgil beats boring.
I took the fancy name in the 8th grade. I was writing poetry for the school paper and it was a football-crazy school and I needed a Manly Name so I chose that one. Old friends and relatives call me Gary, and that's fine.
We all know what a "garrison" is.....Wiki reminds us: "A garrison is usually in a city, town, fort, castle, ship, or similar site." Then there are those very few on a gathering site, and who can defend our memories with their own.
My wife and I were at a party in 1981 when a lawyer at the party demanded that the music be turned off and this radio show from Minnesota be turned on. Some of us were really mad. Of course I spent the next 35 plus years dedicated to listening on Saturday night. I still miss it but listen to old shows.
Only the judge can make a lawyer calm down, given the warning of Contempt. And if they don't, Wiki tells us again: "The judge may impose fines and/or jail time upon any person committing contempt. The person is usually let out upon his or her agreement to fulfill the wishes of the court."
Answer: Elect a contempt-free President, which we have done. Virtually no contempt and hate there.
The greater issue is the contempt many of us have for those who differ politically. Take Suess' "Stars Upon Thars" as a good example. Contempt gets virtually nothing done. So it goes.
The good news is that we don't have to "like" others, but we have to, somehow, "love" them. At this point in my life, I am too old to express any contempt for others, knowing the remnants left of my own.
Forgiveness, so far, is the best I can try to do while knowing full well there's little reciprosity in return. Blame the media for that. Contempt sells space and time.
"Pretty good is good enough": I once heard a scientist say he had done a computer simulation of evolution, and it turned out that evolution does not produce perfect creatures, it produces creatures who are good enough.
Your 12th floor cabin overlooking the woods of Central Park - there's a song about that.
"Git along, little taxi, and keep the change,
And ride on home to my kitchen range,
Way out West on West End Avenue."
-- from "Babes in Arms," by Rodgers & Hart (by maybe you knew that already.
I believe there is no end to any of us. Unless we choose not to procreate, we pass on our DNA to others along with our other memorabilia...whether it be art or handiwork or saved tales from those like you who know how to tell them.
Our own grandchildren, should we luckily have them, are about as far as memories of us go. Unless we are famous or infamous and then skilled others tales about us up for grabs.
Rest easy. Most of us have only two generations with memories of us whatsoever. Strive to make them good memories. Pass on what leaves the world to follow bcome the better for our being here.
Sammy Joe Criswell said "Why on earth do any of us need to hear about this sordid history?" I'm of a different mindset, Sammy. How boring history, or life itself, would be, if it were all sanitized and standardized! In seventh grade, our social studies class focused on New York State history. We learned that they made Pierce automobiles in Syracuse and carpets in Amsterdam, lists of this and that. But most of that I forgot long ago. The one story that Mrs. Gould told with the most zest was that of the Loomis Gang who hung out near Ninemile Swamp (on the Sangerfield River, near Hubbardsville, NY). This large, closely knit family ran a major "stop" on the "Underground Railroad" that helped runaway slaves journey safely to Canada. They knew the swamp so well that they could find passable routes to hiding places where the slaves might rest up and wait for auspicious nights to resume their northward journey. I remember very little else from that state history class, but any time I'm anywhere near Ninemile Swamp, I detour into it and try to see spots that might have been those historic "Railroad Stations."
I've travelled a bit in Texas. There are some "colorful" places there, too. Judge Roy Bean's saloon tent comes to mind, in Langtry, Texas. I often wonder if Lillie Langtry ever knew about her namesake, let alone had a chance to visit there? So - Wink, Texas has a bit of "boom town history." My Dad came from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During the oil rush, I'm pretty sure there would have been bootlegging, prostitution and gambling there, too. Oil folks in those days often did have a bit of adventuresome spirits., They definitely knew they were taking a gamble on where they'd find a "Gusher," but for them, that was all part of the rush of excitement they felt when that black gold came gushing out!
We're not all the same, thank goodness! What a boring, staid world we'd live in, if we all confined ourselves to "The Straight And Narrow." We'd never have seen men walking on the moon, if we hadn't dreamed big! We need to hear some "actual, unsanitized history" if we're going to let our imaginations carry us beyond the well-worn paths that might seem "Christianized" in Texas, or following the Buddhist Way, for that matter!
This might be a question that has an obvious answer, but how does one "Post To the Host"? I assume the email phc@mpr.org is long defunct by this point.
Kay Sather’s recent post is such a brilliant example of the euphemism “Minnesota Nice,” I just have to respond. As a student of rhetoric, I habitually unpack writing like this to admire its structure. You didn’t comment, being a nice person yourself, but if there was a forum for healthy passive-aggressive expression, I would nominate this for an award.
To begin, the letter is innocent and mundane on the surface—it could be a conversation about the weather, or the corn. The main topic about Paul’s mother is sweet and certain bait to get Paul to read it. Only much later do the layers of messages unfold, revealing the biological smart weapon inside that only an ex-husband would find. Now I wonder if Paul was the real intended recipient.
First of all, Kay says she “cleaned the house.” Is that all she did? And her husband, well, did whatever he wanted. Um, what did he do? She doesn’t say. It’s left to your imagination and she thinks you know where she is going with it. My imagination is running wild. This sudden bit of information is a bit too personal of a non sequitur.
As if to support her reason for confiding in you because you would understand what happened between her and Paul, Kay builds a history of her connection to you. She uses proximity, naming locations and times, and consistency as a loyal fan, using your own rambling style, weaving memories of your show with events in her life, building rapport. She even asserts, without evidence, that you are better looking than you sound on the radio. As the story of you and Kay stretches out, she moves west and you move to New York. She becomes even more disillusioned with men, who just do what they want, until finally she finds fireworks with her current boyfriend.
Towards the end, she returns to the fact that you are a well-known name in literary circles, among other friends like Barbara Kingsolver. So since you understand what she is saying about Paul, it gives additional authority to her story. Still, I hope the “silver girl” reference does not apply to you. The term does not mean “sailboat.”
Skillfully adding yet another layer of guile, the story about Paul’s mother guarantees that the post will be shared and maybe become viral within the family, inserting her narrative into the family history.
Prairie Home Companion was a thing of the 70s and 80s, so It must be at least 30 years since Kay and Paul’s divorce. If Paul doesn’t already know her explanation for the problem in their marriage, would he finally figure it out by careful reading between the lines in Kay’s letter to you now? If so, is it likely he would finally agree with that narrative? More likely, he has his own narrative. Maybe she was, just..like, well, you know what I’m getting at.
Psychological research on the attribution cognitive bias would refute the common hope that one marriage partner can make the other see their personal perspective as objective reality. Although science refutes the effectiveness of passive-aggression in changing other people, there is still beauty in the subtlety and intellectual complexity of its construction.
Kay could simply have written Paul directly and said that she felt she had to do too much housework back then (which she didn’t enjoy), while he had the freedom to do what he wanted (whatever that was). Then she could state that she is now much happier with her new boyfriend. Pretty clear. Anyone would get that. Paul probably is happier too, now doing whatever he wants without a problem.
But it wouldn’t be art that way. Let’s keep Minnesota passive-aggressive. It’s a local craft that can and should achieve wider attention. There might be an anthology made, Garrison, and you could be the one to edit it. :)
Ah, you've touched my heart: you got to sign that wonderful song "Lift Every Voice and Sing". I so envy you that opportunity. I was introduced to this song many years ago by a friend who played this on the organ, and I've loved it ever since. I've just found and purchased the organ sheet music and hope to spend some time with that arrangement with an organ professional. It's in most Protestant hymnbooks nowadays, but I've never heard it played or sung. I'll agree with your remarks about music in church moving my dead old soul!
Bob Houskamp
Dear Garrison,
I believe you are right that President Eisenhower did not say, "An atheist is a man who watches a Notre Dame–Southern Methodist University game and doesn’t care who wins." The quote does not appear in my copy of "The Quote Verifier," by Ralph Keyes, but on barrypopik.com it says the likely source is – are you ready? – Bob Hope! The unattributed quote appeared in newspapers in the mid-Fifties, and somebody decided to pin it to our sitting president, and there it stuck. Now when you google it, the sites that float to the top of your screen all say Ike came up with it. Trouble is, they don't say where, or when, or why he would have tossed that remark out. It's not an off-the-cuff type of remark, unless you're Oscar Wilde, which is unlikely, seeing as how he died in 1900 and SMU did not have a football team until 1913. Some quotes are authored by not those who we thought had said them, but to those who really did, who, once we’ve found out who they are, are who we would have been happy that they said them, had we known.
--Jack Sheedy
Dear Mr. Keillor,
No way I can match Kay Sather for loquacity, so I’ll go for concise. I’d always wondered why you insisted on the long and heavy “Garrison” over the familiar “Gary.” Finally figured it out: “Garrison Keillor” has a truly poetic resonance (a dactyl and a trochee and nobly Virgilian) while “Gary Keillor” is simply two boring trochees back-to-back. You were right: Virgil beats boring.
Jamie Spencer
St. Louis
I took the fancy name in the 8th grade. I was writing poetry for the school paper and it was a football-crazy school and I needed a Manly Name so I chose that one. Old friends and relatives call me Gary, and that's fine.
We all know what a "garrison" is.....Wiki reminds us: "A garrison is usually in a city, town, fort, castle, ship, or similar site." Then there are those very few on a gathering site, and who can defend our memories with their own.
My wife and I were at a party in 1981 when a lawyer at the party demanded that the music be turned off and this radio show from Minnesota be turned on. Some of us were really mad. Of course I spent the next 35 plus years dedicated to listening on Saturday night. I still miss it but listen to old shows.
The lawyer was not within his rights and if I had been there and not doing the show, I would've told him to calm down.
Only the judge can make a lawyer calm down, given the warning of Contempt. And if they don't, Wiki tells us again: "The judge may impose fines and/or jail time upon any person committing contempt. The person is usually let out upon his or her agreement to fulfill the wishes of the court."
There is a former president whose contempt for courts and law is so flagrant, he has redefined the word. Something should be done, but what?
Answer: Elect a contempt-free President, which we have done. Virtually no contempt and hate there.
The greater issue is the contempt many of us have for those who differ politically. Take Suess' "Stars Upon Thars" as a good example. Contempt gets virtually nothing done. So it goes.
The good news is that we don't have to "like" others, but we have to, somehow, "love" them. At this point in my life, I am too old to express any contempt for others, knowing the remnants left of my own.
Forgiveness, so far, is the best I can try to do while knowing full well there's little reciprosity in return. Blame the media for that. Contempt sells space and time.
"Pretty good is good enough": I once heard a scientist say he had done a computer simulation of evolution, and it turned out that evolution does not produce perfect creatures, it produces creatures who are good enough.
Your 12th floor cabin overlooking the woods of Central Park - there's a song about that.
"Git along, little taxi, and keep the change,
And ride on home to my kitchen range,
Way out West on West End Avenue."
-- from "Babes in Arms," by Rodgers & Hart (by maybe you knew that already.
I believe there is no end to any of us. Unless we choose not to procreate, we pass on our DNA to others along with our other memorabilia...whether it be art or handiwork or saved tales from those like you who know how to tell them.
Our own grandchildren, should we luckily have them, are about as far as memories of us go. Unless we are famous or infamous and then skilled others tales about us up for grabs.
Rest easy. Most of us have only two generations with memories of us whatsoever. Strive to make them good memories. Pass on what leaves the world to follow bcome the better for our being here.
Thanks-
Thank you!
Garrison: I checked out that quote that Steve Price attributed to Eisenhower and all the quote indices, indeed, attributed that quote to him.
Sammy Joe Criswell said "Why on earth do any of us need to hear about this sordid history?" I'm of a different mindset, Sammy. How boring history, or life itself, would be, if it were all sanitized and standardized! In seventh grade, our social studies class focused on New York State history. We learned that they made Pierce automobiles in Syracuse and carpets in Amsterdam, lists of this and that. But most of that I forgot long ago. The one story that Mrs. Gould told with the most zest was that of the Loomis Gang who hung out near Ninemile Swamp (on the Sangerfield River, near Hubbardsville, NY). This large, closely knit family ran a major "stop" on the "Underground Railroad" that helped runaway slaves journey safely to Canada. They knew the swamp so well that they could find passable routes to hiding places where the slaves might rest up and wait for auspicious nights to resume their northward journey. I remember very little else from that state history class, but any time I'm anywhere near Ninemile Swamp, I detour into it and try to see spots that might have been those historic "Railroad Stations."
I've travelled a bit in Texas. There are some "colorful" places there, too. Judge Roy Bean's saloon tent comes to mind, in Langtry, Texas. I often wonder if Lillie Langtry ever knew about her namesake, let alone had a chance to visit there? So - Wink, Texas has a bit of "boom town history." My Dad came from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During the oil rush, I'm pretty sure there would have been bootlegging, prostitution and gambling there, too. Oil folks in those days often did have a bit of adventuresome spirits., They definitely knew they were taking a gamble on where they'd find a "Gusher," but for them, that was all part of the rush of excitement they felt when that black gold came gushing out!
We're not all the same, thank goodness! What a boring, staid world we'd live in, if we all confined ourselves to "The Straight And Narrow." We'd never have seen men walking on the moon, if we hadn't dreamed big! We need to hear some "actual, unsanitized history" if we're going to let our imaginations carry us beyond the well-worn paths that might seem "Christianized" in Texas, or following the Buddhist Way, for that matter!
This might be a question that has an obvious answer, but how does one "Post To the Host"? I assume the email phc@mpr.org is long defunct by this point.
Do you really believe God is dealing with John Calhoun?
It's not for me to say, but yes.
While he was not within his rights I thank him . His actions started a love affair for a show that endures .
Kay Sather’s recent post is such a brilliant example of the euphemism “Minnesota Nice,” I just have to respond. As a student of rhetoric, I habitually unpack writing like this to admire its structure. You didn’t comment, being a nice person yourself, but if there was a forum for healthy passive-aggressive expression, I would nominate this for an award.
To begin, the letter is innocent and mundane on the surface—it could be a conversation about the weather, or the corn. The main topic about Paul’s mother is sweet and certain bait to get Paul to read it. Only much later do the layers of messages unfold, revealing the biological smart weapon inside that only an ex-husband would find. Now I wonder if Paul was the real intended recipient.
First of all, Kay says she “cleaned the house.” Is that all she did? And her husband, well, did whatever he wanted. Um, what did he do? She doesn’t say. It’s left to your imagination and she thinks you know where she is going with it. My imagination is running wild. This sudden bit of information is a bit too personal of a non sequitur.
As if to support her reason for confiding in you because you would understand what happened between her and Paul, Kay builds a history of her connection to you. She uses proximity, naming locations and times, and consistency as a loyal fan, using your own rambling style, weaving memories of your show with events in her life, building rapport. She even asserts, without evidence, that you are better looking than you sound on the radio. As the story of you and Kay stretches out, she moves west and you move to New York. She becomes even more disillusioned with men, who just do what they want, until finally she finds fireworks with her current boyfriend.
Towards the end, she returns to the fact that you are a well-known name in literary circles, among other friends like Barbara Kingsolver. So since you understand what she is saying about Paul, it gives additional authority to her story. Still, I hope the “silver girl” reference does not apply to you. The term does not mean “sailboat.”
Skillfully adding yet another layer of guile, the story about Paul’s mother guarantees that the post will be shared and maybe become viral within the family, inserting her narrative into the family history.
Prairie Home Companion was a thing of the 70s and 80s, so It must be at least 30 years since Kay and Paul’s divorce. If Paul doesn’t already know her explanation for the problem in their marriage, would he finally figure it out by careful reading between the lines in Kay’s letter to you now? If so, is it likely he would finally agree with that narrative? More likely, he has his own narrative. Maybe she was, just..like, well, you know what I’m getting at.
Psychological research on the attribution cognitive bias would refute the common hope that one marriage partner can make the other see their personal perspective as objective reality. Although science refutes the effectiveness of passive-aggression in changing other people, there is still beauty in the subtlety and intellectual complexity of its construction.
Kay could simply have written Paul directly and said that she felt she had to do too much housework back then (which she didn’t enjoy), while he had the freedom to do what he wanted (whatever that was). Then she could state that she is now much happier with her new boyfriend. Pretty clear. Anyone would get that. Paul probably is happier too, now doing whatever he wants without a problem.
But it wouldn’t be art that way. Let’s keep Minnesota passive-aggressive. It’s a local craft that can and should achieve wider attention. There might be an anthology made, Garrison, and you could be the one to edit it. :)
—CALDWELL BACCHUS, St. Paul