Attics of Lake Wobegon

[laughingwillow]

We caught garrison keillor's traveling version of "A Prairie Home Companion," last night at the Iowa state fair. While it was a stripped down version of the regular performances held in St Paul, the show did have a couple of highlights for us.

He sang a duet with a woman, covering T Van Zandt's "If I Needed You." (We had it played at our wedding.)

He also covered the deads "Attics of My Life," much to our surprise. However, GK changed the lurics to poke fun at dead heads. The jest of his version was how he ventured up to the attic while going through his late fathers' things, stumbled on a collection of dead records. Upon listening to some, he concluded that his dad must have been stoned in order to enjoy the band's music. While it was pretty funny, I had a little trouble digesting his comment before he sang the song that he thought the tune was nice but disliked the words. I think its a beautiful song and would have liked to hear him and his band do justice to it.

In the past, I've compared GK's act as the one of the closest thing's to a dead show I've experienced. He's an amazing story teller and is able to wring any and every emotion from an audience. Last night he went one step further. A little over half way through the show, garrison began to spin a tale from lake Wobegon. But after a few minutes it just sort of petered out and singing began. I thought I'd missed something at first. But then, a theme emerged from the songs; the heady summer time window in the midwest when the nights are beautiful and the gardens lush and feccund. Mr keillor managed to sing us right into the present. He took us to the here and now. And that ain't always an easy feat in this day and age. And then, after lulling us into a hyper-aware stupor, the music died back and GK picked up where he had left off maybe a half an hour previously, on the shores of lake wobegon, and he proceeded to finish spinning a yarn that had many of us ready to pee our pants with laughter. Garrison Keillor is a story telling sorcerer, imo. And he's doing it with a sly panache to boot. hehe

lw

[JRL]

Funny, Attics of My Life was in our wedding, part of the pre-music, right before we walked out to Fearless by the brothers Neville. In the actual ceremony Beer Dawg Bawb and Jimmy Pailer sang Dylan's "If Not For You" and Bawb's great "The Puzzle Song"

I am surpised you like GK so much. I mean he is ok but I kind of feel that he is a manipulator of emotions, kinda like Sir Paul McCartney.

Seems a bit removed from soul to soul communion, a bit contrived.

Just my worthless opinion

[laughingwillow]

I hear you, JRL. But I don't really agree.

GK steps up to the mic every night without a net. There are no notes or cheat sheets. He spins yarns off the top of his head.  

If I were to fault him for anything, it would be the narrow range of emotion with which he's willing to work. Laughter, sadness, longing and regret are his limit, imo. However, an evening with GK has potential for being a growth experience for anyone in the audience willing to connect at a certain level. Sure, there is an aspect of cornball involved. But we usually manage to gather a few pearls of wisdom during his shows.

I also find an evening with GK to be a wonderfully grounding experience that manages to provide a subtle and wholesome tweaking of emotions.
And I can't help but draw comparisons between dead heads and those who get their fix from GK. As a matter of fact its easy for me to imagine a cross over audience. At least until the active sacrament is taken into account. 'Cause the dead are all about tweaking emotions on a grand level somewhere past the point of no return.

However, now that I think of it, its easy for me to imagine a straight-laced GK fan getting more out of a dead show than some recreational doser doing his/her best to keep their shit together or maybe even chatting with friends while the band plays on....

Btw, we rarely hear the radio broadcasts, as we don't have a quality radio in our home. But we usually manage to catch a couple live shows up in St Paul every year. And that set-up really works for us. I usually leave the theater feeling slightly more altered than when we walked in. hehe

lw

[JRL]

Well, since you put it that way. Maybe it's because I am such a sentimental old fool, it's too easy for sentimentalists like GK, SPM and Norman Rockwell.

I'm the dude crying at the end of the high school play. It's nice to flush those circuits, that warmth gets lost in today's America all to often.

Actually you make it sound like a midwestern funky good time.

[laughingwillow]

I understand your point on sentimentality, bro.

Btw, his local show last week culminated with a yarn from lake wobegon consisting of the convergence of a naked para-sailor, hot air balloon and 26 lutheran decons weighing down a tiny pontoon boat to the point of their appearing to walk on water. Maybe you had to be there........ hehe

I think we heard him tell our first GK fart joke that night, too while riffing on a current bill in congress allowing for hugh fines for broadcasting obsene or indecent material. I'm guessing this came about because of janet jackson's little tittie escapade awhile back. Anyway, GK had a blast with that topic.

lw

[JRL]

Do his shows get archived or are their Keillorhead tapers?

[TroutMask]

We used to listen to GK every weekend before we moved and got a TV. Damn TV.

-TM

[senorsalvia]

Take that T.V. and put it in a box in the closet....  Use it whenever you hear something that really strikes your interest is  gonna be on...  Then, put it back in the closet....    Worked well for me for a few years...   (eventually I gave the damn thing to my neighbor though)---- sal

[laughingwillow]

LOL Have some compassion, sal! Troutie and company only get three channels the way it is, brawh. Don't take The Golden Girls and Idol Americans away from them. At least not both at once.

Besides, there's only so many things you can do with a wife, cat and pack of dogs before the law and Church feel the need to intervene......  :lol:

lw