Serenity at 70, Gaiety at 80
by Garrison Keillor
Garrison's humorous take on aging and why we should all want to keep getting older is available on Amazon and in some bookstores in both print and digital versions. An audio version read by Garrison will be coming soon. Here is a preview of the first chapter. Enjoy!
Read the preview chapter >>>
Get the book >>> |
|
In Georgia, taking shelter from the storm
I am now officially done with looking down on the South, which I did for years as a good Northerner but I’ve now spent three days in the town of Carrollton, Georgia (pop. 26,738), enjoying the cheesy grits and pulled pork, collard greens and cornbread, and the waiters who when I say, “Thank you,” say, “My pleasure.” And when I pay the bill, they say, “Preciate y’all.” You don’t hear that up north. I holed up here to avoid getting stuck in the Atlanta airport during the blizzard in New York and Carrollton turns out to be a hotbed of amiability, where if you make eye contact people say, “Good morning” and maybe “How you all doing?” though there’s only one of me but all of me is doing just fine, thank you very much, and this easily leads into small talk. Go to Garrison Keillor and Friends on Substack to read the rest of THE COLUMN >>>
Become a member of THE BACK ROOM on our Substack page for exclusive access to News from Lake Wobegon stories (23 downloads now available and growing weekly), archived goodies, a serialized version of The Christmas Blizzard, previews of other works, a second weekly column, a few full-length video streams from 2015 to 2016 broadcast AND coming in February the exclusive sneak peak of a couple chapters from Boom Town: A Lake Wobegon Novel (to be published April 2022). Join our 3000 subscribers to help support our productions.
Subscribe to THE BACK ROOM>>> |
|
This week on A Prairie Home Companion This week on A Prairie Home Companion, we revisit a classic performance from 2000, with Czech bluegrass band Druhá Tráva, guitarist Pat Donohue along with accordion player Dan Newton, and singer/songwriter Lynn Peterson. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Tim Russell and Sue Scott; the Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band; plus the latest News from Lake Wobegon. Join us Saturday for a listen via our Facebook page at 5 p.m. CT (or click the link below). Listen to the Show >>>
Like our Facebook page >>>
More about this week’s featured guests
DRUHÁ TRÁVA is referred to in the U.S. as “the Czech bluegrass band,” though this description is not altogether accurate. While they play instruments typically associated with bluegrass, their music incorporates elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, and rock. The band (whose name translates as “second grass” to reflect their new view of bluegrass) was formed in 1991 and quickly earned the Czech equivalent of the Grammy Award for Band of the Year in 1992. Performing interpretations of music ranging from Bill Monroe and Chick Corea to Bob Dylan and Bedřich Smetana, the group tours extensively in Europe and the U.S. Druhá Tráva has recorded some twenty albums, including Pojd’me se Napít (Let’s Have a Drink). “Zhar” >>>
Available Music >>>
PAT DONOHUE is a life-long resident of St. Paul, Minnesota. He began playing guitar at age 12, when he first learned a few chords on his sister’s guitar and played through a Beatles songbook. He played drums in garage bands in high school, switching to guitar after being exposed to what he calls “serious guitar music” — country blues, ragtime, and jazz (nearly chronologically from Louis Armstrong through Miles Davis). Donohue took only a few guitar lessons, learning instead from recordings, a method he humorously documented in his song “Stealin’ From Chet.” He is a National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion and an innovative songwriter, with more than a dozen albums to his credit on Red House Records and Bluesky Records. He performed on A Prairie Home Companion as a regular member of The Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band for almost two decades.
Accordionist DAN NEWTON joins Pat Donohue for this show. Now a performer, composer, and arranger living in Minneapolis, Newton grew up listening to big band, classical, and Broadway records, and to his mom playing hymns on the piano. He played piano, tin whistle, hammered dulcimer, and guitar before taking up the accordion in college. His 1993 solo release Café Accordion spawned the Café Accordion Orchestra, which he has led for more than 30 years. On their many recordings, the band performs “an eclectic mix full of French flare, Latin heat and Bohemian attitude.” “Willie’s Blues” >>>
Available Music >>>
LYNN PETERSON spent eight years in New York City, working as a performer, composer, and studio vocalist, before returning to her home base: the Twin Cities. She appeared in “Best of the Rest” at the Beacon Theater in New York and performed on the Today show several times with B.J. Thomas. Her Norwegian roots have served as inspiration for several recording projects.
“Minnesota Rivers” >>>
“When I Dream” is a song interspersed through the sketch with Tom Keith, Sue Scott, and Tim Russell. Here are some of the featured lyrics:
I could have a mansion
That is bigger than the trees
I could have all the gifts I want
And never ask please
I could fly to Paris
All that’s at my beck and call
Why do I go through life
With nothing at all
But when I dream, I dream of you.
Maybe someday you will come true.
There’s a kind of hush
All over the world tonight.
All over the world
People just like us are fallin’ in love.
You know what I mean?
Just the two of us
And nobody else in sight.
There’s nobody else,
And I’m feelin’ good just holdin’ you tight.
But when I dream, I dream of you,
Maybe someday, you will come true. |
|
More from Pat Donohue
Here is an excerpt from our guest interview with Pat.
Can you tell me a little bit about your musical childhood?
There was always music in the house. My sister Mary Ellen played guitar, piano, and sang. Her friends would come over and they’d listen to the Everly Brothers on the radio. I started on drums when I was 10 and played in my folks’ basement until it drove my father nuts. Then one day when I was about 12, I was home sick and picked up my sister’s guitar and learned some chords from a book. I started playing in garage bands with high school friends. I got interested in blues guitar playing at this time and stated searching out recordings and performances by some of the older blues masters. My friends and I would go see them at concerts at the University of Minnesota whenever we could. Sometimes we would even pester them after the show for tips on playing the blues. One time, we even got to jam with Big Joe Williams.
Who were some of your early influences?
My earliest influences were Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, and Blind Blake.
You have said it’s not essential to read music when you start playing, aside from desire, what is essential for a fingerpicker?
Developing an ear for listening to music is essential. I learned by listening to the tunes I liked and trying to reproduce the music, developing my ear in that way. When I began playing, there was very little in the way of fingerpicking instruction. I would just listen to the records and try and figure it out, and in failing to do so, developed a style. For me, the essentials were a good ear and a high threshold for embarrassment. Read the full guest interview >>>
Visit his website >>> |
|
| Radio Blues by Pat Donohue The late Chet Atkins called Prairie Home house guitarist Pat Donohue “one of the greatest fingerpickers in the world today.” This spirited album of blues classics and originals showcases Donohue’s virtuosity in songs recorded live with the Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band during A Prairie Home Companion broadcasts. Cuts include “Frisco Town,” Mudslide,” and “Statesboro Blues.” Get the CD >>> |
|
| Royal Academy of Radio Actors Collection The Royal Academy of Radio Actors features Garrison Keillor, Sue Scott, Tim Russell, Fred Newman, and the late Tom Keith performing Guy Noir, The Lives of the Cowboys, Mom & Duane, and more. Each CD features pieces individually chosen by each performer as the scripts they treasure and remember the most. Over 3 hours on 4 CDs. Also included in the collection is Sounding Off with Fred Newman, spotlighting Fred’s talents as a sound effects artist. Get the CDs >>> |
|
| Giving Thanks Shirt Our limited-edition Garrison quotation product selection continues with this classic shirt highlighting a simple life mantra: “Giving thanks is the key to happiness.” That’s exactly where it’s at — being happy and appreciative for everything you have in your life. Lightweight cotton/poly blend shirt is available in sizes S–XXL Get the Shirt >>> |
|
|
|
|
