Sick in a hotel room, thinking back I spent the weekend in Fort Lauderdale in a low-rent hotel with many families with small children and numerous college kids who seemed confused, even alarmed, when I got on an elevator and said, “Good morning” to them, as I was brought up to do but that was back in the 20th century. Every time I crossed through the lobby I heard Christmas songs like “it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you,” which strikes a Minnesotan as peculiar and then on Sunday I tested positive for COVID so I had other things to think about. 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, archived goodies. excerpts from unpublished works, previews of other works, a second weekly column and on occasion, a full-length video stream of a show from 2015-2016. Also if you shop in the store, THE BACK ROOM subscribers receive 20% discounts. ($6 per mos or $65 annual subscription). |
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This week's classic show This week, we travel back to 2015 for a show from The Town Hall, with Keb’ Mo’, The DiGiallonardo Sisters, and Heather Masse joining the host, as they did at Tanglewood a couple of summers ago. It was quite the deal. Keb’ Mo’ ambles in from Nashville with homemade tunes and a soulful voice that convinces you everything he’s saying is true. Heather nails it as an honorary DiGiallonardo Sister. Hopping the D train from Brooklyn, The Sisters hold their sibling harmonies all the way to the theater, where they’ll release them in all their glory. Plus: a throng of characters from our Royal Academy of Radio Actors (Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman); pianist and music director Rich Dworsky leads The December Boys band (Bernie Dresel on drums, bassist Larry Kohut, Richard Kriehn on mandolin and fiddle, and guitarist Chris Siebold); and the latest News from Lake Wobegon, where the Lutheran church is adjusting to a new pastor — again. Highlights include a cluster of holiday tunes, including “White Christmas,” “A Few of My Favorite Things,” “O Hanukkah,” ‘”Shopping on Christmas Eve,” along with holiday humor featuring Guy Noir and a Christmas sonnet. The link for the show will appear on our Facebook page at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday. A little girl is singing for the faithful to come ye Joyful and triumphant, a song she loves, And also the partridge in a pear tree And the golden rings and the turtle doves. In the dark streets, red lights and green and blue Where the faithful live, some joyful, some troubled, Enduring the cold and also the flu, Taking the garbage out and keeping the sidewalk shoveled. Not much triumph going on here — and yet There is much we do not understand. And my hopes and fears are met In this small singer holding onto my hand. Onward we go, faithfully, into the dark And are there angels hovering overhead? Hark. Listen to this week’s show >>> Follow our Facebook fan page >>> More about this week’s featured guests Keb’ Mo’— born Kevin Moore in South Central Los Angeles — was raised on music of the Baptist Church and the contemporary R&B and blues of the 1960s. Since his early days touring with ex-Jefferson Starship vocalist and violinist Papa John Creach, this singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-actor has racked up a stack of solo albums, as well as winning five Grammy Awards. His latest recording is “Good to Be (Home Again).” “Just Like You” >>> The DiGiallonardo Sisters — Daniela, Nadia, and Christine — started singing together when they were kids Brooklyn. They still call Brooklyn home, and they still love stacking up those three-part harmonies. Now, Daniela teaches social studies at Brooklyn’s Mark Twain Intermediate School for the Gifted & Talented; Nadia is a pianist, composer, arranger, and singer; and Christine is a singer and actor. “Soft Place to Land” >>> Growing up in rural Maine, Heather Masse sang hymns and folk songs around home with her family. Now based in New York, this New England Conservatory of Music alum is a one-third of the Juno Award-winning Canadian trio The Wailin’ Jennys. “Songbird” >>> |
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The Fabulous Fox Join us LIVE, either in person or online, for our Christmas show from The Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis on December 15. Holidays are a time to get together with old friends and celebrate the season, so we invite you to join us for an enchanting evening of song. Let’s join together on “Silent Night” and a few other favorites combined with some humor, a visit from Mom, Guy Noir, plus the latest news from Lake Wobegon. JOIN us LIVE in St Louis >>> ORDER the LIVESTREAM >>> |
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Serenity at 70, Gaiety at 80: Why We Should Keep Getting Older Created just for fans as a keepsake, this book is available only in our store. It’s a wonderful gem on aging that will tickle your funny bone! A book from Garrison Keillor on leaning into the beauty of getting old. As he neared 80, he wrote: “My life is so good at 79 I wonder why I waited this long to get here.” You learn that Less Is More, the great lesson of Jesus and also Buddha. Each day becomes important after you pass the point of life expectancy. Big problems vanish, small things make you happy. And the worst is behind you because you lack the energy to be as foolish as you might otherwise be. There are his 23 rules for aging, including “Enumerate your benefits,” “Enjoy inertia,” “Get out of the way,” “Don’t fight with younger people; they will be writing your obituary,” and finally, “Ignore rules you read in a book. Do what you were going to do anyway.” Readers are sure to chuckle at the wisdom and humor contained in this short, full-color volume, which includes as supplementary material both photos from Garrison’s life as well as fine art. Get the book >>> |
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Boom Town: A Lake Wobegon Novel With Boom Town, Garrison Keillor returns to his hometown of Lake Wobegon, which is in the midst of a rising economic tide driven by millennial entrepreneurs. “I go back home mainly for funerals, which these days are for people my age, 79, which gets my attention, an obituary with my number in it,” he writes, as he sits at the bedside of Arlene Bunsen dying with humor and grace, and recalls a teenage love affair. He observes the millennial culture, a stark contrast to the Lutheran farm town of the radio monologues. He spends the summer in the old lake cabin, reliving the past, postponing his return to New York. Get the book >>> Get the CDs >>> |
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