My Seussical Life for 2005 September 11 (entry 0)

(6) Sun Sep 11 2005 13:52 Oh, hear that old piano, from down the avenue. . .: A long-standing hope is realized: yesterday Dave and I saw Garrison Keillor in the flesh. We thought we'd have to sojourn to St Paul to hear a broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion as part of our residence in the Midwest, but when Dave heard Keillor was coming to the Kansas State Fair back in May, he bought me tickets for Mother's Day (he also made me an NPR contributor, I might add). This show was such a wonderful pleasure! I was astonished to see all the unheard commotion that goes on behind what appears to be a seamless production over the radio. It was a special treat to be part of a Kansan audience; Keillor tapped into some of our social and political quirks and made great fun of them. Listen to the archive recording when it comes online and you might hear me chuckle, clap, or sing "Home on the Range" will all my Kansas neighbors.

Since we drove 3.5 hours to get to the State Fair in Hutchinson Kansas, we thought we'd better stay awhile after the show. We saw some animals and ate some Fair concessions. We ate the requisite something fried (battered cheese curds), something on a stick (a freshly battered corn dog--okay it was fried, too), and something dipped in butter (roasted corn with a dash of lemon pepper). We stood in a line for a deep fried Snickers, but decided enough was enough. We skipped the carnival rides for the sakes of our neighbors who watched the boys most of the day and were waiting up late for us to drive the 3.5 hours home. We had a wonderful time.

Comments:

Posted by Frances at Sun Sep 11 2005 14:30

Oh, wow. Wow. Wow.

Posted by Sumana at Sun Sep 11 2005 17:56

YAY! I have met Garrison Keillor three times but have never gotten to see a performance of APHC. Congrats! I envy you.

Posted by Alyson at Sun Sep 11 2005 19:53

Well, that's a change! I've always envied YOU! And I have to tell you now, meeting Garrison Keillor once beats seeing APHC, and you've met him three times?!?! I only knew about the one when you introduced him prior to a lecture (with a poem, I believe). It is all for the best; I would turn into a blundering idiot if I ever met the man.

Posted by Rachel at Sun Sep 11 2005 21:18

how fun!

Posted by Sumana at Mon Sep 12 2005 10:56

It's like flea of One Good Thing says - the mom envies the nonmom girl and vice versa, right?

I've met him once after a performance at UC Berkeley, once after attending the West Coast Live radio show (where he was a guest), and once before/after that lecture where I introduced him with a poem. (It was in casual iambic pentameter so I assume very few people noticed it was a poem.) Each time I meet him is perhaps for a minute and he never remembers my name, but he's quite gracious. He helps the person he's meeting talk by taking the lead and asking questions.

But still, it would be so awesome to see APHC.

Posted by David Matkin at Tue Sep 13 2005 21:55

It was Sumana. And with the disco tunes from the Tilt-O-Whirl in the background; a very good moment.