Fun Evening in Nashville
Nancy and I had a real treat yesterday. We went up to Nashville to see the live radio broadcast of Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion at the historic Ryman Auditorium. It was a terrific show. Garrison's musical guests were country music's biggest star, Brad Paisley, and bluegrass giant Sam Bush and his band. They did all the normal classic skits -- "Guy Noire, Private Eye"; "The News From Lake Wobegone"; "The Ketchup Advisory Board"; plus a few others we hadn't heard before. They played some great songs, and generally put on a great show.
Keillor himself makes it clear that he owes a debt to old radio show hosts like Fred Allen, and Bob and Ray, but the fact remains that he is a unique talent in American culture. He has a wonderful sense of humor; he's not a great singer, but he's good; he's a decent writer; and his "News From Lake Wobegone" is a brilliant monologue that he does without any notes or visual cues. I know that he doesn't make it up on the spot. I mean, he couldn't, right? But it's all in his head, and that's pretty stunning given how well each week's installment of the "News" holds together. Anyway, it was all great fun and I have no doubt that we'll go again the next time he and his crew are in town.
After the show, we went to a restaurant called Horn of Africa, where we had a marvelous Ethiopian meal. Truly excellent. If you haven't had Ethiopian cuisine, you should. It's spicy and delicious, and you eat it with your hands, using a special spongy bread called injera to pick up the curries and stews and lentils. Wonderful!
Keillor himself makes it clear that he owes a debt to old radio show hosts like Fred Allen, and Bob and Ray, but the fact remains that he is a unique talent in American culture. He has a wonderful sense of humor; he's not a great singer, but he's good; he's a decent writer; and his "News From Lake Wobegone" is a brilliant monologue that he does without any notes or visual cues. I know that he doesn't make it up on the spot. I mean, he couldn't, right? But it's all in his head, and that's pretty stunning given how well each week's installment of the "News" holds together. Anyway, it was all great fun and I have no doubt that we'll go again the next time he and his crew are in town.
After the show, we went to a restaurant called Horn of Africa, where we had a marvelous Ethiopian meal. Truly excellent. If you haven't had Ethiopian cuisine, you should. It's spicy and delicious, and you eat it with your hands, using a special spongy bread called injera to pick up the curries and stews and lentils. Wonderful!