Look, some of us actually live in the place where the program originates from, and have a whole different perspective on Keillor The Celebrity, that I don't expect any of you to know about. I think Lepus Rex would agree that Keillor hasn't had much good press in Minnesota since he ran off with the Danish bimbo, and dissed the entire state, not to mention all of his colleagues at Minnesota Public Radio (the Mom and Pop Radio Empier that owns PHC).

As Lepus Rex said, Keillor's anti-Jesse schtick was obnoxiously classist, and it didn't end on the program. They also feuded through the press here in Minnesota.

That said, he is surrounded by very talented people, and the production staff does a fine job of bringing great talent on the air. But (and I've read his books, New Yorker pieces, Salon pieces, etc.) Twain he ain't. I think he himself invented the Thurber comparison. And for the Minnesotans I know, he is so far beyond the use by date, we haven't listened much to the show for decades. We have much better folk music radio fare on Saturdays--on other much better public radio stations that Keillor's network is doing it's damndest to drive out of business and get off the air, so they can own it all.

This is one of those circumstances where the fan base for the program mostly isn't local. It is instead popular where people know the name brand, but don't know much about the ingredients. Keillor has nothing but contempt for rural Minnesota. In real life, he is Mr. Hyde, not Dr. Jekyl. Some of us know that. Most of you don't want to hear that, of course, because it spoils your illusions about what the man is, and how accurately he depicts the people he chooses to write about.   Out of all the excellent Minnesota writers writing about this state and it's people, I would say that Keillor's writing about us is the most far off the mark. PHC has become nothing more than a contemporary minstrel show, and the buffoons are the little people, the working class (like Jesse Ventura), farmers and farmers families, rural people.

What is so funny about making fun of those people?