Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 12:47 PM

Amen, Kevin!

JennyO, it's too bad you've never heard him. I think he's one of the funniest people on earth. He has a great knack for zeroing in on the Human Condition and poking gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) fun at the little day-by-day peccadillos we all fall heir to. One recognizes oneself in his humor. As I said above, I consider him to be one of the world's great humorists, right along with Mark Twain (but not quite as ascerbic). And although he probably won't give Bryn Terfel any serious competition, he has a warm, pleasant baritone voice. Very listenable.

If you have RealPlayer, you can listen to him at the Prairie Home Companion website here: http://phc.mpr.org. Most of the shows are archived.

Enjoy!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Dexter
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 12:46 PM

Speaking of Pat Donahue, yes he does sing. In fact, he penned a parody of "Swingin' on a Star" and sang it on PHC. It should be required listnin' matter for all in this forum.
It begins:

Would you like to play the guitar
And bring your money home in a jar
From a coffee house or a bar
Or would you rather get a job?

A job is the thing that makes you get out of bed...

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: JennyO
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 11:41 AM

Well sorefingers, as I said before, I've never heard the man sing, but it seems from others' postings that you don't have much agreement, and like so many other things in life, it is just a matter of taste - so stop whingeing and turn your radio off!!!!!

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 11:28 AM

"...is a passable writer himself" - amazing.

Garrison Keillor is a superb story teller, both writing it down and reading it out. And when he sings he doesn't put himself in the way of the song, he just sings it and that's the first and most important quality in any singer.

I've said it before - any time people might feel tempted to write of America as a bad dream that came true, they should think of Garrison Keillor.

Remember the bit in the Bible where God's feeling really pissed off with the city of Sodom and wants to destroy it, and Abraham bargains him down to agreeing that if there are "ten just men" there he won't? I think Garrison Keillor might be one of the ten just men(or women) who might give God reason to spare America in such an eventuality.

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 11:16 AM

Actually no....I think it's obvious you should take everyone's advice and tune him out, just don't turn on the program at all. Or does your radio automatically come on and force you to listen?

Spaw

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: GUEST,sorefingers
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 11:04 AM

Average voice yes, everyone agrees, but Radio Star ...naw ... I still hate to listen to the sanitised folk music he produces never mind his godalmighyaweful croaking...

He is to Folk Music what Bob Jones is to Jesus!

I think he uses his lil jack to write crapalley comedy so he can entrap and punish his prey. He should have been a bad preacher in some sucky badwoods town in Panama....

If a person who likes to sing - I hardly know any that don't - is put off because I give Garrison Keillor the croaker the thumbs down on the intenet then they should go live with him, since they would make a fitting audience.

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: BlueJay
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 03:10 AM

Beg to differ with our guest, but I think Garrison Keillor's voice is just fine. Probably better than our guest's. What's more important is his imagination, which has led to many, many superb radio shows.
In fact, I've been listening to old tapes I made of PHC, trying to find a particular song. Keillor, along with an unknown female singer, did an about face on the old "Anything You can do, I can do Better", transforming it into: "Anything I can do You can do Better, You can do anything better than me, (No I can't, Yes you can) etc. Absolutely hilarious. If anyone knows the words to this parody, I'd be really grateful if you could post them.
Guest- If you don't care for Garrison Keillor, why not switch your radio station. Maybe Rush Limbaugh, or one of his many clones, is more to your liking. BlueJay

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 02:21 AM

As an aside here........Almost 20 years ago I was flying all the time and I took my seat one evening on a flight that had been delayed badly out of Newark. It took a few minutes for me to realize that my odd looking seatmate was Garrison. After a stumbling kind of introduction, I immensely enjoyed the next two hours. I had been a fan for several years and I realized why he was such a good writer. As a salesman I was well trained in the art of listening and at turning the conversation away from myself and back toward my customer........and he had that same easy way of turning the conversation back to me and away from him.......and he was an astute listener. I enjoyed him even more after that brief meeting and have ever since.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 01:54 AM

I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend with my life your right to say it--no matter how dorky it might be.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Neighmond
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 01:30 AM

Ah, yes!
Opinions!
I think GUEST Sorefingers needs a trip to the local trade school, where the technical arts class can show them how to tune a radio, lower the volume, and turn off the power (there are TWO ways! Can you name them?)

Oh, well. This country was built on opinions-we may as well harbor 'em all...

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: DougR
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 01:16 AM

However, GUEST sorefingers, you are correct. You DO have a right to your opinion.

DougR

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 01:00 AM

GUEST,soreheadfingers, one of life's fundamental rules is: if you want to avoid total public embarrassment, never heckle a comedian.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 12:45 AM

I enjoy the show and his singing, but my favourite part is his storytelling, esp. Lake Woebegone. The only part I don't like is his singsongy recitation of poetry. Bugs the heck out of me.

JennyO, the program is called Prairie Home Companion. If you put that in any search engine it will take you to their home page and you can listen to some of the archived shows. Well worth it!:-)

kat

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: toadfrog
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 12:26 AM

1. This is another troll.
2. Nothing particularly wrong with Keillor's singing. Sure enough, "good enough for folk music," as we used to say in the 50's.
3. Except for your occasional opera singer or person from musicals, he sings about as well as anybody else on his program.
4. Hey, GUEST, who in hell are you?

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Bill D
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 12:22 AM

possibly, if you write to Garrison and inform him of your opinion, he will immediately cease his polluting of your airwaves and go dig ditches somewhere. He seems an accomidating sort of fellow.

When you have finished, you can work on whoever selects those to do the "Star Spangled Banner" at sports events.

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 12:19 AM

Garrison Keillor invented the bleedin' show in the first place. Sure, he has a batch of writers working for him now, but he didn't at first. And as a writer, the only disagreement I have with what mousethief just said is that Keillor is not just a passable writer, he's a very good writer. Read some of his books. As a humorist, he ranks right up there with Mark Twain and Bill Nye. Everything on that show has his mark, whether writen by him or not, so I'm sure he has control over what's goind on (in fact, on a radio interview a few years back, Peter Ostroushko said exactly that). And he keeps crankin' the stuff out week after week. He's got the touch.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: mousethief
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 12:05 AM

He has assembled a group of very funny writers, is a passable writer himself, and stands at the head of an eminently listenable radio show. Sure he's no Tennessee Ernie Ford, but hell, who was, except Tennessee Ernie Ford, and he's dead.

Sorefingers, if you don't like it just don't listen. Whining about it makes me think you're jealous or something.

Alex

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Neighmond
Date: 09 Feb 03 - 12:04 AM

I heard him and the Hopefull Gospell quartet sing "there is a fountain filled with Blood", live, in Madison, WI once, and it would've wrung tears from a stone. And I like most of his programming.


But then I always was the strange one around home...

Chaz

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Feb 03 - 11:21 PM

Garrison Keillor IS NOT the producer of his program. He is what is known as "on-air talent".

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: JennyO
Date: 08 Feb 03 - 10:58 PM

I don't know who this guy is, but knowing that people can come on a public forum and criticise an individual for the quality of his voice might be enough to make some people think twice about singing in a session, for fear of not being thought good enough.

Surely people should be able to sing just for the enjoyment of it, without getting shot down in flames!

Jenny (passable singer who loves to sing)

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Feb 03 - 09:38 PM

That's right, Sorefingers. According to the Official Rules in the United States, only bone fide singing sensations are allowed to sing. If you simply enjoy singing but can't sing well enough to cut a hit single, you are not allowed to sing in the United States. I think it's a law that Sonny Bono sneaked through Congress before he died. Singing is for commercial purposes only, and is not to be done for enjoyment.

Yeah, I suppose Keillor isn't much of a singer, but it's always fun to listen to him. He's a consummate storyteller, and his songs are oftentimes just another means of storytelling. He does sing a mean gospel bass.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: BH
Date: 08 Feb 03 - 09:31 PM

So---your criticism is of a man who is able to produce a quality radio program with great variety and substance on a weekly basis. Not easy to do. And---he does it ( in my ever not so humble opinion) with wit and creativity. )

As to his voice. Truly a very rich one capable of many different nuances.

But the program is not about his voice---rather about the guests, the regular crew, and creativity. More substance than one finds on most radio programs. (I guess I should exclude mine --butin honesty he is better).Better thatn than the crap that is on most TV stations.

Does TV stand for Terrible Viewing?   Think Reality TV---a whole other horrible topic


Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Don Firth
Date: 08 Feb 03 - 09:28 PM

Well, when you're working for a classical music station and the caller wants you to play Mitch Miller, you can't really expect to receive any customer commendation certificates. Besides, that's what the program director suggested I say when I got doofus calls.

Re: Garrison Keillor. If you don't like him, nobody (as far as I know) has a gun at your head forcing you to listen.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Feb 03 - 09:10 PM

I take it you never won any awards for customer service, eh Don?

Seriously, Keillor is the elitist prig. I can't stand to listen to him sing, and his writing is maudlin crap, too.

But hey, we all get to have an opinion, right?

Subject: RE: BS: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Don Firth
Date: 08 Feb 03 - 09:06 PM

A little elitist, are we? Granted, ol' Garrison ain't no Thomas Hampson, but he isn't all that bad. Sings pretty well, actually. Damned well for someone who doesn't really consider himself a singer. S'matter? He's got a gig and you don't?

And his "real singer" guests aren't that rare. Robin and Linda Williams are regulars and I think they're pretty good. I can't really remember if Pat Donahue sings or not, but he plays the hell out of a guitar. Ever hear of Renee Fleming? Ever hear of Greg Brown? Ever hear of Jean Redpath? (. . . and on an on for three pages).

When I was a DJ, every now and then I'd get some disgruntled listener who didn't like what I played (most of which was not my choice, really, but that of the program director). I would give them the standard answer: "Sir, you will note that your radio has at least two switches. One changes the station and the other turns it off. If you don't like what we play, I suggest you use either one or the other."

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: Amos
Date: 08 Feb 03 - 08:33 PM

Well...no. I actually like ole Garrison's voice. Or I did when I listened to him sometime ago.

A

Subject: BS: Garrison Keillor the bad singer who ..
From: GUEST,sorefingers
Date: 08 Feb 03 - 08:29 PM

uses the radio to entrap his prey for aural torture?

Is he one o those ole windbags who upon hearing a fiddler suddenly acquire a singing voice? Or is it his bad poetry trip?

If you could would you ask him to shut the h**l up and let one of his
rare real singer guests sing instead?