Garrison Keillor

 

Last night, Garrison Keillor, of Lake Wobegon and A Prairie Home Companion fame, spoke for two hours at the Carolina Theatre. He started and ended the evening by having the audience sing religious and patriotic songs with him. Throughout the evening, he reminisced on family, career and old loves, talked politics, talked about the Lutheran church, recited poems and limericks, and so much more. Garrison spoke without notes, pacing and sitting, mostly with his eyes closed; not even stopping to have a drink of water. He spoke of his life as a writer and performer of radio shows for over four decades; saying how preparing a weekly radio show kept him living in the present. He would do a show and, once a new show came along, the old one would be erased from memory. Now that A Prairie Home Companion is over and he is traveling as a solo performer, there is plenty of time to review experiences across his lifetime.

The Carolina Theatre was crowded last night. It was nice to see so many people out on a Thursday night. After the show, the selling of books was entrusted in Scuppernong Books. Garrison was kind enough to stay and sign books until the long line cleared. Garrison Keillor is an engaging speaker who makes telling stories seem effortless. It is nice to know that audiences can still enjoy listening to someone speak for almost two hours.

He is off to Pennsylvania tomorrow and London on Sunday. We are so lucky that he included Greensboro on his east-coast stop.

 

Comments

[Dina]

You were lucky to see him in person. I've always enjoyed hearing his voice on radio but never knew what he looked like.

[William Kendall]

He's quite a character, from all I have heard.