Shouts & Hollers

When you spend so much time listening to someone’s voice, it’s always a little strange to see him. So even though I knew what Garrison Keillor looked like, seeing him live at the State Fair on Tuesday night, resplendent in a seersucker suit and red socks, was a little bit of a trip. He’s no Vanessa Hudgens, but if you like corny jokes (I do), anecdotes both profound and absurd (sure), and strange folksy covers of old pop songs (hells yes!), then you totally should have been at the Prairie Home Companion Rhubarb Tour.

He opened with a Hazel Dickens song, which was a touching homage to the Mountain State, although I got the sense he’d never been beyond the Greenbrier Resort. By far the best part of the show involved the mild-mannered sound effects guy, Fred Newman. Anyone who listens to the show knows how hilariously realistic his effects are, but nothing compares to seeing a white-haired guy contort his face so he can imitate a caribou singing opera. Keillor seems to make stories up on the spot, and the fact that it is unrehearsed (or at least it appears that way) adds a little bit of awe to the humor.

The show seemed a little bluer than what we hear on Sunday mornings - I kind of like the idea of the traveling show affording them the opportunity to cut loose. Especially alarming was a song about sperm and a joke about a woman feeding condoms to her poodle. But, you know, alarming in a good way.

Missing were several of the radio actors, but the music was in full effect. In addition to Hazel Dickens (and sperm), Guy’s All Star Shoe Band covered everything from the blues to Roy Orbison. The musical guest was Suzy Bogguss, who sang whistful, folksy country songs about mama and kids growing up so fast and lovin’ each other through the hard times.

The posters promised an intimate evening with Garrison Keillor, and it was, in the sense that I was sitting on the laps of the people next to me. If you’re going to a show at the State Fair (which you should), be skinny. The seats are not comfortable. But if, like my friend, you get tired from holding your arms crossed so you don’t fondle the strange guy to your right, you can just close your eyes and imagine you’re listening to the radio.

The State Fair isn’t over yet, so there’s still time to enjoy more goodness. Country heartthrob Josh Turner plays on Saturday night, and the ribbon fries are available all day.