With the big screen adaptation of Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion in theatres (directed by Robert Altman and featuring a gigantic all-star cast, including Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Virginia Madsen, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kevin Kline), it's the perfect time to invite yourself inside the beloved radio show. The PHC's glorious, full-bodied Web presence tells us:
- "Today, A Prairie Home Companion is heard by over 4 million listeners each week on over 580 public radio stations, and is heard abroad on America One and the Armed Forces Networks In Europe and the Far East. Keillor remembers, 'When the show started, it was something funny to do with my friends, and then it became an achievement that I hoped would be successful, and now it's a good way of life.'"
The two-hour variety format is inserted into a fictional broadcast setting, loosely inspired by the Grand Ole Opry, filled with folksy music and humor, plus phoney sponsor commercials and host Keillor's comic monologues, tagged as "The News From Lake Wobegon."
The finest online treasure is the immense, free audio archive of every episode of the program, beginning in the fall of 1996 to date. Photos, scripts, and guest information are included, too. Additionally, the site offers a discussion area for fans and special material written by Keillor and others.
And do not miss the Pretty Good Jokes mother lode collection, which we've happily highlighted before.
Visit and Rest Your Feet: A Prairie Home Companion With Garrison Keillor