Man, I loved A Prairie Home Companion.
An old-timey NPR variety show recorded with a live studio audience, filled with folky tunes and sketches about whiny Minnesotans? This was not in the realm of the kinds of things I typically listen to, but I found it incredibly entertaining. There was something romantic about the way it was sustaining the tradition of the live stage variety show. Garrison Keillor was the voice of Lake Wobegon, and hearing his drawling cadence over folksy music was all it took to transport me to the deep north of perpetual complaint and communal sense of misery.
A Prairie Home Companion had to come to an end, as all good things do (accusations of Garrison Keillor engaging in “inappropriate behavior” notwithstanding). In its place, we have its spiritual successor, Live from Here with Chris Thile, of Nickel Creek fame (and many other accomplishments, I’m sure to be reminded). The standard had been set very high after A Prairie Home Companion and I’m happy to report that things are in good hands at the auditorium.
The format of the show is similar to APHC. It’s breezy and light in its radio show variety format, the likes of which have been largely left by the wayside in today’s mostly digital Youtube/Spotify/Netflix landscape. There are musical acts, sketches, and commentary, moving along nimbly under Thile’s guidance. The show is lighter on sketch comedy than APHC was (I’ll always have a soft spot for the adventures of Guy Noir), but that’s probably my biggest complaint. The musical acts still maintain the spirit of its predecessor, with Thile punctuating the other musical acts with singing of his own. The essay/stand-up comedy segment is often witty and worth dialing up the volume a few notches to pay close attention to, regardless of who is delivering the dialogue. The content is constant, a kind of stream of consciousness of music and words.
Live from Here works perfectly as an effervescent Saturday listen. The listener gets out of it what they bring to the show. Thile and company present an impressive sonic canvas, a green blanket of grass for the listener to roll around in, eat a picnic of Americana a la mode, and take in a view of rolling hills on a cool sunny day. It’s also the perfect background noise, the kind of thing you could have on while cleaning your house, driving to visit your mother, or entertaining people for coffee. It demands so little of your attention, yet remains perfectly enjoyable.
To listen to Live from Here is to lose yourself in a time warp of sorts. It evokes the feeling that everyone is your neighbor, attending Sunday potlucks with family and friends, punctuated with great music, and the smiles are plentiful. The atmosphere of Live from Here is bright, and it’s almost impossible to be in a bad mood while listening. The show is escapism, a sort of time machine to another era, and it makes me feel like I’m wrapped up in a warm blanket on a cool morning, even though the content might be light years away from what I usually call my preferences. It’s chicken soup for the human condition, and I challenge you to give it a listen, and see if you don’t also get swept into that sacred garden of family, friends, music, and laughter.
I’ll see you there.
Matt