Interesting piece in Slate about Garrison Keillor. Includes great quote (above) from Homer Simpson. And another from Bill Cosby, with respect to Time Magazine calling Keillor the funniest man in America: “That’s true, if you’re a pilgrim.” Which I think underestimates pilgrim humor. (Primarily buckle-related, by the way).
I should clarify my one-man anti-Keillor crusade by saying that I like some things about him. His voice is pretty, if a bit over-mannered, and it’s nice to hear on “The Writer’s Almanac.” He can occaisionally be quite funny, especially in print. Uhmm… he makes a lot of money for public radio. That’s all I can think of right now.
What I don’t like is the idea that somehow by being slow-paced or old-timey, you automatically gain wisdom. I’d like to point out that Mark Twain, to whom Keillor is constantly being compared (why?) was neither old-timey nor slow-paced.