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Daily Ncbraskan
Thursday, October 13, 1C33
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By Kathy Glcna
People look forward to Saturday night for many
reasons. Whether it be post-game socializing or just
curling up in front of the TV, it's a night when most
people relax and take a breather. For those tired of
football or "Fantasy Island" there's an alternative:
A Prairie Home Companion." KUCV, 90.9 FM, brings
host Garrison Keillor and his guests to listeners
every Saturday night at 9 p.m.
"A Prairie Home Companion" is a musical variety
show with an Appealing down-home flavor. "PHC" is
best described as a good old-fashioned contempor
ary radio, and this elusive quality has given the show
a loyal following.
- According to Georgia Taggart, public information
officer for the station, "PHC" has the ability to make
listeners feel as though they're back in the early days
of radio.
"We picked up 'Prairie Home Companion' because
it was such a sensation we couldnt ignore it," Tag
it," Taggart said. ;
. Although "PHC" may not be geared for the typical
fine arts radio listener, Taggart said; the program
has attracted all types of listeners, including a faith-.
ful college student following. ' r ;
"PHC" is the brainchild of journalist and humorist
Garrison Keillor. Assembled by Keillor in 1974,
"PHC" is produced by Minnesota Public Radio and :
distributed by National Public Radio. After a net
work satellite system was completed in 1980, the
weekly series was offered to all public radio stations
and has more than two million listeners.
Since 1978, the World Theater in St. Paul, Minn.,
has been the home of "PHC" and the show included
tour engagements across the country.
Keillor is a native Minnesotan who got his start in
radio after graduation from college.He worked for
Minnesota Public Radio for several years and later
took a leave of absence to spend more time writing
humorous pieces for The New Yorker and Atlantic
Monthly magazines.
C 0 M A T E E N S
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Photo courtesy KUCV
Garrison Keillor, best cf "A
Prairie nose Conpssisn."
Keillor came back to radio in 1974 and the result
is a program now considered one of the best in
public radio.
Calendar satirizes
Nebraska's 'Good Life'
In recent years, a wide variety of calendars featur
ing everything from the Sierra Club to Garfield have
saturated the market But it's safe to say there has
never been a calendar like the 1934 Good Life
Calendar. .... ...
. The calendar, whose subtitle claims to have "all
Nebraska's important cultural and historical dates,"
is the creation of UNL English and anthropology
professor Roger Welsch.
v Jeff
t r... ' ' - Goodwin
Comateens comatose;
Eurovecan have tkem
rictcresoa a Ctii3 ...... , - , '
The Comateensj a ew York tind, !ot thicircarcsr ' )
started on the Ecrcpsas raariicfc: That's unusual
because although the other side of the Atlantic b
more tolerant cf new kinds of music, this music fa :
probably more American than Europeans want to "
hear. But amazingly, they made it there and are now
ready to releasa their musk sX home.
Their sound is a mixture of almost every music
form that has been around the last decade. Rock,
pop, punk, rockabilly and black music all are mixed
recognizably in the band's new wave sound.
Unfortunately, Pictures on a String is a collection
cf very mediocre scn3. There fa ncthir.3 htrinsi
cally bad about this album the son3 are easy to
dance and listen to and everything fits in together.
But when a froup doesn't have that epsxk, and the
Comatcsna dont, their albums won't succeed.
Eccauro cf what sounds like a lack of excitement,
many cf th .3 ror.i'sound alike. "Get 0.71 y Cro" and
"The Lata tll;tal;e," the first two cuts on the album,
could er.-.ryp- 3 1.3 one song with only slight altera
tions. ; ;
. "Picture 3 cn a Etrfcs" is prebctly the best cut on
the entire r.";u.m. It hn a rc:?,'cztchytrt r.r.i the
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Welsch eaid'he was motivated to put out the
calendar by "all of the self-serving calendars that
have pictures of some meadow la Nebraska and the
' picture was obviously taken in Montana." .
. Welsch said he sent out a few copies of a calendar
list year as Christmas presents and the response
was so good that he decided to market another,
calendar this year. ' ..' -.' ;
"It's aimed at the 37 or S3 people in Nbraska with:
a sense cf humor," he said. "One cf the things IVe ;
airays admired about the pioneers was their ability ' . :
to hugh at themsdves and at tlh ridiculous place
called Nebraska. But IVe found that people tend to y .
' lauh at what they lavs the meet." ' y
y .The calendar record! vsrbus'disastera such as .-.
fire3, floods, tornadoes and blizzards, o well as'.
: other historical dates. -; :. -;
Welsch said the calendar is by no means a com
plete compilation of all the disasters Nebraska has
suffered. ;--
"I included Carl Curtis' birthday but I left out
Roman Hruska's," he said.
- The calendar tell us that York has had not lees
than five fires, including four In the month cf
February. . ; , f
Also included are such entries as: "June 1 4, 1 3 1,
Drought cf 1C34 broken; rain destroys crops" and
the date cf Johnny Dodders' famous zs station
robbery (Liay 20, 1970). And last, but not Izzzt, thb
entry under Nov. 6: Tccr L Webch bom in Lincoln,' "
ices." : . , -
Host cf the research for the calendar was dons by
1 reading old Nebraska history bocks. "It wa:nt hard," .
Welrsh zzi "In fr.ct it v.tj ir.d cf fn."
r lie s.".!d izlzs cf the cr!;r.dar hav l::n "vhclm-.
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Although Lake Woebegon, Powdermilk Biscuits,
and Bob's Bank all are fictional, Keillor admits they
have become very real to him, as well as to his
audience.
Combined with the Butch Thompson Trio and an
array of other guests, the show fa quality en
tertainment. KUCV is a non-commercial, non-profit public
radio station, owned and operated by Union College
in Lincoln. It offers "PHC" and fine arts radio In an
on-going effort to supply the community with an
alternative to commercial radio.
Financial support comes from many sources,
Including Union College as well as private grants.
KUCV general manager Eric Graham said he hopes
to see increased funding come from expanded
membership contributions and corporate under
writing. Underwriting involves a guarantee of financial
support that is used to cover the costs of presenting
programs. , ' . : . .
. :: ' ' . - !- .:
KlJCV does not sell advertising time, but through
underwriting, credit is given to sponsor businesses
at a fraction of the cost of commercial advertising.
Underwriting also ve3 corporations the opportun
ity to display the interests of their companies, Gra
ham said.
"Beethoven Bash," one of two yearly KUCV fund
raising events, is scheduled for Sunday through Oct.
23. The festival will include a "Prairie Home Com
panion" party scheduled for Oct 22 at 8 p.m. The
public fa invited to make a trip to the KUCV station
and listen to a special broadcast of "PHC." Refres h
ments will be served and "PHC" memorabilia will be
on display.
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'It's the Renaissance 1
success in every aspect
After cavan months together, the tic dd Citizen's :
Club has put together one of Lincoln's fjiest home-,
Crown rccordiro this year. It s Vis f:?rzkzzz3 fa a .
mini-LP ' f saturctg ' five; . cf the s, f roup's strongest
ces, all written by leader Danny 0'Kane..Ths album ;
serves as a more tightly arranged version' cf the .
Model Citizens Club's hot live rhow.
The tracks stand 0 perfect csamplci cf the abili
ties Mldwesterners have for creating wcrk equal to .'
cr better than big shot city "artistes." The mining:
and production cn the disc. & by far the mcst
thou.htful ever done in thb area. Tcshniec", I 13
CisL.zitzzrxa fa almcst Caivlrs . .,
: ' - As for the quality cf the music dsr.ecn the tlbuni,
OTIar.e has carefully estraeted a piece cf hb live
show and honed it to crystal-clear cerfeetien. .
Anyone who has witnessed the Mcd:l Citizens .
Club in action knevs what O'ller.e can do cn sta-2.
Vith the able ceristance cf hfa four fcllr.7 club :
members, Oilers envelopes a dancing crc.vd r.ith '
his tl:ll fur.!: r.cle-dles. Ufa pep-ct:.l2. vcee'j rtley :
l;5Ties uncluttered by phiIose-i:.i. Or.Iy tl 3 r.c "
C:zi cztzr.zz the nu:;;. His grey's esund h L:.";!.:.f- '
iat!3 ty the!r de:p-fur.l: rrrc!i:h to thr'r r:r;er- ',
cTy 13 havj t;:n csad.
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