Prairie Home Companion with Musical Guests, Polecat Creek

Tickets to Prairie Home Companion were one of Duncan's Christmas presents and the show in Durham, with musical guests Polecat Creek was last Saturday night. Except for the music, it turned out to be not the greatest show I've ever heard them do -- but it was a whole lot of fun to see. As they read through their scripts, they just let pages fall to the floor -- but they cleaned up each batch before the next sketch. And I've always liked Fred Newman, the sound effects man. Homegirls, Laurelyn and Kari were just great -- relaxed, in perfect tune and by all appearances, having a good time. They did four songs and sang along on several others.

After the show, Duncan, of course, wanted to prowl around and see what he could see, hoping to see Laurelyn, so we were lurking around the back entrance when Garrison Keillor came out. I fumbled around and pulled out the picture Duncan had insisted that we bring that was made of me with GK 3 years ago when he was at Guilford -- and he signed it and graciously showed us to Laurelyn's dressing room. She wasn't there, but I wrote her a note while Duncan prowled around backstage some more and snacked on leftover peanuts and grapes in the green room. That man can sniff out free food a mile away.
Julie Knight has the contract with Guilford College to photograph campus events, so when Garrison Keillor did a show there in the spring of 2006, I went along as her "key grip" for the evening -- which means that I carried her camera bag and sometimes held the lens she wasn't using. That night, the show was a long monologue with some music -- and the music was Polecat Creek.

After the performance, Julie was getting pictures in the dressing room and there was a Polecat Creek CD laying on the ironing board. I asked him how he liked them. He said he thought they were great and hoped he could get them on the show sometime.

Shortly afterwards, I sat down with Laurelyn to plan music for our upcoming wedding and I told her this story and she loved it. She kept saying: "No, he did not! What did he say?? Tell me that again! He said he wanted us on the show?!! Tell me the whole thing again. What did you say, what did he say? Get out!" We had a lot of fun with it that day, and I guess Saturday night's show was the culmination of that little story.

On the show they played: Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate and Cardinal Pair from Ordinary Seasons, Surry County's Burning off of Salt Sea Bound, and my all-time Polecat Creek favorite; Mama from Leaving Eden.

Mama, I know you can't stop the pain,
like no hard wish can stop the rain.
Mama, like you said, there's not much stays the same.
Better figure on another day of change,
We'll figure on another day of change. . .

Long rocking hugs of long gone yesterdays
when I thought I'd cry my life away.
Your long rocking hugs of long gone yesterdays,
Mama, they rock me through my troubles today.