Buzz
On this day 73 years ago, Garrison Keillor, the storyteller, author, musician, and all-around local hero of Lake Wobegon, was born—though in truth, he hails from Anoka, Minnesota. But let him tell it, and it’s Lake Wobegon through and through.
For over four decades, Keillor has been the voice of public radio’s nostalgic past, a role he recently announced he would be stepping away from. Even if you've heard hundreds of Keillor's tales, there may still be a few facts about the man himself that might surprise you.
1. GARRISON KEILLOR ISN’T ACTUALLY HIS REAL NAME.
His official name, which has been his legal identity since birth, is Gary Edward Keillor. However, to his vast audience, he will always be known by the name he chose for himself at the age of 13: Garrison.
2. HE ONCE RESIDED IN A HALFWAY HOUSE.
In 1997, Keillor shared with The Atlantic that his post-college job search began with a quirky month-long journey to New York City. During this time, he wrote test pieces for The New Yorker and Sports Illustrated—all while staying in a boarding house on West 19th Street, which turned out to be a halfway house for people recently discharged from psychiatric care. He recalled:
"The residents sat in the dayroom, dazed from Thorazine, talking nonsense; I quietly jotted down some of their thoughts, thinking I might write a story about them. One man claimed to have known Dorothy Parker. I spent hours listening to him ramble about Dotty, trying to figure out whether he was lying or not, and eventually decided that it didn’t matter."
3. PLAYGIRL HONORED HIM AS ONE OF THE SEXIEST MEN ALIVE IN 1986.
According to The Telegraph, the "shy yet handsome man from the legendary Lake Wobegon" was featured on the list alongside notable figures like Bruce Willis, Michael J. Fox, Donald Trump, Billy Crystal, Don Ameche, and Bob Dole. Although Playgirl officials insisted that the list was based on "a sexuality beyond mere looks," Keillor's friends and colleagues were still left "baffled."
"I'm... surprised," said Bill Kling, president of Minnesota Public Radio, to The Telegraph. "Good thing it's a radio show and not TV, so we can keep his allure a secret in the Twin Cities." Howard Mohr, a fellow writer and performer on ‘A Prairie Home Companion,’ offered his own theory on why the sultry spokesperson for Powder Milk Biscuits made the list: "I haven’t noticed any incredible effect he has on women, but then again, I haven’t been paying attention. It’s probably his voice that attracts them. But who can explain public taste?"
4. HE HAS A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WRITING PROCESS.
During a 1994 interview with The Paris Review, Keillor was asked whether he found writing to be a pleasurable activity. The eloquent radio host seemed to struggle with the question:
"Sometimes, but it doesn't have to be; you still have to get the work done. [Meeting deadlines] can be enjoyable, but only if what you write is good. If it’s not, you end up with self-loathing. If the material is good and funny, you still despise yourself, of course, for writing comedy and light-hearted fluff instead of something serious and deeply miserable. But... what was your question again?"
5. HE RELOCATED TO DENMARK TO ESCAPE THE PRESSURES OF FAME.
Released in June 1985, Lake Wobegon Days sold over a million copies within its first year, transforming the beloved radio host into a full-fledged celebrity—a lifestyle that Keillor found uncomfortable. As reported by The Hour, "Keillor said he felt he had to leave his home when the local media became overly interested in his private life. 'It confused me. I had no idea what they were after,' Keillor explained."
To the dismay of his fans, Keillor stepped away from the show—and the country—between 1987 and 1989, living in Denmark with his then-wife Ulla Skaerved. During a satellite interview for his ‘A Prairie Home Companion: Lake Wobegon Comes to Disney’ event, Keillor shared why he found solace in anonymity:
"Well, if you've ever been to a country where English isn’t the primary language, and you've spent years making your living writing and speaking in English, it’s a wonderful escape to just hear a foreign language for a while. It frees you from the need to be intelligent. For a change, you can just be good-looking... Everyone should have Denmark as an option when they need it."
In the end, Keillor realized that the simple comforts of small-town America are irreplaceable. As he reflects in We Are Still Married: Stories and Letters, “Even in an era of monstrous vanity and greed, you don't have to look far to find the campfires of kind-hearted people.”
