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Power Mower Society GK: ……right after this message. (DARK CHORD) TR: You don't think I'm clinically depressed, Dr. Karnowski? SS (SHRINK): How would I know, Stanley? You're from the Midwest. If you were a New Yorker, I'd put you on powerful drugs and have you sit under a sunlamp every day. But for a Midwesterner, depression is more like a personality trait. TR: But this pessimism----- SS (SHRINK): We call it pervasive negative anticipation. The constant feeling that everything is going to turn out for the worse. TR: What can I do, Dr. Karnowski? Would meditation help? Are there books I should read? SS (SHRINK): What I recommend is a new power mower, Stanley. TR: A power mower? SS (SHRINK): Studies show that for people from your part of the country, the sound of a one-cylinder engine raises seratonin levels immediately. And the act of mowing grass reduces anxiety. There's no better way to feel empowered than with a brand-new mower. TR: Thanks, Dr. Karnowski. I feel better already. (POWER MOWER START AND REV AND FADE) GK: Sometimes a wonderful piece of machinery can accomplish what years of expensive therapy can't. Isn't that right, Woody Allen? TR (WOODY): I went to this psychiatrist for thirty years. Five days a week for thirty years trying to figure out the causes of my depression. And then I realized why it wasn't working. The guy was a podiatrist. Finally I decided to buy a power mower and I've never felt better. (MOWER START AND REV) GK: Maybe all you need is a power mower. A message from the Power Mower Society. GK: The Power Mower Society. A power mower costs less than medication and therapy, and it gets the job done. Try one this weekend. See if it doesn't help. (MOWER START AND REV) © Garrison Keillor 2002 |
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Singer and songwriter Andra Suchy talks about singing duets with Garrison, and her latest album, Little Heart.
Old Sweet Songs: A Prairie Home Companion 1974-1976
Lovingly selected from the earliest archives of A Prairie Home Companion, this heirloom collection represents the music from earliest years of the now legendary show: 1974–1976. With songs and tunes from jazz pianist Butch Thompson, mandolin maestro Peter Ostroushko, Dakota Dave Hull and the first house band, The Powdermilk Biscuit Band (Adam Granger, Bob Douglas and Mary DuShane).
