A Prairie Home Companion: December 27, 2003

Special Guests
Saturday, December 27, 2003

Al Franken was a member of Saturday Night Live's writing staff when the show premiered in 1975, and he frequently appeared onscreen as a "Weekend Update" correspondent. He left the show in 1980 and returned in 1985 for ten more years, during which he created the one-man satellite uplink and the character Stuart Smalley. He left the show again in 1995 after winning five Emmys. He is the author of several satirical works of fiction and non-fiction, including Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations; a book of advice called Oh, the Things I Know!; the screenplay for the movie Stuart Saves his Family; and, with Ron Bass, the screenplay for When a Man Loves a Woman. He grew up in St. Louis Park and is a graduate of Harvard College; currently, he lives with his wife and two children in New York City. His latest book is the number one New York Times bestseller Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.

Although Tommy Emmanuel's following in the United States is still growing, he is a household name in his home country of Australia. He has been described by the late Chet Atkins as "one of the greatest players on the planet." In 1999, he was presented with the award of Certified Guitar Player (CPG) by Mr. Atkins. The following year, he performed at the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Sydney. He has recorded four platinum and three gold albums, and his compositions have also been recorded by such artists as Olivia Newton-John, Al Jarreau, and Sheena Easton. The Very Best of Tommy Emmanuel was released by Sony Music in 2001, and his most recent CD is the solo acoustic album ONLY.

To some people, klezmer is the instrumental dance music of Yiddish-speaking Eastern European Jews, and to others it's Yiddish swing and theatre tunes from the 1920s and 30s. The Klezmatics play those styles as well as anyone, going all the way back to the 1890s, but they are better known for expanding the traditional sounds, blending them with jazz, Jamaican, rock and roll, or whatever feels right. They've been described as "a sort of fire-breathing, pan-cultural, radical ensemble playing a global fusion firmly rooted in a traditional dance music." The Klezmatics are: Frank London (trumpet/keys), Paul Morrissett (bass), Lorin Sklamberg (accordion), Lisa Gutkin (violin), Matt Darriau (clarinet) and David Licht (drums). Their most recent release is entitled Rise Up! Shteyt Oyf! and is available on Rounder Records.