From 1999 to 2004-ish, I was one of the contributing writers for Garrison Keillor's renowned radio show "A Prairie Home Companion." I learned a lot of things there, mostly how to spell 'prairie." It was a solid gig and I'm proud of my work there. But, like any other job, there were...things...
Here's a sketch I haven't looked at in ages. PHC had this running segment about "why men go deer hunting." Is was basically about frustration at home and on the job. And I had that in spades. A lot of silent arguments and mutterings found their way into this brief sketch. I don't thing I ever attempted another one of these, but I get the appeal, although the misogyny seems a little more pronounced nowadays. Especially with GK's revealed history. So, it's probably for the best it didn't get used.
Why Men Go Deer Hunting
SS: I'm home, honey.
GK: Oh, good.
SS: How'd it go?
GK: Good.
SS: What happened to Susie's hair?
GK: You told me to dry her hair after her shower.
SS: It looks terrible.
GK: I did my best.
SS: I know.
GK: It's easy just to sit back and criticize others.
SS: I didn't mean it that way. But it's bad.
GK: That's my point.
SS: What is?
GK: I shouldn't be doing this, obviously. You should.
SS: Well, I couldn't.
GK: Then don't mock me. I try to help.
SS: Well, it's not like I can let you do the shopping after all.
GK: Yes, we've been over that.
SS: True. Like the tomato sauce/paste incident.
GK: You had tomato sauce on the list.
SS: And you bought tomato paste, not sauce.
GK: What's the difference?
SS: One is sauce and one is paste.
GK: Tomato paste. Is that something you use when you break your tomato?
SS: Ho and ha. The recipe was for paste, not sauce. It was right on the list.
GK; Again, I did the best I can.
SS: This always happens. I send you to get yams and you bring back sweet potatoes. I send you out for vanilla extract and you brought back vanilla flavoring. You bring back birch beer when I ask for root bill. I ask you to get ketchup and you get catsup.
GK: And yet you continue to send me out to do such things. At what point are you going to realize I don't get it? I'm torn between wanting to be berated for doing something or being berated for not doing it.
SS: You should really work on that attitude.
TR (ANNC): Why Men Go Deer Hunting ...because when you're out in the woods with the guys
TK: Here's a cold one.
(OPEN POP-TOP.)
TR: Thanks.
TK: No problem.
TR: (ANNC) No guy ever says to you...
TK: Wait, this isn't beer, it's ale! Nice job.
TR: A message in the public interest from AHA, the American Hunting Association.
(SHOTGUN BLAST)
end
