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... Yeah, one of my pet peeves; as soon as Halloween is over, the Christmas music begins. We just shoot by Thanksgiving without a glance. So, this was my solution. It was kind of inspired by "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." There's the scene where the kids go to check up on Linus in the pumpkin patch and when he sees them, he says "Have you come to sing pumpkin carols?" I didn't get the line when I was a kid, but has I got older, I loved the line, the perfect juxtaposition of the holiday traditions. And it also falls into my wheelhouse of song parodies. Alas, PHC didn't bite. So, here's a sketch you can sing to! Happy Thanksgiving!
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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... It's the holiday season, and I posted this sketch during a string of posts leading up to Thanksgiving. For continuity's sake, I'm posting a link to it here. It's one of those bits I thought up, in my theme of goofy specialty shops that existed back in the time we were allowed to go out and shop in person. I've hustled elsewhere, but never got a bite. I like it. Here's the link to House of Stuffing I submitted this to Prairie Home Companion in 2002. Garrison Keillor liked to do these bits, "aural landscapes," I called them, where it wasn't really a sketch, not really a song, but weave in and out of music and characters, painting a sound picture of the time. I guess it's basically a series of black-out skits with music bumpers, but done with a more mellifluous tone. I thought I nailed the style. PHC didn't. And it's a quirky bit, hard to re-purpose. Too long for ACN or All Star Radio. Too fluid to be a stage skit. I would point out that much of Uncle Al's rant wound up in a prose bit I had, (which I posted here), so, again, never throw anything out. I now present this skit for the first time... But it is Thanksgiving time, and autumn is here, which means falling leaves, a nip in the air and UFOs... Yes, we're here to plug my Nick Flebber mystery, Space Case, a X-citing investigation for all you X-philes out there. Available over at Amazon! To Grandmother's House We GoThis premise has been a running joke idea in much of my work since I ripped it off from Peanuts ("Have you come to sing Pumpkin Carols?") It's always something I would drop into conversations they way I always push to avoid the "Arbor Day Rush" or decry something a "Halloween Miracle!" (I did that a lot before commercials jumped all over it. I also was the first people I know to announce during bitter cold days that "at least it's a dry cold.") So, I hunkered down and wrote up this for Prairie Home Companion but it was rejected. The version below was from a re-do I did for TMI: Hollywood (hence the little intro before the sketch to fit in the show's format style). But they don't do music much. It's a cute bit and I do enjoy writing song parodies. And, of course, this whole celebration of Thanksgiving is to help remind folks that my book, Space Case, is available over at Amazon. It sure beats stepping on a rake! Turkey CarolsOriginally written for PHC in 2011 (hence the tagline "in business since 2010!"), it was passed over and I re-did it for my other radio people, who also passed. Part of my "Inappropriate Stores" series, it's just a silly premise carried out in a silly manner. I like these things. I even attempted to link them together as a series of running gags for one venue. Didn't fly there either. It's not strictly Thanksgiving, but it does fall under the category of "holiday food," so here it is, fresh from the slush pile. But it is Thanksgiving time, and autumn is here, which means falling leaves, a nip in the air and UFOs... Yes, we're here to plug my Nick Flebber mystery, Space Case, a X-citing investigation for all you X-philes out there. Available over at Amazon! Sid’s House of GlazeGetting something on the air at Prairie Home Companion was tough. I knew Garrison Keillor liked repeatable bits. Frankly, the entire show was often repeatable bits. So I would try to do it as well. After the success of Bag o'Leaves, I attempted a follow-up. Didn't pass muster. In retrospect, it probably wasn't as goofy as "Leaves" because pumpkins are send by boxes and people do buy pumpkins. Oh, well. Anyway, all in good fun and here to remind you to get a copy of Space Case...it's an autumn delight. Box o'PumpkinsThis bit goes back to PHC days, where it was rejected. It's kicked around a while and a couple of years ago I rewrote it for TMI: Hollywood, where it was also rejected. It was a shorter bit for radio, but I padded out a little bit to make it more stage-worthy. It's not really topical at all, and I certainly could keep sending it out. But's it's been through the wringer. Man, I just remembered that a bunch of these bits were submitted to some Texas comedy troupe. A goodly bunch. For naught. So, for sanity's sake, let's just post it here and be done with it. Happy Thanksgiving! But it is Thanksgiving time, and autumn is here, which means falling leaves, a nip in the air and UFOs... Yes, we're here to plug my Nick Flebber mystery, Space Case, a X-citing investigation for all you X-philes out there. Available over at Amazon! Debbie’s Free-Range Accidentally-Killed Turkey FarmBack in 2001, we were looking at the first post 9/11 Thanksgiving. So naturally, I started to roll out my silly side. The "Inappropriate" Store has been a grand source of comedy for me, heavily influenced by Monty Python with these, like the Parrot Sketch or the Cheese shop. As mentioned elsewhere on this blog, my first sketch of any merit was "The Pet Rock;" that was my pet store sketch. I've done plant shop, a travel agent and a cheese store (which I even repurposed for movie script) and then there are the commercials for Inappropriate Stores, such as this one, the House of Stuffing. Also part of a grand tradition, well mined by SNL. Much like the shops themselves, it's a niche field. But perfect for people who really, really like stuffing. Anyway, PHC didn't use it. I thought I really captured his voice and pacing and spirit in this bit. Oh well. I pitched it elsewhere until it wound up here. And, of course, this whole celebration of fall is to help remind folks that my book, Space Case, is available over at Amazon. It sure beats stepping on a rake! House of StuffingOr, a Tale of Two PostsI was very lucky...this article found a home over at Weekly Humorist in time for Thanksgiving 2023. But, since website come and go, I'm leaving up the original post...just in case... by Chef Louis as told to Dan Fiorella Bon jour, America! We here at the kitchens of Chez Chaz have discussed this many, many times and we had decided it is time. Time to save Thanksgiving from you Americans. The holiday fare is so Americanized. Yes, yes, it is true; turkey, stuffing, apple cider. It is stale, it is stodgy. You Americans, it would kill you to broaden your horizons? My staff and I have been working very hard to introduce a special Thanksgiving menu which we will be serving this year. What we have done is no less than remarkable. We have turned Thanksgiving into an international gastronomic event. |
Dan FiorellaFreelance writer, still hacking away. Archives
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