In Times Like These from 2009 - by Garrison Keillor
In Times Like These from 2009
a beautiful night in the Berkshires
Jun 24, 2026
Listen to the June 27, 2009, show
A favorite 2009 broadcast from Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts, with special guests Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, Martin Sheen, Arlo Guthrie, and the legendary Stuart Duncan.
Highlights include talk about Tanglewood, plus an original poem about the venue; “Bird Song” by Heather Masse; “Midnight Hour Blues” by Pat Donohue; “Daddy Played the Banjo” from Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers; “In Times Like These” from Arlo Guthrie; words from ELCA; Mom; and Guy Noir. What more could a person ask for? Oh, yes, a Lake Wobegon story. It’s all here, so grab a seat on the porch and join us for a listen to this great show.
More about our guest performers:
The Steep Canyon Rangers first got together in college. And over the past couple of decades, the Asheville, North Carolina-based quintet has built a solid reputation among bluegrass fans. The group has been regularly featured on the Grand Ole Opry and at music festivals such as MerleFest, Telluride, and RockyGrass — and many know them from their appearances as Steve Martin’s backing band. The band’s personnel on this broadcast: Woody Platt (guitar), Graham Sharp (banjo), Mike Guggino (mandolin), Charles R. Humphrey III (bass), and Nicky Sanders (fiddle).
Multi-instrumentalist Stuart Duncan took up fiddle at age seven. Since then, he has chalked up a career that includes two Grammys, a slew of Academy of Country Music Awards, and being named the International Bluegrass Music Association's Fiddle Player of the Year nine times. He was a founding member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band and is perennially one of Nashville's most sought-after session musicians, performing on thousands of recordings.
Arlo Guthrie is an American folksinger and songwriter perhaps best known for his humorous 18-minute talking song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” (1967). He is the son of renowned singer Woody Guthrie but forged a successful musical path of his own. Despite recent health challenges leading him to limit touring, Guthrie's legacy endures through his storytelling, humor, and commitment to social justice, making him a lasting figure in American folk music.
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Experience the charm of Lake Wobegon with Garrison Keillor’s 1984 monologues. This three-disc set offers over three hours of humor and heart.
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Garrison Keillor’s final Prairie Home Companion show in July of 2016 at the Hollywood Bowl was a magical evening. Over 18,000 people attended this duet extravaganza! Garrison recently posted what he called his swan song: a collaboration on the hymn “Only Remembered” with a group of heavenly singers, including Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, Christine DiGiallonardo, Heather Masse, and Aoife O’Donovan.
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