APHC is a variety show, with music (mostly from the folk/country part of the spectrum), sketches (often on behalf of some "sponsor"), messages from the audience and, at its heart, Mr Keillor's monologue about "The News from Lake Wobegon".
Garrison Keillor (GK) is well known in Scotland for everything except his work on APHC. He made his first splash in the UK when he read Lake Wobegon Days on "Book at Bedtime" on Radio 4. However, the Campaign can exclusively reveal that GK's first appearance in Britain was on Terry Wogan's BBC1 chat show -- El Tel raved about him and GK read a monologue: it was about lying in bed late at night thinking that aliens had landed. (OK, maybe we shouldn't have said anything...)
GK was at the 1993 Edinburgh Fringe, with the rest of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet. He appeared at the 1995 Edinburgh Book Festival, flogging "Cat, You'd Better Come Home". He has Glasgow connections on his mother's side.
The Extremely Shy Campaign itself is just a modest "consciousness-raising" enterprise. We don't write for you, we don't go on TV talk shows, we don't do press conferences. While "Powdermilk Biscuits give shy persons the strength to get up and do what needs to be done", the well-fired Scottish scone just doesn't have the same salutory effect.
Regrettably, we don't yet know who should receive the letters! Stay tuned.
Depending on how things go, we might ask you to write again.
To get the numbers up, you need to get your APHC-inclined pals to join in the fun. Remember, all you're asking for is: a one-paragraph letter, an envelope and a stamp. If they protest, do the envelope and lick the stamp for them.
Please don't wheedle, cajole, yell at, or in any way hassle your friends about joining the Campaign; merely point out what's good for them, in firm tones. That's the way you were brought up, after all, and we don't want your Mother upset with us for promoting uncivilised behaviour.
The Extremely Shy Campaign would be entirely happy to have APHC appear on our airwaves on some station other than Radio Scotland. But we are sticking to what we know: that APHC would be very popular with Radio Scotland's listeners, and that it would be a great coup for the station.
If APHC is a great success on Radio Scotland, then it will be easy to make the case for providing it to more listeners (e.g., on Radio 4).
Any information that you send us, e.g., your e-mail address, will be used solely for getting APHC on Radio Scotland; e.g., we might write to you with news of any developments.
Mr Darren McKinnon, Grand Oya Extremely Shy Campaign for APHC on Radio Scotland 9 Caledonian Road EDINBURGH EH11 2DA
An e-mail address is available on request.
We look forward to hearing from you. And thank you for your support!
Web page person: Will Partain, partain@dcs.gla.ac.uk; 1998-03-07.