New and Not Bad Pretty Good Jokes » (Original radio broadcast; 1 hour on 1 CD)

First with his performances on Minnesota Public Radio's Prairie Home Companion and later in his books, Garrison Keillor has become a symbol of the small-town Midwest -- its absurdities, its stoutness, and its warmth. His popular, funny stories set in Lake Wobegon manage to evoke nostalgia for a town that never existed.

All the pretty good jokes from "A Prairie Home Companion" Joke Shows 7 and 8, available separately for the first time.

"Jokes are good for your health," Garrison Keillor says. "They reduce stress, even jokes as old as 'Does this bus go to Duluth?' 'No, this bus goes beep beep.' Or the blind man who picked up a hammer and saw. They keep on pleasing us, year after year."

And year after year, "A Prairie Home Companion" annual Joke Shows keep on drawing huge audiences of radio listeners. They're among the most popular shows in the program's history-and they stay funny no matter how often you hear them. The puns and one-liners still make you groan. You still fall for the knock-knocks and the lightbulb jokes (how many does it take?). Somehow the bar jokes never grow old. And somehow the e-mail jokes already sound like classics.

This CD was originally part of the Plenty of Pretty Good Jokes collection, released in 2004. Now available separately, it features every morsel of hilarity from Joke Shows 7 (2/1/03) and 8 (4/17/04). Garrison's guests include Paula Poundstone. The jokes are audience-tested and certified Not Bad.

Radio Broadcast 1 hour on 1 CD