Who are the best storytellers?

i have to admit, i don't get keillor, i've tried to listen and it doesn't do it for me

sedaris is very funny

i'm a big fan of mclean

I think that's Keillor's bleak Lutheranism that's an acquired taste. Growing up in Puritan New England, I can get his self deprecating gist and direction.

i remember seeing him years ago on pbs and liking him (but only got to see him maybe once a year on pledge drives), but i've tried to listen to the podcasts over the last year or so and haven't got hooked, i'll keep trying every so often though

I didn't get Keillor for a long time, more that I didn't want to get him, something hokey homey annoyed me. Then one sunny day, listening to my car radio, I started to enjoy his show. I don't hear Sedaris, I read him, usually in the new yorker, and I'd never skip his writing. Don't know McLean, will check him out.

Who else? well, Richard Pryor.. but he's not current. I think of short story writers like William Trevor or Alice Munro, both probably acquired taste.

Keillor is a disaster on TV. Even on radio, he's an acquired taste but, personally, I like him a lot (most of the time). You have to be able to appreciate stream-of-consciousness to follow his spiel. Funny thing -- I don't like Keillor as a writer at all. If I'm reading one of his books, I have to very conciously imagine his voice reading it. Otherwise, the humor sails by me completely. It's all in the delivery and timing, I guess.

Stand up comedians worth their salt are natural talents in telling stories (above and beyond those singular one-liner hacks).

Part of the story telling power is to tell it with passion. Passion can be telegraphed verbally as well as choreographically. Richard Pryor was a very animated stand up! Good call ossobuco!

comedians - louis ck, lewis black, bill hicks

loved reading hunter s thompson, and got to see him live once

my radio god ron bennington is a pretty cool story teller

Interesting, I just picked up a copy of Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris) in a second hand bookshop. Now I'm wondering if he's best listened to, or read. Most likely a bit of both, yes?

you kinda hafta have some redneck in you, but Rodney Carrington can tell some gutbuster stories.

Matter of personal taste and preference, msolga. Personally, I prefer to read his material. He's quite clever and funny in a self-deprecating sort of way. It's probably a failing in me, not him, but I find his voice campy and slightly annoying.

Me too. What a crazy person! Wonderful.

Loved the Fear and Loathing ... books. (including Ralph Steadman's terrific drawings)

Tell me, what was he like in person? Anything like as in his books?

I loved the Fear and Loathing books too..

I've read and obsessively listened to him. Iced tea vs hot tea. It all depends on my mood I guess.

Ah. I'll tell you what I think after I've had a chance to have a listen & a read listen myself, Andrew. At this stage he's a totally unknown quantity.

Obsessively, tsar!
I trust your judgment, so it sounds like I'm in for a treat if you're such a fan!

I think I enjoyed reading his sister Amy too, but that's a faint recollection, probably only one story.

Yeah, they were wonderful, osso.

I'll never forget the last page of Fear and Loathing on The Campaign Trail:

Five more years ...
Five more years..
Five more years ..

`

yes, it was in the mid 80's in toronto he was on a book tour (can't remember which one), he spoke did readings and then a Q&A, very entertaining, i wasn't actually able to go, and was supposed to meet friends afterwards, the theatre he was in was on the danforth a bit of a walk from the subway at yonge and bloor, but it was a nice night and i decided to walk as i had time before the show was to end

while crossing the bridge over the don valley, still about 20 minutes or so from my destination it started to pour rain (the sky had been cloudy,but not threatening), when i finally arrived at my destination i was soaked, and found out that thompson had been late and the talk was still in progress

the nice lady at the ticket window told me to go in an find my friends, i walked down one aisle and was going to duck down and cross at the stage, as i did thompson, who was walking around and talking, came to the foot of the stage, looked at me, looked around as if puzzled and said "you're all wet", i replied that it was raining outside, he said"best place for it" and reached down to shake my hand, best way to get noticed by your friends is to crash a lecture and get to meet the host

got to see the last of the talk and hear the Q&A