The stories and sketches of Happy to Be Here (1982) show a variety of techniques and influences. One of his main thematic concerns in this collection is the influence of various specialized forms of discourse on American thought. Parody is a dominant form in this collection which, in the manner of S. J. Perelman, reveals the absurdity in the "languages" of areas such as popular social science, advertising, and selfhelp. There are several stories in Happy to Be Here which have the Lake Wobegon flavor, seeming to be about the same people and certainly about nearby places.

"Don, The True Story of a Young Person" is about a member of an aspiring, rural, punk-rock band; he confronts a moral dilemma when his band achieves national recognition for adding an attack on a live chicken to their act. "Drowning 1954," about "Keillor's" childhood swimming lessons, could be transported into...