Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Talk station seven thirty two if you have KCD talk station,
Happy Thursday slash Friday Eve Empower You Seminar tonight, which
is typical Tuesdays and Thursdays. Although it was the g
Van Fleef Power You Seminar last night. I hope you
were able to attend that virtually Tonight's seminar. You can
attend either live at three hundred Great Oaks Drive or
online by logging in at empower Youoamerica dot org. Just
(00:20):
make sure you register in either case to see on
the one sixty second anniversary of Gettysburg Dress Abraham Lincoln
in person live for the Empower You Seminar. Welcome to
the program, Abraham Lincoln aka Larry Elliott. It's great to
have you on today, Larry Abraham.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yes, yes, it's great to be on here today, sir.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yes, Howdy, Joe, how are you doing?
Speaker 1 (00:45):
I'm Brian, Joe's the producer anyway, that's all right. So
you've been portraying Abraham Lincoln for what I understand is
twenty two years. You actually embraced the carrier. It's like
method acting. You are the embodiment of Abraham Lincoln when
you're doing these presentations. I understand you do this at
a lot of schools and other events. How did you
(01:05):
get involved with this Abraham Lincoln impersonation? What drove you
to that?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Larry, Well, the long and short of it, as Abe
would say, I'm actually from Hodgenville, Kentucky, where Lincoln was born.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
I've been there, Yes, the birthplace.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Yes, we went on a motorcycle my uncle and I
went on a motorcycle trip. That was really cool. That
the cabin inside that monument, that that was amazing. That
place was tiny, that cabin that he was born in.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes, imagine living in that one room, dirt floor log cabin.
Four folks, I'm all Paul's sister, and only room enough
for one bed. That would always be given a course
to my mama. But in answer to your question, about
twenty two years ago, I had a full beard and
my wife said, why don't you enter the lookalike contests,
(01:55):
which is always the first Saturday in October, and dress
up like Abraham Lincoln and you're you know, you're kind
of homely like him, and she's she's actually true. I mean,
if God do you have the homely look?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I have?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
The gate is Abraham Lincoln and I entered the contest
and I did terrible, and one of the Lincolns that
was in the contest said.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Would you want to join us?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Join us what's called the Abraham Lincoln Association presenters about
two hundred and fifty at the time.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
And I began to look, and I looked up.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
You know, well, what's it like to be an Abraham
Lincoln impersonator? We call ourselves presenters because we leave the
word impersonator for Elvis Presley. And so I started going
into schools. The schools love it. When I go to
about one hundred schools a year and I dress up,
of course as Abraham Lincoln, the.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Kids love it.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
And I've been to fifteen hundred schools over the last
twenty two years and get ready to go to about
one hundred more here in February, March, and April. And
my link, Brian to Lincoln is this. Now Many people
ask me, Oh, you're from Hodgenville. You must be ken
to Abraham Lincoln. I said, no, I'm not. But my
(03:15):
link to Lincoln is this my personal Larry Ellie, it's personal.
Great great great grandmother Mary Brooks LaRue was the midwife
who delivered Abraham Lincoln. February twelfth, eighteen oh nine.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
How about that that's amazing. Well, the birthplace, your stature,
of course that connection. Plus your wife is named Mary
as well, so a lot of great reasons to be
Abraham Lincoln. To characterize Abraham Lincoln. What you're going to
be doing tonight beginning at seven pm at the empower
Youse some on our studious three hundred Great Oaks Tribe.
I'm Benn Postise. I want to bring you back Ausse.
(03:50):
I ask you a few questions about Abraham Lincoln's life,
and I understand that you offer insights into a lot
of interesting information about Abraham Lincoln that most of us
don't know about. So let's let's bring Larry Elliot aka
Abraham Lincoln back after these brief words beginning with Zimmer
heating and air condition the best in the business. They've
been keep an area home safe, efficient and comfortable. The
talk station seventh thirty nine, iif you above Kerseity talk station,
(04:13):
Brian Thomas here talking with Larry Elliot aka Abraham Lincoln.
He's been sort of serving as the embodiment at Abraham Lincoln,
doing presentations at groups and for obviously schools. More than
fifteen hundred schools have enjoyed his presentation about the life
of Abraham Lincoln. You can do a Q and A
and ask Abraham Lincoln questions because apparently Larry knows everything.
There is no about Abe real quick here, Larry. It's
(04:34):
one thing to look like Abe Lincoln, which you do.
Apparently it's six foot four year slim. You describe yourself
as homely. Let people draw their own subjective conclusions about
that born in Abraham Lincoln's hometown. It's one thing to
look like him, maybe talk like him, but it's another
thing to know all about him. How did you acquire
all of this wealth of insight into the man who
(04:55):
was Abraham Lincoln?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Larry well the long and short of it, and is
reading books. There are currently seventeen thousand books on Abraham
Lincoln or about Abraham Lincoln, more books written on that
man than any other person in the world other than
(05:16):
Jesus Christ. So it takes a long time to perfect
a portrayal of the Lincoln of Abraham Lincoln, and so
real a real quick story that's funny to hear. Is
the first time I did a portrayal in the school
I asked my friend to evaluate me, and afterwards we
(05:39):
went to lunch. He's my best friend, and I said,
what'd you think, Mike? And he didn't say anything, and
I said, well, Mike, what'd you think? And he said, well,
don't quit your day job.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, that's what he does. That's what I said. Okay,
I guess you love me.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
And he said it was bad, and so he's a
very good critic. So I took some acting lessons and
I thought, you know, I'm going to portray this man.
I'm gonna have the same date as him, try to
have the same voice inflection as him, even though we
don't know totally what that was. It was kind of
a hish, real voice, but just bringing history to the
(06:19):
country because all these kids and most of these folks
love Abraham Lincoln, but they really don't know much about him.
So over the years, I have just crafted a portrayal,
a presentation, and it's a lot of it's different depending
on the audience where I am. So tonight's audience will
(06:42):
be a little bit different because.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I'm gonna be on for an hour.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Some places I go to, you know, they only want
me on for twenty or thirty minutes and so, but
I can talk for five hours. You've given that much
time because there's so much to talk about in so
little time. So long and short answer to your question
is just reading book, reading reading books and reading books
and crafting my own way of elocuting what Abraham Lincoln
(07:12):
would say. Everything I will say tonight is authentically accurate.
And I hope I'm questioned on anything because I think
I'll have the answer, but I might not.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
So long and short of it, that's answer your question.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Well, that's amazing and fun fact I learned today that
many books are written about Abraham Lincoln. I guess I
shouldn't be surprised about that. This, I would hope, and
I'm encouraging. This kind of goes with that saying, since
you quite often do this presentation for school children and
younger people, that maybe get them around to tell or
the screen tonight or over to the seminar of the classroom,
(07:47):
because they're certainly going to enjoy this, but adults will
presumably be there as well. I guess I want to
offer a question to you because you do have insights
that are not well known. We know about the Gettysburger address,
We know about the Civil War, we know about his
connection with ending slavery. A lot of the fun facts
that we're all now. But what pull out randomly some
interesting things that you find fascinating about Abraham Lincoln the
(08:08):
most people aren't even aware of.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Well, Abraham Lincoln was thought of as an abolitionist, and
that's the last thing he was.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Now.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
He was against slavery. He was taught in Kentucky. If
slavery isn't wrong, nothing is wrong. He saw slaves going
down to Louisville Nashville road, dirt road in eighteen or
eighteen fifteen as a six.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Year old boy. He knew it was wrong.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
His father was a member of the very conservative anti
slavery church, and his father moved to Indiana partly on
account of slavery because Indiana was opening up as a free.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
State in eighteen sixteen.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
And so Lincoln from his early years just knew slavery
was wrong. He began to put too and two together
that you know the Decoration of Independence that a all
men are created equal? What's with the founding fathers allowing
slavery in the greatest document, the Constitution the world has
(09:15):
ever known. But what many folks don't know. Brian is
the founding fathers. Fifty two of the fifty six where
Judeo Christian Christians, and they many of them had slaves.
They had inherited slavery, and we had just won the
American Revolutionary War and it was time to do away
(09:37):
with slavery. But they couldn't because the South would not compromise.
For they said, if we have to have if you
we have to do away with our slaves here now
after the American Revolutionary War, well, we're not going to
join these northern states that had all but eboli slavery.
So as the war began, most folks thought that Abraham
(10:01):
Lincoln would let the South go, but he said right
after the first shot was fired, this nation is worth
fighting for. To secure such an inestimable jewel. A portion
of the people cannot destroy what the whole people created.
I must save this government. So what the bigger picture
(10:22):
that folks need to know is that Abraham Lincoln had
let them go, let the eleven states go that seceded,
we would probably be an entirely different looking country today. Yeah,
and so that'll be a good part of my program tonight,
to let the people know just you know, Abraham Lincoln
(10:43):
Brian single handedly saved our nation. And if you come tonight,
I'm going to give you a DVD of the Daniel
da Lewis video twelve years ago portraying Lincoln getting the
Emancipation Proclamation passed as the thirteenth Ammendment January thirty first,
eighteen sixty five.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Well, that's wonderful. It's an extra centive for people to
show up at three hundred Great Oaks Drive tonight at
seven pm to hear you speak.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Yes, three do you ever give a d.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
It's not a question I would think a young person
would ask, but I imagine adult might ask because I've heard
this many times over the years. Yes, I agree with
everything you said. That our country would not be the
way it is now but for Abraham Lincoln. And is
you know, demanding that the Union remain intact. But what
of the question of the foundation of our country and
the declaration of independence? We have a right to self
determination if the government is not honoring our wishes and
(11:32):
serving our interest, that we have a right to break free.
Isn't that the argument that many advance on behalf of
the South? Listen, you had no right to force them
to stay or go to war with them overstaying they
wanted to leave.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Well, indeed, you know, the South said it had nothing to.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Do with slavery, which is absolutely wrong, right, It had
everything to do with what the Founding Father's vision was.
Lincoln was ahead of his time in a sense, you know,
the Founding fathers. You know, Lincoln said this that no
state can leave the Union without the consensus of the others.
(12:09):
We must stay together to preserve this wonderful constitution, a
declaration of the people, by the people and for the people.
What we must realize is in eighteen sixty the world
was still about kings and tyrants and dictators, and the
world wanted us to fail.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
They wanted this new government to fail.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
And Lincoln said, no, this Union is the world's best
hope for democracy. I must save this government. So he
single handedly he could have let them go, and you know,
there would have been peace. And in the middle of
the war, many folks said, how many more soldiers Americans
(12:55):
killing Americans? Mister President, you call yourself and commander in chief.
No soldiers have to die in order before you will
let them go. And he said, as many as it
takes to preserve the Union.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Wow. Well, this is going to be absolutely fascinating, the
portrayal of Abraham Lincoln on My guest today, Larry Elliott,
Tonight seven pm. Empower Youeamerica dot Org. I recommend you
show up. It's going to be wonderful to see and
live at three hundred Great Oaks Drive, but online if
you can't make it in person. But if you do
show up, you got that DVD waiting for you. Thank you,
Larry for doing that. I appreciate what you're doing all
(13:28):
the time with this presentation, giving people an eye full
of history and putting some context in this very complicated
man who was Abraham Lincoln President during extremely complicated times.
Thanks again, Larry. I wish you all the luck in
the world. I don't think you need it, but enjoy
the presentation tonight. I hope it's well attended.