The Friday Morning Listen: Arlo Guthrie
Published May 26, 2006
Cousin Mickey. He was a vibrant and outgoing guy. I didn't know him that well but it was obvious that he'd changed from his tour in Vietnam. The sparkle was gone, replaced by a cool, quiet detachment. He showed us some slides. One in particular stood out. We all looked at it and said "Uhm...what is it?" Turns out it was a dead enemy soldier. Curious. It just looked like some discolored underbrush. Funny what a mortar shell can do to a human body. I again hoped for an end to the war before it was "my turn."
Registration. I turned eighteen and had to register with the Selective Service. That, or risk losing all of my financial support for college. Was there a threat of jail time? Can't remember. I do recall being pretty upset about being forced to participate in something that every fiber of my being strained against. I no longer know if this is reality or fantasy, but I could just swear that I wrote "This fucking sucks" on the back of the registration card.
Gene & his Dad. Gene is my friend. Everybody has one who could and would spontaneously bust into any and all parts of Alice's Restaurant. Singing parts or not, Gene seemed to have internalized it all. This would really crack up Bill, Gene's dad, especially when the Group W Bench showed up. When I hear that part of the song I'm transported back to Bangor, Maine with Gene's dad and that belly full of laughter.
Everything Else. OK, it's not just a protest song. Sure, there's the war and draft bits. But there's also friendship, small town life, the absurdity of bureaucracy, Thanksgiving, and one incredibly catchy melody. Every bit as catchy as the message and the memories that go with it.
Mark Saleski is a writer and music obsessive based out of the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. On his best day, he hopes to channel the ghosts of Lester Bangs and Jack Kerouac. He spends the hours of 9:32PM to 1:37AM carving out music reviews and essays for Jazz.com, Blogcritics.org and other publications.
- The Friday Morning Listen: Arlo Guthrie
- Published: May 26, 2006
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Folk, Culture: Personal History, Culture: Holidays and Traditions, Culture: Family and Relationships
- Part of a feature: Friday Morning Listen
- Writer: Mark Saleski
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You know, the rest of this album wasn't bad either. I really like "Chilling Of The Evening". It's just a nicely arranged tune.
I've seen Arlo in concert twice (with Pete Seeger, before Pete retired). It was always a fun evening.
Mark, are you any relation to Don "Big Bird" Saleski, the former hockey player from the Philadelphia Flyers back when they actually won Stanley Cups? Just wondering.
Thank you Mark, that was a wonderful summing up of the song and what it meant to someone of the appropriate generation. Did that come out sounding wrong I hope not, I meant it as a compliment.
Seeing that I was on the other side of the border, and a few years young for any chance of participation in that particular conflict, the particulars didn't mean as much to me. So its good to hear from someone whose life runs parallel to the song.
J.P. Spencer, thank you for reminding me about "Chilling in the evening" that is such a great song, and its funny because he plays it on the Live In Sydney album, and I think he played it when he was in Kingston, but I had completly forgotten it's connection to Alice's Restaurant.
Richard
no jp, no relation. heck, i grew up in new england and never even learned how to skate!
my only 'famous' relation is stanley e. saleski, an uncle who is in the polka hall of fame (he was a polka dj).
The first time I heard Alice's Restaurant, I was probably about four. My family was driving to Thanksgiving dinner about an hour away, and my Dad had it cranked on the radio and was laughing his ass off. I didn't understand why it was funny (and actually thought my dad had lost his mind), but now that I'm 21 and finally downloaded it again, I can see my father wasn't crazy.
Well. He was. But not because of the song.
Great stuff Sir Saleski! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
"littering..."
"veins in my teeth"
"you're our kind of boy!"
Good job Mark. I remember in 1967 (?) as a 10 year old I had to special order the record because the disc was flying off the shelves everywhere.
All I can say is "I wanna KILL, KILL, KILL..."
hhhmmm...maybe I should go to the b-side because "I don't want no pickle, just wanna ride on my motorcicle...cuz I don't want to die, just wanna ride on my motorcy...."
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Welcome Back Sir Mark : )
Excellent FML too - love that song.