"You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant/Walk right in it's around at the back/just a half a mile from the railroad track/You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant" (Arlo Guthrie "Alice's Restaurant" 1965-66)
In honour of the 40th anniversary of the writing of "Alice's Restaurant" Blogcritics.org is featuring the song and its creator, Arlo Guthrie, as our Featured Artist (and song) for the month of May. As the month progresses various writers from the site will be contributing articles on what the song has meant to them, reflections on the movie that the song inspired or just talk about Arlo in general.
We'll be adding the links to each post right here at "Alice Central" throughout the month, and updates will be announced on the front page as they happen. Feel free to chime in with your own reminiscences and thoughts in the comments section here or on the individual posts.
So come on in and pull up a chair or take a seat at the counter, while Blogcritics.org takes you on a tour of "Alice's Restaurant". Hope you enjoy the meal.
There's a certain kind of creative genius required to take the mundane and turn it into something interesting. To also make it endure across 40 years and two generations is testimony to either the uniqueness of the creation, or the individual behind it.
Perhaps it's all part and parcel of being a folk singer; you sing songs that resonate with people no matter when they were written. Either something in the content or the attitude of the material manages to continue to appeal to people long after the song may have been topical.
Whatever the reason, Arlo Guthrie's 18 minute song about a six month period of his life in the years 1965-66 has stood the test of time. What could be so interesting about someone getting arrested and going to trial for littering or even their initial inspection by the draft board? When it was turned into a long narrative, spoken over the same simple tune, he was forced to go on a special tour just to satisfy demands to hear it performed every ten years.
Article comments
1 - Barry Stoller
The Living Strings (easy listening orchestra) did a version of "Alice's Restaurant" back in the 60's - talk about culture jamming, eh.
2 - Jet in Columbus
Without looking it up, what floor was the Psychiatrist's office on?
What was the fine for picking up the trash?
What was Alice's dog's name
I used to think up stuff like this with my friends to pass the time.
3 - Scott Butki
I started watching the movie last nite and stopped to look up the Wikipedia entry for Arlo Guthrie and the movie and song.
Some interesting tidbits:
It's been reported that the whole part about him having to go to the draft office was fictionalized though Arlo - on the movie commentary I have yet to watch - says otherwise.
And it says there's a new version of the song he put out.
4 - Richard Marcus
Scott, you better read the interview, because he most clearly says that part two of the song was inspired by losing his defferment and having to go up to the draft board.
Richard
5 - Scott Butki
Did you read the Wikipedia report? I'm not sure if this is a case of a writer wanting fiction to
be reality or skeptics or what exactly?
6 - Scot Butki
It's possible of course that this report is wrong since Wikipedia is fallible but it does make me wonder.
It doesn't help that the movie has scenes that did't really take place.
Anyway from the Wikipedia report:
"The song, a bitingly satirical protest against the Vietnam War draft, is based on a true incident. In the song, Guthrie was called up for a draft examination, and rejected as unfit for military service as a result of a criminal record consisting in its entirety of a single arrest, court appearance, fine and clean-up order for littering. In reality, Guthrie, though a potential carrier of the genetically inherited disease Huntington's chorea, was classified as fit (1A), but, his draft-lottery number did not come up. However, on the commentary of the below-mentioned movie version, Guthrie states that this is totally false; asserting that the events as presented in the song are true to how they ocurred in real life and he was not declared unfit for any genetic disease."
7 - ScScott Butki
Of course it may not be important what is and isn't true but I'm still curious. I would not be surprised if the whole part about sitting with father rapers was made up or exaggerated but when he insists it is true that makes me more curious.
8 - Scott Butki
"Inspired" and "is accurate" are not the same.
I just realized that I spelled my name three different ways above. I think I need a copy editor for my own posts:)
9 - Scott Butki
The link to Mark's piece doesn't work.
10 - Connie Phillips
Thanks Scott,
It's working now.