I was only four years old when Mr. Guthrie started writing that song, and was probably five by the time he had polished it off. I might have been seven or eight when the movie Alice's Restaurant was released, but by the time I was seventeen I had memorized the entire 181/2 minutes (save for the speech by the sergeant to the guys on the bench in group "W") and was performing it whenever anybody was stupid enough to ask me to.
The war in Vietnam had been over for two or three years by than. I lived in Canada, which hadn't even been involved in the conflict, and so it shouldn't have had any relevance to us at all. Okay it was funny, and there were some great lines in it which were just fun to say: "24 8X10 colour, glossy photos with circles and arrows on the front and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining how each one was to be used as evidence against us" said all in one breath sounds really silly.
But songs like "You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd" were funny too, and they don't seem to be quite as in demand today as "Alice's Restaurant". Other songs from the era about the draft, like "Draft Dodger Rag" by Phil Ochs haven't endured, so why do people still want to hear Arlo Guthrie talking about "jumping up and down yelling Kill, Kill, Kill, and the sergeant came over and pinned a medal on me and said 'Boy, you're our kind'"?
Well one good reason is that it's a damn good story, and a good story will stay good no matter if it's topical or not. It has suspense; will Arlo have to go to jail? It has pathos; who doesn't feel sorry for Officer Obie when all his great evidence turns out to be for naught because the Judge turns out to blind? It has moments of great ridiculousness; see above "Kill, Kill, Kill" sequence, and of course it has social commentary: "you want to know if I'm moral enough to go over and kill women and children after being arrested for littering?".
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.