It's Thanksgiving here in the U.S., but instead of punishing everyone with that tired Adam Sandler Thanksgiving song, I thought it'd be more apprepriate for that Alro Gutherie classic, Alice's Restaurant Massacree.
Arlo Gutherie, the son of folk legend Woody Gutherie, is also an American folk singer-songwriter who is best known for this song which, in the "short" version, clocks in past 18 minutes. Several live versions stretched past the 22-minute mark.
The song is a rambling tale --based on a true story that hapened to Arlo in 1965--told over music with occasional breaks for chorus. It tells the tale of how he and some friends needed to haul some trash to the dump, only to realize that it's closed on Thanksgiving. They decide to dump anyway, get arrested, go to court... Well, I'll let you listen to the ending yourself!
It's not just a fun story, but also a humorus talking-blues satire on the Vietnam War draft and anti-hippie prejudice. Legend has it that when Guthrie had learnt that Richard Nixon was a fan of the song, he suggested that this explained the famous 16 and a half minute gap in the Watergate tapes.
Feast yourself on sound and story:
Arlo Gutherie - Alice's Restaurant Massacree.mp3
6 comments:
Hey, I was doing some Googling, and saw the post on this blog for a mix tape featuring Phish's cover of MMM Bop in the style of James Brown.
Alas, my beloved and old iPod has kicked the bucket, taking my sole copy of that mp3 with it. Is it possible for someone to email me that mp3? I will be eternally grateful... 22 times.
If you could reply and tell me how to proceed, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Kath
Sure, here's a link to download it!
http://www.sendspace.com/file/xxxs32
Thank you. I won't say "Thank you" 22 times, but... Take it to the bridge!
Hey girls,
Your site is still as good as ever.... Just a quick note as I changed the URL address of my own blog.... if you're interested to have a look. It now is :
http://parisiancowboy.blogspot.com
Love from Paris,
Dave
"Alice's Restaurant" was one of my favorite songs growing up - my dad and I would often talk about being stuck on the Group W bench.
I think this post secures your spot as my favorite blog - mind if we link to you over at our blog?
wouldbehipsterconfessions.blogspot.com
m.a.b.:
we're flattered and honored. please do, and we'll link to you as well. :)
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