Alice's Restaurant

What is Alice's Restaurant?

Alice's Restaurant is both a song and an actual place. The song was inspired by the place, well more like the event that happened there. The song was written by Arlo Guthrie, which is where it all started. In 1964 Alice M. Brock, using the money that her mother gave her, bought a church in Barrington Massachusetts where her and her husband lived. Alice was a painter and a designer, while her husband, Ray, was a woodworker and architect. They both worked at a nearby academy from which Guthrie had graduated. Alice's Restaurant was located about six miles from the church. Alice only owned it for a year before her and her husband were divorced.

Is Alice's Restaurant a real or fictional place?

At one time Alice's Restaurant was a real place. It was located six miles from Alice Brock's home in 1965. Alice Brock had owned it for a year but now it is known as Theresa's Stockbridge Cafe.

Who is Alice?

Alice Brock was the woman who owned the restaurant that was pretty much the source and inspiration for Arlo Guthrie's song "Alice's Restaurant". It was her restaurant that Guthrie had gotten the trash from and where it all started for him. As of 2005, Alice lives in Provincetown, Massachusettes, and owns an art gallery and studio. She has also illustrated the book "Mooses Come Walking", which was written by Guthrie.

Who is Arlo Guthrie?

Arlo Guthrie is an American folk singer who, like his father , often sings songs that protest social injustice. His most famous piece was of course "Alice's Restaurant". Guthrie was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is the son of folk singer and composer Woody Guthrie. He graduated from the Stockbridge school of Massachusetts in 1965, which was where Alice and her husband worked, and attended Rocky Mountain College for a short period for a time. Guthrie carries on the legacy of his father as a singer, songwriter, and lifelong politics activist. He was also awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience award on September 26, 1992.

Why would he write a song about Alice's Restaurant?

I believe that he wrote the song to prove a point, that the things that went on were absurd. Like the fact that he was considered unfit to join the military and fight for his country for a little offense as littering, not because he had murdered someone but because he had littered.

What is the song about?

The song was about the many different things that had happened to Guthrie that had all started with helping out a friend. On November 25, 1965 a man named Arlo Guthrie and his friend were arrested by sheriff William Obenhein for illegally dumping garbage from Alice's restaurant in a dump that was closed for the holiday. Two days later they pleaded guilty and both were fined $50 dollars and told to pick up their trash. Guthrie later been called for draft examination because of his record of a single arrest for littering he was considered unfit to serve. After all this happened he was inspired to write the song "Alice's Restaurant Massacre" also known as Alice's Restaurant. The song is now usually played on Thanksgiving in the New York, Boston area. Other than that it is not played because of the fact that it is a little over 18 minutes long. Guthrie later revised the song to protest some policies during the Regan-era, but this version was never released. He later wrote a follow up after he learned that Nixon had actually owned a copy of the song and he jokingly suggested that this was the reason for the 18 minute gap in the Watergate tapes.

Why did Mr. Neuburger name the blog Alice's Restaurant?

I think that Mr. Neuburger named the blog Alice's Restaurant because of the song that was about an actual event that occurred. Also in the song they say that you can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant, Mr. Neuburger told us that we are gonna be doing many different things in the blog and therefore, you can get anything you want.