Arlo Guthrie is the son of the renowned US folk singer and socialist, Woody Guthrie. He is still going strong on the music circuit and Alice’s Restaurant is one of his most famous songs. It’s an anti-war song that deals with the immorality of the conflict in Vietnam. Alice’s Restaurant is not really a song but is more of a story or allegory set to music. It’s more than 16 minutes in length and Arlo hits it perfect every single time. His recollection for lyrics is amazing. Rebel Voice asks that you also watch his guitar playing throughout. It’s astounding to realize that he can play intricate finger picking sequences and chords whilst relating a considerable tale.
With our world heading for global conflict, it’s refreshing to see that people like Arlo Guthrie are still around to protest. Does he have a modern contemporary? So listen to this delight and enjoy Arlo’s witty account of failing the US Vietnam War draft. Perhaps we could all adopt the phrase, Alice’s Restaurant, as a way of saying we do not want war, but peace.
