Today, Arlo Guthrie is celebrating 50 years of Alice's Restaurant. This takes me back to 1969, summer, when I first heard a guy playing it while we sat under Eros Statue on the "Dilly" or Picadilly Circus... I listened to it and pretty well learned most of the story on the early rendition. It took me months to get the guitar riff acceptable - and it is only in later years that I am able to study the differences that Arlo brought by his ragtime style, rather than my more staid classical / folk approach.
I soon found the LP and studied and learned it line by line to correct the variations that I had found on the "dilly". I was surprised later to find a picture book being discarded from a local library which I bought for about 20 pence - which also gave me correct lines.. I am sure it is in a box in the warehouse - hidden - waiting for our future move to open sapces to be released..
It soon became a special party piece to be played late at night - after all it was 20 minutes long. Apparently the original was 18 minutes, I must have slowed down a bit ... but I would pause to allow the laughs ... Nag's Head Nights, the Sailing Club pub for Aberystwyth University - Wednesday evenings and the Boat House Party would be opportunities to cry "KILL!! KILL !!! KILL!!"
And years passed on and still the late evening would finish with a Song about Alice!
I saw Arlo live in Cardiff. We were all waiting avidly for the show to start and a bearded fellow - probably a roadie came on with a guitar and went up to the microphone.. We thought it was to be a sound test or something and waited for the "star" to get one stage.
Then from the back a figure popped out and yelled - "Welcome to the Stage - ARLO GUTHRIE"
I looked around the audience - Yes - average age 50 - we were all expecting the face of Arlo captured forever in the Film - not the heavily bearded - graying fellow at the microphone - but then he started singing and all our doubts were resolved... He added the wonderful line to his song "I've been singing this song for 25 years .. I am not tired". Also added to the main narrative was his interpretation of the redacted tapes in the White House for Nixon's departure... the blank tape that was exactly 18 minutes and 23 seconds long - the exact length of Alice's Restaurant...
Abe, his son, was on keyboards on that tour - as he has been for many years. I understand that his daughter is opening the anniversary concert with her own set ...
Well - if you want to end War and Stuff - you have to sing !!
Tonight - I raise my glass to Arlo Guthrie
50th Celebration link
More than one Friday the thirteenth this year - back in February I posted this link
Anything can go wrong on a Friday the thirteenth ...
so...
No comments:
Post a Comment