# Are my sister and I the only people who remember "Alice's Restaurant"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2002, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337 "2002-12-04T02:32:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/21 "2002-12-04T04:22:54Z")
It isn’t a song, it’s a MOVEMENT! The Alice’s Resturant anti-masacree movement, and all you have to do to join, is sing it the next time it comes around on the guitar. Yeah, I remember it. Who’s surprised at that? ## Tris “We’re just waiting for it to come around, on the guitar.” ~ Arlo Guthrie ~ ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/22 "2002-12-04T04:32:48Z")
_And there, on the other side… in the middle of the other side… away from everything else on the other side… underlined… quotated… read the following words: “Kid…”_ Ha! I love that song. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/23 "2002-12-04T04:53:20Z")
exceptin’ Alice… been there, done that, got the tape… p.s. There really was an Alice’s Restaurant - it went belly up somewhere in the 80’s, IIRC. with shovels an’ rakes an’ implements of destruction… ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/24 "2002-12-04T05:33:02Z")
I played 3 different versions of this song for our thanksgiving. And the one thing that I kept wondering was “Did they ever find out who was responsible for the first pile of garbage that incident the whole incident in the first place?” ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/25 "2002-12-04T06:19:29Z")
Heh, I freaked out about halfway through Thanksgiving festivities about OMG, we haven’t listened to Alice’s Restaurant yet! Got some weird looks from my guests. I tried to explain, but they just shrugged. I playe it, but I don’t think they listened :smack: \*“Obie, I can understand you wantin’ my wallet so I don’t have any money to spend in the cell, but what do you need my belt for?” “Obie said ‘Kid, we don’t want any hangings.’” “Obie, did you think I was gonna’ hang myself for litterin?”\* ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/26 "2002-12-04T06:23:38Z")
“I told him the story of the Alice’s Restaurant Massacree with five-part harmony and full orchestration…” I downloaded the song just the other day. What an awesome tune that is. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ankh\_Too](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Ankh\_Too](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ankh_Too)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/27 "2002-12-04T06:33:42Z")
_I went down to get my physical examination one day, and I walked in and sat down. Got good and drunk the night before so I looked and felt my best when I went in that morning."_ One more tradition observed. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/28 "2002-12-04T06:50:30Z")
Yikes! I see we’re **not** the only ones! ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/29 "2002-12-04T08:05:26Z")
I haven’t heard it in years, but it’s a lot of fun to play on the guitar. I saw the movie about twelve years ago too, but it either totally sucked or went over my head somehow. (Of course, I was about 19, so I probably just missed the point; I used to do that a lot. Still do, for that matter.) \*I meeeean… I MEEEEEANNNN… I mean I’m sittin’ here, on the bench. I’m sittin’ here, on the Group W bench…"\* And hey, there’s a team at the weekly trivia deal I attend called “Group W.” Never ocurred to me until now what they were referring to. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/30 "2002-12-04T08:19:19Z")
I saw Arlo in concert. (Strange, I was literally the only one under 50 at the show). ---
**Author:** ![okielady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/fbc32d/32.png) [@okielady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/okielady)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/31 "2002-12-04T13:32:10Z")
Yes, I definitely remember this song. I remember that my dad loved it when I was a kid. Now I’m grown and married and my husband loves it. (No wonder he gets along so well with my dad, they’re exactly alike…) He has the CD and we recently listened to the song. Plus, KRXO in Oklahoma City also plays it every Thanksgiving at noon. I’ve never seen the movie, but I’d like to. And it’s on my list of songs to learn on the guitar, as soon as I decide to pick it back up and start playing again. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TelcontarStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@TelcontarStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TelcontarStorm)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/32 "2002-12-04T13:39:49Z")
"You can get anything you want at Alice’s Resturant (excepting Alice) FM 104 used to play it on the big day, but I didn’t hear it this year. Thanks for the thread, it is as funny as listening to the tune itself. ---
**Author:** ![S\_Puppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@S\_Puppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/S_Puppy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/33 "2002-12-04T13:57:21Z")
I must be thick, I never associated it with the holiday. Now I have to go dust off my old LP. ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/34 "2002-12-04T14:16:42Z")
Yes, it’s definitely a tradition. In SF, KFOG has been playing it every Thanksgiving for years. Further south, KPIG plays both versions on Thanksgiving. I haven’t seen the movie since it came out. I might have to track it down to show my kids. That song sure brings back memories of reporting for your draft physical. He really nailed that experience. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/35 "2002-12-04T14:22:33Z")
My name is Alice. My dad would play the song for Thanksgiving and my birthday. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/36 "2002-12-04T14:38:14Z")
Yep, heard the Expanded Version live – Lyric Theatre, Baltimore, MD, 20th Anniversary Tour. I also keep a tape I pop in on TG day. _I mean, I wanted to be the All American Kid from New York City… … so I was hung down, run down, hung up and all sort of mean, nasty, ugly things._ ---
**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/37 "2002-12-04T14:45:04Z")
Oooh, I missed it this Thanksgiving. I’ll have to search for a download! Or maybe get a whole Arlo CD… \*I don’t want to eat a pickle[/]… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/38 "2002-12-04T14:52:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by happyheathen \* > p.s. There really was an Alice’s Restaurant - it went belly up somewhere in the 80’s, IIRC. “Alice’s restaurant isn’t the name of the restaurant, it’s the name of the song. That’s why I call the song, ‘Alice’s Restaurant’.” 😉 I pull out the old 12" vinyl disc and play it every year at Thanksgiving. My wife always rolls her eyes. But the tradition must be observed. I first heard the song on the radio, shortly after it first came out, and loved it. Saw the movie when _it_ first came out, too. I remember its being pretty good. And I’ve seen Arlo perform the song in concert, and tell the Nixon story. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/39 "2002-12-04T16:17:30Z")
off the side of the side road was another half a ton of garbage and we thought that one big pile was better then two little ones and rather then bring that one up we decided to throw ours down. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337/40 "2002-12-04T17:22:25Z")
Now friends, there was only one or two things that Obie coulda done at the police station, and the first was he could have given us a medal for being so brave and honest on the telephone, which wasn’t very likely, and we didn’t expect it, and the other thing was he could have bawled us out and told us never to be see driving garbage around the vicinity again, which is what we expected, but when we got to the police officer’s station there was a third possibility that we hadn’t even counted upon, and we was both immediately arrested. Ah, thanks for jogging a pleasant memory! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-sister-and-i-the-only-people-who-remember-alices-restaurant/140337.md?page=3)