# Is Alice's Restaurant a tradition for your Thanksgiving? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 24, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983 "2011-11-24T17:06:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/21 "2011-11-24T20:17:30Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I voted that I have never heard it, but I don’t know what the stuff about killing has to do with it… I have no emotional feelings about it one way or the other. I’ve heard of it, but don’t even know who did it. You’re not a child of the 60’s, I take it. :eek: For those of us who are, it’s an anti-war anthem of the irony genre, embedded in our psyche. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/22 "2011-11-24T20:20:37Z")
Just finished hearing it on the west coast! It actually plays at two stations here in the Seattle area; a classic rock and a triple-A statiton, both at noon. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/23 "2011-11-24T20:44:42Z")
Not today, but I’ve listened to it on Thanksgiving a couple times before. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/24 "2011-11-24T20:56:38Z")
KSHE-95 in St Louis has played Alice’s Restaurant at noon on Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. Great song, but this is the only time I listen to it anymore. They also play Adam Sandler’s Thanksgiving song afterwards- could probably stop that tradition, though. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/25 "2011-11-24T21:20:27Z")
I’ll vote after I listen to it later. 🙂 Will ahve to play that for my dad over the phone; I’d almost forgotten that he used to play that on his guitar at Thanksgiving, lol. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/26 "2011-11-24T22:37:06Z")
Driving to Grandma’s house, we almost always hear it. My wife forbids me to sing along - or talk along, as the case may be. I could quote almost every line, with perfect timing and intonation. It’s an epic masterpiece. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/27 "2011-11-24T22:55:56Z")
No, I’ve got eleventy billion channels on XM plus my normal terrestrial radio and couldn’t find it during the 25 minute drive from my house to my parents. Normally I at least catch part of it. I did notice a lot of stations playing Michael Jackson songs though. Coincidence, or was there a reason for that? ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/28 "2011-11-24T23:04:27Z")
We didn’t listen to the WHOLE song, as we reached our destination shortly after noon, but we changed the station to catch it. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/29 "2011-11-24T23:32:51Z")
Kid, I found this thread at the bottom of a half ton of garbage. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/30 "2011-11-24T23:33:08Z")
I am listening right now. Thanks for the reminder! ---
**Author:** ![MareIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@MareIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MareIt)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/31 "2011-11-24T23:43:35Z")
Last year I downloaded it from Itunes so that I would no longer have to be in my car at the right moment in order to hear it. BTW, I am in my mid-30’s so the song is technically before my time, but it has definitely been part of my Thanksgiving since around the time I was in HS. ~You can get anything you want at Alice’s restaurant ~~~~ ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/32 "2011-11-24T23:45:22Z")
I merged the two Alice’s Restaurant threads. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/33 "2011-11-25T00:21:57Z")
> [@MareIt](#): > > Last year I downloaded it from Itunes so that I would no longer have to be in my car at the right moment in order to hear it. > > BTW, I am in my mid-30’s so the song is technically before my time, but it has definitely been part of my Thanksgiving since around the time I was in HS. > ~You can get anything you want at Alice’s restaurant ~~~~ I’m 31 and saw Arlo in concert. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/34 "2011-11-25T00:47:05Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > Despite not growing up with it (I never heard the song until I was in college) I now try to find it every year. This year I watched the YouTube version, illustrated in MSPaint. How about you? Link? MSPaint version should be awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/35 "2011-11-25T01:12:41Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > Link? MSPaint version should be awesome. Try this, [Part One](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmyXTOHC3w8) [Part Two](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA83Xsj4WHM&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/36 "2011-11-25T01:40:10Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’m 31 and saw Arlo in concert. I saw him several years ago playing at my local community college auditorium. Best show I’ve ever seen. I was about thirty feet away from Arlo during the entire performance. He hung out in the lobby after the show mingling with the fans and signing autographs, but unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/37 "2011-11-25T01:50:28Z")
My clock radio went off this morning just as Obie was slippin’ on the handcuffs. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/38 "2011-11-25T02:37:45Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > You’re not a child of the 60’s, I take it. :eek: For those of us who are, it’s an anti-war anthem of the irony genre, embedded in our psyche. Nope, born 1972. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/39 "2011-11-25T02:44:10Z")
I listen to the song whenever it pops up, unless I’m not in the mood for an eighteen minute song, and press “skip”. It’s not a Thanksgiving song for me; it’s just a song. I’ve met Guthrie, if meeting means that he shopped at the Paysaver in Pittsfield where I worked. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983/40 "2011-11-25T02:57:24Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I voted that I have never heard it, but I don’t know what the stuff about killing has to do with it… I have no emotional feelings about it one way or the other. I’ve heard of it, but don’t even know who did it. What do you need, twenty-seven eight-by-ten color glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one is? 😃 I was listening to it on my way to the dump. Who expects a dump to be closed on Thanksgiving? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alices-restaurant-a-tradition-for-your-thanksgiving/603983.md?page=3)