Alice Brock, Who Helped Inspire Arlo Guthrie’s Classic Song “Alice’s Restaurant,” Dies at 83

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As a gamer with a deep appreciation for music and history, I find myself reminiscing about the life of Alice Brock, whose impact on popular culture was nothing short of extraordinary. Born in New York City but finding her true calling in Massachusetts, Alice’s journey mirrors that of many characters in my favorite games – the rebels, the dreamers, the trailblazers.

83-year-old Alice Brock, who ran a restaurant in Massachusetts that influenced the creation of Arlo Guthrie’s humorous Thanksgiving song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” has passed away.

Last Friday, it was shared on Guthrie’s Rising Son Records Facebook page that she had passed away a week before Thanksgiving. This sad news came as she resided in Provincetown, Massachusetts for around 40 years. In his post, Guthrie mentioned her health had been deteriorating, but further information was not immediately disclosed at the time.

Guthrie penned that this upcoming Thanksgiving marks the first one without her. A fortnight prior, Alice and he shared a phone conversation, and she seemed like her usual self. We exchanged light-hearted banter and had a couple of hearty laughs, despite knowing it would be our last chat together.

Originally named Alice May Pelkey, born in New York City, Brock was a lifelong nonconformist. She was affiliated with various groups such as Students for a Democratic Society. During the 1960s, she abandoned her education at Sarah Lawrence College, relocated to Greenwich Village, and wed Ray Brock, a craftsman who inspired her to depart New York and establish residence in Massachusetts.

Back in ’62, I, a budding gamer (or future folk songwriter, if you will), crossed paths with Brock at the Stockbridge School in Massachusetts. She was the librarian, and I was just one of her many patrons, unaware of the friendship that was about to blossom. After I graduated, our bond continued through visits to their converted church home, where they resided.

1965 saw an ordinary chore on Thanksgiving Day leading to an arrest for Guthrie, which eventually enabled him to dodge military service during the Vietnam War, and the creation of an enduring protest song and holiday favorite. While assisting the Brocks with disposal of trash, Guthrie and his friend Richard Robbins resorted to discarding it down a slope when they couldn’t find an open dumpster. They were subsequently charged for illegal dumping, spent brief periods in jail, and paid a $50 fine, which seemed minor at the time but had significant long-term consequences.

By 1966, Brock was managing The Back Room restaurant in Stockbridge, while Guthrie was on his way up and his hit song was an 18-minute blues ballad about his arrest, which made him exempt from the draft. The chorus of this song, a tribute to Alice, whose eatery Guthrie clarified was not named Alice’s Restaurant, has become a well-known line for many fans: “You can find anything you need at Alice’s Restaurant / You can find anything you need at Alice’s Restaurant / It’s located around the back / Only half a mile from the railroad track / You can find anything you need at Alice’s Restaurant.

Initially, Guthrie believed his song was too lengthy for commercial success, but it eventually turned into a timeless radio hit and a staple of popular culture. His first million-selling album was titled “Alice’s Restaurant“. This title also inspired a movie and cookbook of the same name. Later on, Brock wrote his memoir, “My Life as a Restaurant“, and collaborated with Guthrie on a children’s book called “Mooses Come Walking“. At the time of her passing, they were planning an exhibit in her honor at the Guthrie Center, her former residence in Stockton, which offers free Thanksgiving dinners.

Brock managed three distinct eateries throughout different stages of her life, yet she openly admitted that initially, she wasn’t particularly passionate about cooking or running a business. She also attributed the breakdown of her marriage to her demanding profession, while vehemently denying allegations of infidelity towards her husband. Her integrity was celebrated by Guthrie who famously sang in “Alice’s Restaurant”: “You can get anything you want,” at Alice’s Restaurant, “excepting Alice.

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2024-11-25 04:24