Product Description
An entire generation fondly remembers Arlo Guthrie's song“Alice's Restaurant” and director Arthur Penn's film of the samename. In the song's mixture of whimsy and anger, moral outrage andabsurdist humor, disaffected and disillusioned young people recognizedthemselves and their own responses to American life -- Arlo was theircollective voice and the church-home of Alice was the setting.

Arlo, Alice, & Anglicans: The Lives of a New England Church is thefirst book to recount the story of the simple wooden structure thatwent on to Woodstock-era fame after its deconsecration and what thatbuilding meant to the communities it served. On the surface, it mayseem that an Episcopalian congregation from turn of the century NewEngland has little in common with the rebellious youths in the movieAlice's Restaurant. Yet there is much they share. Each group had itsdream of the future, a dream that, for a time, drew people to thissame sacred place. Then, all too suddenly, times changed; thecommunities disbanded; the building remained an empty shell for a newcommunity to give it a new life.

There are few churches that have so many distinct and fascinatingrebirths. Assisted by first-hand accounts from Arlo, Alice, directorArthur Penn, friends, neighbors and former church members, Laura Leerelates the real and poignant story of the church where it allhappened and in so doing reveals the complete story behind the songand film "Alice's Restaurant." The book offers Arlo's fans an intimateglimpse of his life and work today, both musically and with thenon-profit organization and interfaith spiritual center that are nowhoused in the famous church that he "had to buy." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Entertaining but Flawed
This book has nice pictures of Arlo, Alice, and the church, but it unfortunately also has some serious flaws.Lee makes a few odd claims about Arlo Guthrie, the strangest being that his draft status was really 1-A.According to Lee, "The truth is he was not disqualified for the draft at all.His number simply never came up." (p. 102)I'd like to see Lee's source for this, but since she didn't footnote anything I have no idea where she got this information.Arlo Guthrie, in his commentary to the 35th Anniversary DVD of Alice's Restaurant, says that Lee is wrong: the army called him back several times and ultimately told him they didn't want him.Given Guthrie's denial, Lee's lack of evidence, and the general behavior of the US military in 1966 towards anyone classified A-1, I don't believe Lee.The book is entertaining, but I'd take it with more than a few grains of salt.

Groovy, man!I mean, like, Wow!
This book is more than it seems to be.It appears at first to be a rather dry history of a New England church, like many others, and the first few chapters nearly lose the reader in distant church history.But wait, this isn't just any church; it's Alice's church.You know, from the song "Alice's Restaurant."Cut to the 1960s, and you have a fascinating story of the intersection of hippies, media, folk music, idealism and the brutal demands of real life. At the serene center of it all is Arlo, who had the naivete, charm and good fortune to dump trash where he shouldn't have and write a quirky song to tell the world about it.What happens when an obscure 18-minute song becomes a hit becomes a cultural phenomenon becomes a movie? Things implode, that's what.Relationships disintegrate as the very act of recording destroys the thing being recorded (like particle physics). Author Lee is clearly a church supporter, but she is also a fine reporter who has the sense to let the story tell itself. Just when things get a little too sentimental or weird, Lee brings it back to center. Only in the last few pages does she gush uncontrolably (or lets the quotes do so).In the end, the early history of the church makes sense in the light of its afterlife. At least as portrayed in the book, the whole thing fits into a grand gestalt. Alice's Church is now the Guthrie Center, supposedly named for Woody but really an extension of Arlo. It is devoted to charitable works that are vaguely defined and seem in danger of disgressing into Sixties-like anarchy. Only the charismatic force of Arlo seems to hold it all together.

Really first-rate in every way. SURPRISINGLY well done.
I don't think I've ever seen a better piece ofjournalism.

I didn't expect too much from this book. I bought it for the usual tourist reasons (we were in Stockbridge to hear Arlo sing in the church). Published by Berkshire House, it graces the "local shelves" tables of every local bookstore and gift shop.This book didn't actually need to be GOOD. It just needed to have some scraps of fan information about Arlo and some old pictures of the Church and Officer Obie and so forth...

I cannot begin to describe how surprisingly satisfying this book is. It is really a first-rate job. It is so much more wide-ranging and thoughtful than might have been expected.

And Laura Lee covers the exact range of topics I was interested in, with just the right balance.

For example, about a quarter of the book is devoted to the "pre-Arlo" era. It's more than a lick-and-a-promise, interesting both in itself and as a jumping-off-point for musing on How Things Change. I never realized that the little fork-in-the-road Van Deusenville area of Housatonic was once a significant industrial town... At the same time, a quarter of the book is just about enough. I didn't want to wade through monograph on Great Barrington history, and after paying proper respect to the Bostwicks and the Van Deusens, we get to Ray and Alice Brock by page 65.

The thing that makes this book so splendid is Lee's sympathetic attention and reporting of _mild_ differences in opinion. I'm not sure I've ever seen a better piece of journalism. You see events refracted through different peoples' eyes--NOT a big-deal Rashomon conflict, just, well, different people saw things a little differently.

For example, Arlo's guru, Jaya Sati Bhagavati Ma, is seen through Arlo's eyes. She is also seen directly and with respect through Laura Lee's. However, Lee also reports the Berkshire Record's description of her as "a spiritual Ethel Merman wielding a Brooklyn persona" and Alice Brock's remark "Here is this dame, she's my age, she's from Brooklyn, she's Jewish, just like me, but she had this giant scam."

Thoroughly satisfying, absolutely first rate.

Lee closes the loop on "The Church"
I finished Laura Lee's lovingly crafted book over the Labor Day weekend,having enjoyed it immensely. It becomes obvious that Laura Lee has aspecial love for the Trinity Church (now the Guthrie Center) because thehistory of The Church is exhaustively recorded in the first half of herbook. I think it's safe to say that if you need more information about thehistory of Christianity in colonial Western Massachusetts than what Lauraprovides, you're likely well out of the general audience this book aims at.I think Laura hit the highlights as it pertains to the Housatonic/Lee/VanDeusenville area, and the Trinity Church.

The book springs forward inthe second half to chronicle the uniquely strange and humorous eventssurrounding the Alice's Restaurant Massacree, the film "Alice'sRestaurant" (itself a baffling blend of truth and fiction) and thesubsequent history of the Church, having fallen out of the Brock's handsand ultimately into Arlo's. Lee closes the loop on all these wonderfulevents and brings us right into the modern era of the Guthrie Center,leaving the reader with an intimate feeling of hopefulness about therenewed Church and the lives surrounding it.

I suggest reading the book,listening to the song, watching the film, visiting arlo.net, and visitingGreat Barrington. These are all the pieces of the puzzle. Thank you, Laura,for providing such an informative, entertaining, and loving overview of theChurch that was, the Church as it is, and the Church that will be.

- J.Dock, Sept 2000

Outstanding Book!
Ms. Lee has really captured the enduring spirit of a community and a time in this book. The history of a church in the Berkshires seems like an unlikely topic, but add the fact that the church is the same one from"Alice's Restaurant" and an element of interest is added. Whatwas a nice surprise was how interesting the history of the church and itssurrounding community really is. Ms. Lee has given a slice of American lifethrough the church from its beginning to its famous showing in the saga ofArlo Guthrie in the '60's and now. I sincerely hope that this book willhelp others to see the importance of understanding of our history and willhelp the Guthrie Center. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (61)

Alice's Restaurant blu-ray
Thanksgiving is coming soon, and once again, particularly in 2010 when blu-ray is not rare anymore, we still don't have this movie on blu-ray.Does the studio not want to make money or what?This is not a great film as in Potemkin or the Battle of Algiers, but it is a wonderful film about an era and a lifestyle that a lot of people would (in their minds anyway) liked to have lived, at least until they had to grow up.My vinyl is still holding up and gets plenty of play, but given the technology available today, I'd like to see the best possible video also. And if you do put it onto blu-ray, do a good job, not like the sad job done on Being There.Thanks Amazon, for letting me rant, and maybe someone with the power to get this done will consider it!

Not worth the time it takes to watch it
Along with millions of others, I loved "Alice's Restaurant" from the time I first heard it as a young man, and still laugh when I think about the concept or recall some of the lyrics.So, when I saw the DVD at a going out of business sale for $5, I scooped it up, hurried home, and put it in my player.Shelling out five dollars for it was my first mistake.Actually watching it was an even bigger mistake.What an incredible waste of time...Arlo's father, the great Woody Guthrie, would have been so embarrassed to know that anyone had actually viewed this trash; much less that his son had taken the time to take part in it.Can't rate minus stars, so I'll give it one.

Lots of fun
This is a great look into the crazy world of the late 60's and the life and times of Alro Guthrie.A must have if you enjoy the song.

The Song is better than the movie

The Song is better than the movie but for those who grew to love the song the movie is a must in that it gives insight into the interplay of timeless real-life challenges and the social issues of the 60's that brought the Song forward to become one of many such uniting forces for half of a generation of Americans.

Alice's Restaurant
Great movie.Brought back memories from the 60's.Arlo is so funny.Really love this one!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Singer/songwriter Arlo Guthrie's lyrics come alive in this illustrated version of his folk song Mooses Come Walking. Readers will find humor in what mooses do when they go for walks and will be surprised by the silly adventures mooses partake in. Look out--you never know when a moose may be watching you. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

The Inner Child
As a huge fan of Arlo, this book is only one facet of this amazing human being.I bought my first copy for my Granddaughter and had Arlo sign it for her.This time, a copy for my Grandson.Beautifully written and illustrated.A great gift for all grandkids!

Wonderful!
This whimsical book was the perfect gift for my bookloving grandson. I highly recommend it!

one of my favorite books
the mooses have cute butts!

Delightful words (I can't really call it a story) and pictures.

Charming and extremely entertaining
The first time I read this book I laughed out loud in a few places, and had to get a copy for my own child (who has a favourite stuffed animal which is a moose). The book is in easy to read rhyme, it's amusing, has charming illustrations, and is just plain fun. What's not to like? It's certainly a favourite in our household.

You'll get a Thrill Watching the Mooses Walk over the Hill...
My brother & sister, and closest friends have all been having a slew of babies lately, and I've decided that my new mission in life is to provide them all with books. It's been twenty something years since I perused the kid-lit aisle, and I have to say that diving into this world again has been a real joy.

You discover wonder-full little pearls like this book, rolling scattered all about.

Arlo & Alice, old friends that they are, kicking the glad hippy poetic silliness up yet another notch, have really done it again.A little folkly poetic masterpiece.

Being from Puckerbrush, Maine (pop. c. 2,400 - mooses & peoples both, but mostly mooses) makes me a bit of an expert on the subject matter. Mooses do indeed come walking, and they really do walk where they will.. Driving inattentively hereabouts (especially this time of year) can easily leave a moose rather awkwardly & intimately situated through your car (not bedroom) window.. So this story is a perfect gift for me to give my niece & all my friends' babies. It's goofy, beautiful and a little spooky, just like a moose. So when they come to visit they'll know what to expect.

There's an article that was published on Alice Brock in the Wall Street Journal just prior to Thanksgiving this year [November 22nd, 2006; pp. A1 & 11] on her relationship with Arlo, what she's been up to (art, as you might have guessed) and how she feels about being a character in one of the seminal American folk songs of the last fifty years. I've copied it and am including it as a neat little aside for the parents when I give this to their kids. ... Read more

Product Description
"Work songs, love songs, ballads and blues, lullabyies, spirituals, protest

songs, and sheer nonsense make up this entertaining collection of 62

traditional and contemporary favorites. The exuberant illustrations manage to

be both familiar and dramatic and range in tone from comic exaggeration to

understatement and unashamed sentiment. Informal notes at the head of each song

give something about history, origin, performance, and possibilities for

variation. The notes also express the sense of connection with ordinary

people's lives that is at the heart of this collection."--Booklist

(starred)




... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent book for teaching children folk songs
I would recommend this book to any children's music director or teacher.A complete work of folk tunes and fun songs to learn and memorize, so they will not be forgotten. ... Read more

Product Description
An evocation of the American spirit in the years immediately following the Great Depression from the legendary Woody Guthrie. Arlo Guthrie has followed his father's tradition as a singer and writer of "classic" folk music. 2 cassettes.Amazon.com Review
The original road novel--even though it takes the form ofautobiography. If Guthrie didn't actually invent the footloose, no-strings-attached American hero (remember this guy Twain who wrotesomething about lighting out for the territory?), he certainlysolidified the 20th-century version. Guitar slung over the shoulder ashe sprinted to boost himself aboard freight trains, a man of thepeople equally at home with urban intellectuals, Guthrie incarnatedfor generations of Americans the artist as free spirit. This is thebook that created the legend. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Awe-inspiring and Amazing.
This is one of the most important books ever written, and one of the best reads ever.

Woody tells his story from his own perspective. Growing up in the border towns and oil towns in Oklahoma, traveling to California during the dust
bowl, and all of it is entwined with Woody's personal philosophies and
observations. Crucial reading for anyone who wants to understand the
cultural history of the United States, or grew up there!

Americana at its Best
Singer, songwriter and more importantly a voice from the past depicting our nation as it were from the 1920's through the dust bowl and depression 30's to the early years of World War II.
Woody Guthrie's autobiographical Bound for Glory should be considered a classic, if not already.A literary work of art.

The first half of his biography enlightens the reader as to Woody's many adventures, tragedies and general life as a youth during the 20's and 30's.Some sad, some spirited and above all told with vehemence.
The remainder of his book is a get-down and travel throughout America by thumb and boxcar, witnessing the poverty, mistreatment and overall life on the rails, farms, "jungle" camps, skid row and waterfronts.A soulful perspective of what existence was really like from one who lived it so long ago.

His songs reflecting this era will live on for many years to come.A gem.

The Hobo Philosopher
This book written by Woody Guthrie was also made into a movie. The movie starred David Carradine and Randy Quaid among others. I have never seen the movie and I had little idea what this book was about until I opened it up and started reading.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not simply the story of a famous County singer and songwriter's life, but a "Hobo-ing America" adventure story. It was written in the Mark Twain tradition - with all the down home and backwoods country dialect included.
I enjoyed this story - it is a "real" story about real people. Woody did a fine job in telling this story.
The book has great drama and pathos and would be enjoyable reading even if you didn't know who the heck Woody Guthrie was or what he turned into. I read it as a history novel and place it in the category with the "Grapes of Wrath" or "Gone with the Wind".

Books written by Richard Noble - The Hobo Philosopher:
"Hobo-ing America: A Workingman's Tour of the U.S.A.."
"A Summer with Charlie"
"A Little Something: Poetry and Prose"
"Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother"
"The Eastpointer" Selections from award winning column.

bound for glory
if you area woody guthrie fan you will love this book. well done. it would be a good book for anyone who is interested in music or our country when it was younger.

Good Luck Kiddo
Essential reading for those that need a deeper understanding. There are many poetic passages, sad stories and a great reference to what America is like for those who were poor and often at odds with their country. This is a book that holds up so well today and will make you want more. Dylan probably brought you here in the first place. You won't be disappointed. Everybody should read this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

A noble effort
Steve Goodman was an important artist and compelling performer. This biography of him is compelling and heartfelt.

Steve Godman: Facing the Music
I amgiant Steve Goodman fan and have been for over 30 years. The book is a definitve narrative of his short life and explains and introduces numerous facets that make up his music and humor.

Steve Goodman
There's the Bible and then this book. Every Goodman fan should have this, hell everyone should.

Amazing man
NPR's Scott Simon recommended this book to me at one of his book signings. I ordered it. When it arrived I was surprised at it's size. After reading it, I realized it took at least that many pages to recount this amazing man's life.

Passion Begets Passion
Clay committed to print an amount of detail normally reserved for great presidents or colossal criminals. But if you ever were fortunate enough to see Steve in concert, you might very well understand the passion and dedication he brought to this project. I didn't know Steve but when he died, it most certainly was like a death in the family. The many times he came through Minneapolis, opening for John Prine so many times at the original Guthrie Theatre, are highlights in a life where I've spared no expense seeing the best this city's stages have offered. None are quite so memorable as this hipster. He could dazzle you with a style and audacity in his playing that no one seems to have mastered before or since. But more than that, his songwriting combined with a wicked sense of humor that had you rolling in the aisles with laughter one minute, and silenced by raw emotion the next. Prine, another first-class wit and showman, had to feel the pressure of following this guy onstage night after night. It would have been akin to a public suicide had Prine not been so gifted and likable himself. I understand Steve could be a handfull at times--passionate people can be that way. But when we lost him a quarter of a century ago, Steve reminded us how people like that change us forever and leave us crying out for more ... the way we did every time he left the stage. ... Read more

Product Description
Behind-the-scenes photographs of a young Bob Dylan at the beginning of his career, many of which appear in this book for the first time.As the success of Chronicles makes clear, Dylan has secured the status of a cultural icon who appeals as much to the generation of today as to his contemporaries. This attractively priced paperback edition of EARLY DYLAN presents rare pictures of Dylan+s early years by three leading rock photographers. Barry Feinstein, Daniel Kramer, and Jim Marshall were alongside Dylan from the beginning and were given unique and personal access to the artist and his life behind the scenes. The conversational and personal captions by the authors explain each photograph and shed light on Dylan+s life during those times-recording, playing pinball, grabbing breakfast, hamming for the camera, or simply lost in thought. Now is the perfect time to make more widely available this rare visual account of one of America+s most compelling musical artists.¥ Contains rare photographs of Bob Dylan at the start of his career. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A disappointment
Wendy Hitchmough's "Arts and Crafts Gardens" is not a bad book, but it is an annoying book. It meets none of the objectives most people would have in buying it: It isn't big enough or have enough pictures to be a big book of beautiful examples. It doesn't have enough about the principles of arts and crafts gardens, or how the principles of the arts and crafts movement were applied to gardens to guide someone who might want to build one. It isn't organized historically so you can see how arts and crafts gardens were invented out of Victorian gardens that went before. It doesn't present a sociological analysis of who built arts and crafts gardens, what they thought they were doing and what we can make of it in retrospect.

In fact, the text is a mess. It seems to be semi-random observations about gardens, the arts and crafts movement, the nineteenth century, Gertrude Jekyll and related topics. The only coherent chapter is "A Sense of Place," which isn't about gardens at all! It's mostly about the architecture, furnishings and living arrangements of Hvittrask, an arts-and-crafts masterpiece compound in Finland.

I'm still looking for a book that can really tell me about arts and crafts gardens. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Arlo (Davy) Guthrie, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 1616 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
Twelve+ articles and reviews. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys, Alice's Restaurant, Precious Friend, Amigo, Running Down the Road, Arlo Guthrie, Washington County, Son of the Wind, Hobo's Lullaby, the Best of Arlo Guthrie. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 34. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys is a 1973 album by American folk singer Arlo Guthrie. All tracks composed by Arlo Guthrie; except where indicated Arlo Guthrie - vocals, guitar, banjo, piano, harmonica ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=12895054 ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 172 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Signed essays ranging from 500 to 2,500 words, written by subject experts and edited to form a consistent, readable, and straightforward reference. Entries include subject-specific bibliographies and textual cross-references to related essays. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie ... Read more