Alice's Restaurant
November 26, 1999
5:26 a.m.
I suppose that it's a "tradition" everywhere. But The radio station we listen to (located in Bloomington) has taken to playing Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" on Thanksgiving day. They did it three times this year, 6:00 am, noon, and 6:00 p.m. I managed to catch it all three times. I think it may be the most perfect social commentary ever recorded, using humor and exaggerated circumstances to make some very deep and profound points. Brigid heard it twice, and laughed at all the jokes even if she didn't get the full depth of them. I, though, had strange feelings as I listened. Yeah, I laughed. Who couldn't? But I thought about men creeping through jungle. I thought of my uncle, who joined the army so that he could choose his first assignment, rather than waiting to be drafted and then be subject to going wherever the army wanted him--i.e. jungle. I thught of Bruce Springsteen, of "Born in the USA" fame, who, if his own comments are to be believed, spent three days partying in order to fail his physical--an act that Guthrie's song depicts, and that was apparently so common as to become cliche. I thought about American's who went to Canada. And, yes, I thought about Bill Clinton. Sorry to pull him in there. Anyway. Yesterday was thanksgiving. We had cornish hens for a late lunch, then went to see Toy Story 2, then came home and watched the original on tape, and then managed to catch That Thing You Do as it was just starting. So we had a Tom Hanks tiple header. It used to be that every time I saw Tom Hanks, I would see Kip, the character he played in "Bosom Buddies," a show that I'll admit to disliking as much for the premise as anything else. But, I've gotten over it. I can't help it. I like Tom Hanks. I like what he does, and how he chooses what he does. I like what he stands for. Obviously, Tom Hanks and I are very different people. But I think we're similar in at least one aspect of our lives, you know? Neither one of us actually faced the draft. Maybe I'm wrong. Tom Hanks is just a little older than I am. But I don't think either one of us had to decide how to go about being "inspected, detected, reflected, neglected, and selected" (I'm sure I've got the order wrong, sorry Mr. Guthrie--but it's early in the morning and I really ought to be writing something else, you know?) like the young POV in "Alice's Restaurant." Yeah, I know Tom Hanks got to do Saving Private Ryan. Don't go there. All day long, yesterday, I kept hearing that song. And I kept thinking about how things are different. Hey, I know things aren't done, yet. I know there are still problems with gender equity and ethnic equality, and with politics acoss the world. With hunger, and ozone, and rain forests, and all sorts of other junk. This morning's headlines include the revelation of a 25 person mass grave in Timor. Things are not, and probably never will be, perfect. Heck, the ATM crisis alone is enough to make you shudder. But the third time I listened to Arlo Guthrie singing his song, I just couldn't help feeling how far we have come. I am on the edge, among the earliest generations of people who never faced a draft. Tom Hanks is, too. We have both been free to live our lives pretty much however we wanted to. I got to make choices. Tom Hanks made movies, and millions of dollars. I rubbed Lisa's leg muscles last night, watching a That Thing You Do. She gets cramps a lot, so I do that when I can. Brigid lay on the love seat, covered in a blanket. The band toured. The bass player took up with the Marines. The band broke up. The boy got the girl. Maybe some things don't change. But when we turned off the TV, and got ready for bed, I thought about "Alice's Restaurant."   Good progress yesterday morning. With luck and a decent start on the day, I'll finish the rewrite tomorrow. No promises. Have a good one. Many Thanks to Shannon Wendt for her award   If things were perfect, how would you know? Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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"If you want to end the war and stuff, you've got to sing loud." Arlo Guthrie  Ethics for the New Millennnium |
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