Story Alice's Restaurant Massacree

1 story

1.1 massacree
1.2 part one
1.3 part two

story

alice s restaurant satirical, deadpan protest against vietnam war draft, in form of comically exaggerated true story guthrie s own life. has been described @ least 1 source shaggy dog story.

massacree

the term massacree, used guthrie in title describe whole scenario, colloquialism originating in ozark mountains describes event wildly , improbably , baroquely messed results impossible believe. corruption of word massacre (itself of french origin, possibly extinct missouri french dialect) carries lighter , more sarcastic connotation, never being used describe involving actual death.

part one

in november 1965, when guthrie 18 years old near end of brief stint @ rocky mountain college, spent thanksgiving day holiday in great barrington, massachusetts, @ deconsecrated church being used home 2 of friends, alice , ray (alice owned restaurant @ time, other being subject of chorus, none of events of song involve restaurant). favor alice , ray, guthrie , friend (not named in song, identified in contemporary news reports richard robbins) volunteered take church s large stockpile of trash local dump, not realizing until arrived @ dump site closed holiday.

they proceeded dump trash on cliff on nelson foote sr. s property on prospect street, across indian hill school (where guthrie s mother had been teacher) in nearby town of stockbridge. next day, after spending disagreeable 2 hours searching through trash clue , finding envelope ray s name on it, stockbridge chief of police william obanhein arrested guthrie , robbins littering.

the song describes ironic effect obanhein s frustration @ ensuing typical case of american blind justice , in officer prepared present @ trial twenty-seven 8-by-10 color glossy pictures circles , arrows , paragraph on of each 1 explaining each 1 used evidence against , have judge enter courtroom accompanied seeing-eye dog. guthrie , robbins both pled guilty, fined $25 each special justice james e. hannon, , picked garbage on saturday afternoon, following heavy rain. obanhein said youths found dragging junk hillside harder throwing down. added hoped story prove deterrent others.

part two

at end of littering story, guthrie states entire story point not came tell about. goes on describe subsequent experience before vietnam-era draft board, , surreal bureaucracy @ new york city induction center @ 39 whitehall street. initially, guthrie attempted dodge draft appearing physical exam while hung over. second attempt, attempted convince psychiatrist homicidal, earned him praise. finally, when asked whether had ever been convicted of crime, guthrie mentioned public dumping incident , learned conviction on littering charge had same effect on eligibility violent felony—the military not induct him unless issued moral waiver. in guthrie s words, wanted know if m moral enough join army—burn women, kids, houses , villages—after bein litterbug.

the draft officer did, in fact, reject guthrie military service; according song, sergeant in charge of induction process stated, kid, don t kind, , re gonna send fingerprints off washington. (the fbi collecting data on prominent anti-war protesters through cointelpro program, existence of not become publicly known until 1971.)

in final part of song, guthrie tells live audience should (or know) find facing draft, draftee should walk military psychiatrist s office, sing opening line chorus , walk out. guthrie notes military not take serious notice of protest unless fifty people day followed guthrie s instructions, @ point realize alice s restaurant anti-massacree movement .