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Schmo I was just listening to this and somewhere in the story telling I heard something that made me instantly think of you! I don't know if you'll hear it the same way, care about it, or even see this post but I'm giving it to you anyway. I think you'll like the music style as well.

Here it is. The video and audio is somewhat out of sync. Maybe just close your eyes or look away and listen. And if you get to one part that makes you immediately smile that's probably the part I was talking about.

Arlo Guthrie/ Amazing Grace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2vn5VIdnBw

Oh and p.s. I was watching some other of his performances on youtube. I had no idea how powerful his voice really was and how much voice control he has. And where in the world are our storytellers today when we need people like Arlo Guthrie to entertain and inspire us? He apparently retired not a few years back and had a stroke. Doesn't perform in concert any more. I could never get tired of his story telling and how they have a transformative message. Apparently he was a registered Republican but went independent in 2016. I think we need people like him just like we need Carlin. The above video is from 1993 and look how relevant the message still is.

Shutting up now.

It's the "bring your own god" church.

That was fun, Jersey Girl. Thanks for that.

(It was either the line above or the part where he said he had to make up a bunch of stuff to make a whole movie out of a song... hehe)

Some Schmo wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 24, 2024 3:50 pm

It's the "bring your own god" church.

YES. You got it on the first guess!

That was fun, Jersey Girl. Thanks for that.

(It was either the line above or the part where he said he had to make up a bunch of stuff to make a whole movie out of a song... hehe)

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I got to that part and immediately thought of you! I absolutely love the harmonica intro, when the whole band comes in and near the end when they finish the song. Dang. Forget bagpipes, I want it played that way at my funeral now--so bluesy and gospel-ish. Love seeing Pete Seeger performing with him.

Did you get to the story about the rabbits?

I don't know if you know anything about Arlo Guthrie (son of Woody Guthrie--old timey folk singer and activist) but he's talking about his song Alice's Restaurant. It's kind of a Thanksgiving traditional song for hippies. Not that I would know. Interesting fact. The song (it's a story of course) runs 18+ minutes long--the exact amount of time as the missing gap in Nixon's Watergate Tape. I still have the vinly LP of Alice's Restaurant--kind of a cult album at the time.

Anyway I guess Alice passed away just recently so I saw the report and that's how I ended up binge watching Arlo on youtube and found the link I put here for you. I mentioned his voice control as well. He's got a video from the same concert where he's singing I can't help falling in love with you by Elvis and honestly after his story telling is done and the band cues up again I was surprised to hear how he sang the song. I want to hear it a million times so I never hear it any other way now.

Heck there's another one I was going to post about, too, on my immigrants thread. I'll just put both links here in case you'd like to give them a listen. Storytelling is such a lost art--shame on us. I like the messages he conveys through his storytelling because he makes his points in such a subtle way and yet his points are powerful.

Arlo Guthrie/I Can't Help Falling In Love With You--timestamping the part I mentioned
https://youtu.be/sSF89swJ9IU?t=326


This one needs a little explanation. It's a tribute to Mary Travers (Peter, Paul, &Mary) called "Deportee". I listened to this and was blown away by how relevant it is for today. Apparently Woody Guthrie wrote it after a plane crashed in CA that was carrying (I think) law enforcement or border patrol officers and a group of 28 immigrants who worked the fiels. Woody was struck by the newspaper report where it never mentioned the names of the immigrants and only referred to them as "deportees"--how dehumanizing it was. Same thing we see today---"illegals". I'll be honest, it made me tear up because we're so messed up as a society.

Arlo Guthrie & Family pay tribute to Mary Travers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVwp1NTacpo

Wiki on the origins of the song:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportee_ ... Los_Gatos)

Plane Wreck at Los Gatos
(also known as "Deportee")

Words by Woody Guthrie, Music by Martin Hoffman
Contact Publisher - TRO-Essex Music Group

The crops are all in and the peaches are rott'ning,
The oranges piled in their creosote dumps;
They're flying 'em back to the Mexican border
To pay all their money to wade back again

Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita,
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria;
You won't have your names when you ride the big airplane,
All they will call you will be "deportees"

My father's own father, he waded that river,
They took all the money he made in his life;
My brothers and sisters come working the fruit trees,
And they rode the truck till they took down and died.

Some of us are illegal, and some are not wanted,
Our work contract's out and we have to move on;
Six hundred miles to that Mexican border,
They chase us like outlaws, like rustlers, like thieves.

We died in your hills, we died in your deserts,
We died in your valleys and died on your plains.
We died 'neath your trees and we died in your bushes,
Both sides of the river, we died just the same.

The sky plane caught fire over Los Gatos Canyon,
A fireball of lightning, and shook all our hills,
Who are all these friends, all scattered like dry leaves?
The radio says, "They are just deportees"

Is this the best way we can grow our big orchards?
Is this the best way we can grow our good fruit?
To fall like dry leaves to rot on my topsoil
And be called by no name except "deportees"?

https://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Deportee.htm

They made pot legal in Washington state so the pot store opened up. Remembering old times I had to see what a pot store was like.Not like so and so's dresser drawer with a pile of nice little baggies with an once or so of pot in each.

IN my mind I kept hearing , "flying into Los Angeles, bringing in a couple of keys ...please mr customs man..."
Arlo brought me a smile.

I have grown old enough that the thought that my time is getting shorter is an excuse for why I do not find much interest in smoking pot. Or maybe I did that enough back in 60 and 70s that I can get the best part with a bit of memory and a laugh.