Tradition....

quaddriver

quaddriver

120 What?'s per channel
Subscriber
If you are an american, and if you were born at any time before 1970, there is/has been a tradition as important of baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and chevrolet.

Every thanksgiving, at noon (local time) any radio station that thinks it plays any rock and roll is to pause, and play guthries 'Alices restaurant massacre' (pronounced massa-cree)

According to my deceased father (told to me before he deceded), in 1969 WNEW(r.i.p.) from NY started this and its 'sister' station (in heart, not corporate ownership) WDVE did as well.

At this time you dont speak, do not play commercials, do not play any other song, no traffic weather or sports.

Yesterday, using a highly sensitive FM tuner and listening to all of the 15 or so FM stations in range of the outback up here, not one was to play it. I had to stream WDVE to do my annual listen.

This is highly distressing and far more important than who won what election or what the Kardashians are up to.

Some things are not to be violated.

:rant over.
 
Register to hide this ad
This must have been an east coast, mid west thing as it's never was done here on the west coast. In my memories, I never heard of it being done till I came to AK witch make sense since he's more east coast Greenwich Village artist.

We had the San Francisco Sound
 
4-2-7 said:
This must have been an east coast, mid west thing as it's never was done here on the west coast. In my memories, I never heard of it being done till I came to AK witch make sense since he's more east coast Greenwich Village artist.

We had the San Francisco Sound
Click to expand...
The story takes place in Great Barrington, MA, located in the western part of the state. The Thanksgiving broadcast has been a tradition for decades.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice's_Restaurant
 
One of the local radio stations here played it at noon yesterday.
Brand new station too, just went on air middle of Sept.
They were promoting it for a few days prior to yesterday.

I was not aware of the "tradition" now it makes sense why that station promoted and played that particular selection when it did.
 
Last edited:
4-2-7 said:
This must have been an east coast, mid west thing as it's never was done here on the west coast. In my memories, I never heard of it being done till I came to AK witch make sense since he's more east coast Greenwich Village artist.

We had the San Francisco Sound
Click to expand...
You just weren't tuned to the right left coast station(s).

KPIG, among others, was notorious for their Alice time on T-Day.
 
Rockyhill said:
The story takes place in Great Barrington, MA, located in the western part of the state. The Thanksgiving broadcast has been a tradition for decades.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice's_Restaurant
Click to expand...
That's my point...
While I know the song and have the album it just wasn't wide spread hear at all for a TG tradition for the west coast. Could a DJ that came here from the east coast, or knew about it spin it one TG here, yeah maybe. Tradition though? not here.
 
I played it yesterday as I do every Thanksgiving Day. I sat on the Group W bench while listening and played with the pencils.
 
Way back , used to listen to WNEW till it went corporate and to WMGK on certain nights; Alices Restaurant was always a treat if you had the 38 minutes.
 
I listen to it every Thanksgiving on the way to the inlaws house. Sometimes the local classic rock station plays it, but my bases are covered, its on my usb in the car, underneath the 27 8x10 color glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one.
 
4-2-7 said:
That's my point...
While I know the song and have the album it just wasn't wide spread hear at all for a TG tradition for the west coast. Could a DJ that came here from the east coast, or knew about it spin it one TG here, yeah maybe. Tradition though? not here.
Click to expand...

Arlo Guthrie, and ESPECIALLY his anti-establishment tales, were more well known on the left coast, than on the right coast. ESPECIALLY in San Fran /Bay area. Such was the nature of the times.
 
WNEW-FM is long gone but the tradition continues on WFUV-FM 90.7. Twelve noon yesterday.
For those who stream------WFUV.ORG
Tune in this weekend for killer, live recordings without anyone screaming about black Friday bullshit.
FM radio-------the way you remember it,
Happy listening
Jimmy
 
I play my LP every thanksgiving day at noon. Have not heard it on the radio in years. Sadly, my SO and her daughter roll their eyes, so I play it thru my headphones and laugh at the lyrics.
 
I counted 4 stations on my vehicle presets playing it in my area yesterday. No the thanksgiving tradition hasn't been lost quite yet
 
quaddriver said:
Arlo Guthrie, and ESPECIALLY his anti-establishment tales, were more well known on the left coast, than on the right coast. ESPECIALLY in San Fran /Bay area. Such was the nature of the times.
Click to expand...
Ok if you say so, I'v lived here on the San Francisco Peninsula my entire life, never once heard it described as tradition here. But hey what do I know....
 
4-2-7 said:
Ok if you say so, I'v lived here on the San Francisco Peninsula my entire life, never once heard it described as tradition here. But hey what do I know....
Click to expand...
OMG, you need to get out more dude! His 50th anniv tour was at UCB and standford, not to mention NAPA.

You can argue the entire counter culture movement started 2 blocks from your house and he was/is one of their icons.
<-- the first minute is about your hometown.

Yesterday, as always, on your tuner,

KPIG out of santa cruz, the eagle out of sac, (not sure if KFOG did this year, they have years past)

This is how traditions fade. People stop paying attention.


ps: I could be wrong on the number, but I think 3 stations in alaska even covered yesterday.
 
I remember it well on WNEW. I played the lp yesterday when all the guests arrived. One friend got it on 3 different stations on her trip here (Coastal NJ). One station was out of Philly (WMMR I think). Sorry you were deprived of the tradition, and hope you can find it next year, even if its only on the interweb.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom