http://mansfield.htnp.com/?p=6725
by: Carol Davidge
October 9th, 2009
University of Connecticut freshmen in the "Connecting with the Arts"
class had the rare pleasure of talking with folksinging icon, Arlo
Guthrie, at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday morning.
The get-together precedes his performances this weekend, tonight
[Oct. 9] and Saturday 10 at 8 p.m. - "The Guthrie Family Rides
Again," in Jorgensen's "cabaret," a cozy, candlelit nightclub setting
that offers food and drink.
His was a distinctive voice in the 1960s, with his recording of
"Alice's Restaurant" and "Coming into Los Angeles." The year 2009 is
the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock, and Guthrie was there.
The students studied the political, social and cultural impact of the
1960s before meeting with Guthrie, and one of the students asked what
it felt like to have been part of an event that made history.
Guthrie replied that he is always surprised to think that he was
"part of history," and said he hopes each generation will have its
own brush with history.
He added that he believes each individual can contribute far more
than they expect of themselves. "Expand your awareness," he said. "Be
open to experiencing all people, all cultures and all forms of nature."
The year of Woodstock, 1969, Guthrie also married his wife, Jackie,
and they bought a farm in western Massachusetts where they brought up
four children who travel and sing with them.
Guthrie said he's had a happy life. The key, he told the students,
lies is the oft-told advice to figure out who you are and be true to yourself.
Guthrie was invited to the class by Jorgensen Director Rodney Rock,
who collaborates in teaching with Lesa von Munktin-Smith of the FYE
program and Frank Mack of the Connecticut Repertory Theatre.
Guthrie will visit only one other college class (at UCLA) this year.
The Guthrie legacy
Arlo Guthrie grew up surrounded by music greats like Pete Seeger,
Leadbelly and his own father, Woody.
At 13, he gave his first public performance and was quickly involved
in the earth-altering sounds of the '60s.
He was a fixture in folk venues as balladeers and blues-men gave way
to new singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Phil Ochs.
Arlo grooved with beat poet Allen Ginsburg and picked guitar with Doc
Watson; he learned something from everyone and yet, developed a
distinctive voice among a crowded chorus of musical activists.
His most famous work, "Alice's Restaurant Massacree," is a
talking-blues song that originally lasted 18 minutes and 34 seconds -
the exact length of a famous gap in the Watergate tapes.
This satirical protest against the Vietnam War draft is based on his
rejection by the draft board as unfit for military service because of
a criminal record - for littering and creating a public nuisance.
For four decades, Arlo Guthrie has toured the globe to a wide,
popular following.
Folk Music Guide's Kim Ruehl calls his songs "strikingly beautiful
and earnestly poignant." Critic Dave White says he can "captivate an
audience, not by grabbing them by the throat, but by gently slipping
them into his pocket." A natural storyteller, Arlo weaves his
anecdotes into his performances.
Besides launching Rising Son Records, making TV appearances and
writing an award-winning children's book, he established The Guthrie
Center, a not-for-profit, interfaith foundation addressing
environmental, health care, cultural and educational issues.
The Guthries have been called the "First Family of American Folk
Music." Three generations gathered onstage performing favorite songs
and newly-scored, previously unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics, prove
that the legacy endures.
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