Guthrie out of father’s shadow

As he starts an Irish tour, Arlo Guthrie recalls how his father Woody gave him his first guitar when he was just five, writes Gerry Quinn

SINGER, songwriter and political activist Arlo Guthrie begins 14 Irish dates this week. The solo tour is billed as ‘Here Comes The Kid’, a reference to 100th anniversary this year of his father Woody Guthrie’s birth. Guthrie Senior’s musical legacy includes countless political, traditional and children’s songs and his best known composition ‘This Land Is Your Land’ is one of the most popular and recognisable in the vast canon of American song.

Woody Guthrie died in 1967 from complications of Huntington’s disease.

Arlo recalls the first time he became aware of his father’s musical stature. “I walked into my 6th grade class one day and everyone began the day singing ‘This Land’ and I suddenly realised that I didn’t know the words as well as my classmates. I remedied that the very same day by asking my father to teach it to me. We sat on the grass in our back yard and after I’d learned the chords on the guitar, I learned the lyrics. Once I could remember the words he taught me some verses that weren’t in the schoolbook version. I’ve sung them ever since,” he says.

He was inspired by Woody’s songs and those of his friends like Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Pete Seeger. “My father gave me my first guitar when I was five years old. I’ve been playing ever since. But it wasn’t until I was 12 that I began to play with my friends in school. The interest in folk music had been kindled by groups like the Kingston Trio, and was raging during the late 1950s and early ’60s. I discovered that playing a guitar had benefits quite aside from being a musician. It was a ‘chick magnet’ and a friend maker. I learned everything I could, listening to records or going to see my dad’s friends when they were in New York.”

Arlo can recall the first time he performed on stage, aged 13. “In February 1961 my father’s best friend, Cisco Houston, was playing at a little club in Greenwich Village called Gerde’s Folk City. He was ill and dying from cancer. During his gig he asked me if I would sing a few songs. I grabbed my guitar and walked toward the small stage. At first I lost the feeling in my legs. Then as I approached the microphone I couldn’t breathe. I was terrified and shaking so badly, I thought I was going to pass out. But, somehow I got through a few songs. I got off the stage and went into the dressing room vowing that I would never do that again — ever. And naturally, I’ve been doing just that ever since,” he laughs.

A lauded songwriter in his own right, Arlo is best known for recordings such as ‘Alice’s Restaurant’, ‘Coming Into Los Angeles’, which he performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival and ‘The Motorcycle Song’. “I began writing songs in grade school, just for fun. Of course, as I got older the songs were about what I experienced. I don’t remember playing any of my songs for my father. However, my father’s manager was a guy named Harold Leventhal and I inherited Harold as a manager. My first record ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ was recorded in the fall of 1967. Harold brought the test pressings to the hospital and played them for my dad. I’ve passed the story on to my kids and grandkids like this: Woody heard ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ and died shortly thereafter — family humour.”

Was he ever frustrated by the moniker, ‘The son of Woody Guthrie’? “It’s always a little annoying when someone is looking at you but sees someone else. That said, I’ve never had a problem being my father’s son. I’m so very proud of what he did with the life he had. He stood up for the right stuff. He was fearless. And he knew how to laugh at himself and others. I’ve been on both sides at this point. Nowadays if I’m not Woody’s kid, I’m Sarah Lee’s dad, or Krishna’s grandfather. A certain amount of humility can be practised, but more likely it’s deserved.”

Having finished an American tour with his family, Arlo’s looking forward to coming here as a solo performer and the informality that comes with playing alone. “I generally work the gigs out so I know what I’m doing for any given tour, but it’s flexible. I like being able to relate to whatever is going on at the gig. I just ended a two-month tour with all my kids and grandkids. With 16 people on stage you’d better have a plan or it can turn to chaos pretty quickly. So, I’m really looking forward to this solo tour of Ireland, where I can do whatever I remember.”

* Arlo Guthrie plays the Pavilion, Cork on Friday, Sept 7 — Dolan’s, Limerick on Sat 8 — St James Church, Dingle on Monday, Sept 10.