Talk:Arlo Guthrie/Archives/2013

This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

Redirection from "Group W Bench"

Since it is not mentioned in the Article, could someone explain why "Group W Bench" redirects to this article? After some googling I now do have an idea, but I don't think it's obvious. (Perhaps I'ts just my ignorance that I didn't know anything about Arlo Guthrie or the song... but where should I turn, if not Wikipedia?...)

I've changed the redirect to go directly to Alice's Restaurant, the Guthrie song that mentions the bench, and added a brief explanation there. Superm401 - Talk 05:09, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

Categorization

I added the "Category:Berkshire County, Massachusetts" tag to this article, but Postdlf deleted it. Is there any reason why the category for a geographical area shouldn't include people closely identified with that area? The "Sierra Nevada" category includes John Muir (who was born in Scotland). JamesMLane 21:27, 1 Sep 2004 (UTC)

How "closely identified" with the county is he? The article itself doesn't really establish that. I personally find it problematic in general to classify people by a specific geographic area, even where they are born, unless they are only or primarily notable for what they have done in that area (like someone known only as a mayor of a city). What're your thoughts on this issue? Postdlf 14:40, 9 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I think "only or primarily" is too narrow. There should be some significant connection. If a prominent novelist who happens to live in a particular area, but his work isn't oriented toward that area and he doesn't have all that much to do with other people there, then I'd see no reason to include him in the category. In this instance, though, Guthrie has lived in Berkshire County for years. That's where you'd find the real Alice's Restaurant, the real dump, the real Officer Obie. That's where his Guthrie Center is. That's where I attended an outdoor concert of his that was a benefit for the local volunteer fire department. OK, that last point isn't worth mentioning in the article, but it does shape my thinking. :)

One possible use of the category system is that readers who really want to know a lot about Berkshire County could create their own giant article by going to the category and reading each article in it. I used to live in an adjoining county, and I ask myself how I'd answer if someone who'd never been there were to say to me, "Tell me about Berkshire County." I'd talk about some of the towns that are now in the category. I'd mention how the Boston Pops comes to Tanglewood, and thanks to this discussion I'm now going to add that article to the category. But I'd also mention some people -- for example, that Norman Rockwell lived there a long time and based many of his paintings on his neighbors, and that the Norman Rockwell Museum is there. And, of course, I'd include Arlo Guthrie.

I agree with you about not categorizing people based on birthplace. W. E. B. Du Bois was born in Berkshire County, but I wouldn't mention that to my hypothetical inquirer.

The article on Berkshire County, Massachusetts includes a list of the cities, towns and villages. If the category were limited to the places that make up the geographical county, then there wouldn't be all that much use for the category as opposed to that simple list. (I realize you'd include notable mayors. I don't think Berkshire County has had any.) JamesMLane 17:31, 9 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Alice's Restaurant

I notice that the bulk of the article is not about Guthrie himself, but about one song that he wrote. Under the circumstances, shouldn't it get an article of its own? --Paul A 07:51, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

In the absence of anyone saying "No! That's a terrible idea!"... --Paul A 06:18, 18 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Contradiction

The article says, "is based on a true incident in which Guthrie, when called up for a draft examination, was rejected as unfit for military service, as a result of a criminal record consisting in its entirety of a single arrest, court appearance, fine and clean-up order for littering. In reality, Guthrie, though a carrier of the genetically inherited disease Huntington's chorea, was classified as fit (1A); however, his draft-lottery number did not come up."

That seems to be a self-contradiction. Does anyone know the real story (and preferably have a source)? Superm401 | Talk 07:54, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

Huntington's disease

I would like to point out that people cannot be carriers of a dominant allele, since anyone who carries at least one copy of the allele would have the disease, not carry it. Huntington's disease is caused by dominant allele, as the wikipedia page on Huntington's chorea correctly points out. (user= Kelly Kissane)

Though the allele may be dominant, its effects are not evident until comparatively late in life. Hence, someone having the gene but in whom the disease has not yet manifested itself can be called a carrier of the gene. (Happily, Arlo Guthrie did not inherit the disease.) Kostaki mou 23:27, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Citations

Citations? We don't need no stinkin' citations! This is the '60s, man. Nodoremi 07:12, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

I remember distinctly that Arlo appeared on an episode of the PBS children's television program "Zoom" sometime in the vicinity of 1973-1975. He was teaching the kids to sing a song called "The Ring-Around-The-Rosey Rag." I wish I had a citation.... Jlcash 20:58, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Articles about albums

I have started some articles about some Arlo Guthrie albums.

Could some other people contribute to those pages and add some new ones? Dij 22:32, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Babymama?

Who is the mother of his children? There's no mention in this article of a wife, spouse, or lover of Arlo's, yet he has children. Adoption? I have no idea, but I'm curious; in any case, we should say! —Toby Bartels (talk) 00:04, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

Politics section?

The section under "Politics" claims that he supports Ron Paul. And cites a New York times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/magazine/26fob-q4-t.html?_r=1

...which says no such thing. I'd find the claim highly dubious. Also, registering as a Republican sounds more like his joking way of subverting the party from the inside-out, which would be more consistent with how he thinks? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.7.48.30 (talk) 06:19, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

According to the Occupy Wall Street article, Guthrie joined Pete Seeger to play to them... if he was a Republican/libertarian it seems unlikely now. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.6.150.7 (talk) 17:11, 27 November 2011 (UTC)

It has been my observation that Occupy groups attract a lot of self-identifying libertarians, just not libertarians that are particularly conservative. While Arlo's libertarian/Paulist statements are beyond dispute, it does seem that since the beginning of the troubles in Wisconsin (at least), he has rediscovered a more leftist side of his thinking. Ramseyman (talk) 03:16, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

Religious categories

I've removed the Jewish categories per WP:BLPCAT. Guthrie doesn't identify as Jewish, see [1]:

Along the way he has explored his Jewish roots (on his mother's side), spent time with Franciscan monks, studied Buddhism and found a personal guru who awakened him to what he says is the Hindu practice of embracing all religions.
"I have three or four major traditions that I am carrying around inside me," Mr. Guthrie said, "and they are all just different views of the same reality."

Yworo (talk) 00:48, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

New sources don't belong in External links, but they do belong here!

These sources do not belong in External links. I have moved the link farm from there to this talk page where they do belong. Warning: I didn't check them to see if they follow criteria per WP policy, so be careful in choosing any potential references I've moved here. Thank you! --Leahtwosaints (talk) 06:53, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

These were external links, not sources, and I've restored them, except for a dead one. Please discuss your changes with other editors. Yworo (talk) 16:14, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Sections in the article and his musical career

I feel that the article has sported too many categories; some with just a few sentences. In addition, there must be more information about his relationship with his father, acclaim at Woodstock, and later work. I think that more detail and expansion of the text is the only way to cover the article. His relationship toward his family (in particular Sarah Lee Guthrie, also a musician) needs more coverage.--Leahtwosaints (talk) 07:08, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Sebastian, Florida

Arlo has winter home in Sebastian, Florida ...he`s been coming here for years..he`s also heavily involved with a place called Kashi which is some kind of new wave church but it`s also a retirement community/hospice of sorts...I think he camped here for a long time or something..he ended up buying an old fish house along the river and renovated it...I heard he gave a lot of money to Kashi but there was some kind of falling out..just local gossip in a typical southern town..supposedly the place is either affordable assisted living which there is a dire need for here or a bunch of economic predators..idk...he seems like a very nice person to me...a lot of the old rich white guys here don`t like him much. Lonepilgrim007 (talk) 05:22, 7 July 2013 (UTC)