Alice Brock (1941-2024) passed away a few days short of Thanksgiving 2024, which is fitting because the song that made her famous, Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant Massacre,” is played nationwide every year as our national holiday approaches. I became aware of Alice’s passing on Sunday, because NPR’s (WLRN) Michael Stock, whom I had interviewed for Caplin News sister publication ArtSpeak, was teeing up a 16-minute performance and commentary by Arlo Guthrie in honor of Alice on Stock’s Sunday program, “Folk and Acoustic Music.”
I had the good fortune to know Alice for 52 years. Below are a few stories.
1972
I first met Alice Brock at the home of writer Miriam Goodman in the off-season in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Miriam’s young daughter was sitting on Alice’s lap and asked, “Are you the REAL Alice?”
Alice replied, “Oh no honey, the REAL Alice has a gold tooth with a ruby in it.” Alice smiled, revealing a gold tooth with a star cut out, and a ruby in the middle.
1973
I attended the U.S. Grand Prix in Watkins Glen with author Peter Manso, who had written a biography of World Champion Jackie Stewart titled “Faster.” On the way to Watkins Glen, we stopped in Stockbridge, MA to have dinner at Alice’s restaurant. She comped the meal and invited us to spend the night at her house.
1974
FEBRUARY
I was running an off-season non-profit coffeehouse called “The To Be” Coffeehouse — where entrees were $0.50, soup was a quarter, and desserts were 15 cents. People played music, read poetry, played games, and had art exhibitions. Needless to say, we were always crowded, but we never made a profit.
In February, Alice volunteered to cook a fundraising dinner at the Provincetown Inn on Valentine’s Day that she called “Eat Your Heart Out.” The invitation (pre-internet of course) was illustrated and designed by cartoonist Howie Schneider.
NOVEMBER
I had a solo exhibition of my artwork at the Arwin Gallery in Detroit, MI.
Driving back to Provincetown, I decided to take the scenic route through Canada, and visit Niagara Falls. On Thanksgiving Day, wanting to get back to Provincetown for the celebration in my house, I re-entered the U.S. and arrived at the toll booth at the handoff between the N.Y Thruway and the Massachusetts Turnpike. I quickly discovered that I didn’t have any cash for the toll, and that the tollkeeper would not accept my check, so I called Alice Brock and asked if I could drive up to her restaurant and cash a check.
This was before there were ubiquitous ATMs.
Alice had a new restaurant called Alice’s at Avaloch. I motored up to cash a check so I could continue on the Mass Pike.
By the time I got up to Alice’s new restaurant, I realized that it was too late for me to make it back to Provincetown in time for the Thanksgiving feast that was happening in my own house.
Alice easily convinced me to have Thanksgiving dinner in her restaurant and spend the night at her house. After dinner, Arlo Guthrie and his band, Shenandoah, dropped by to play some music.
It was the best Thanksgiving I ever had.
1979
Alice closed her restaurant and moved to Provincetown, MA, where she lived year-round for the rest of her life.
Shortly thereafter, she hosted one relatively small dinner party at the beginning of which she announced that she had brought the best wines from her restaurant to Provincetown, and that we would have a wine tasting contest that evening.
Earlier in the week I had purchased a case of Rioja in Boston for $2.00 a bottle. I entered my $2 Rioja in the contest — and, of course, it came in first place.
MOVING FORWARD
I continued to see Alice in Provincetown sporadically over the years, making a 60 x 40 portrait of her in 2008. What you can’t see in the portrait is that she had an oxygen tank by her side and had taken the tubes out of her nose.
