The hippie-era icon who inspired folk singer Arlo Guthrie’s epic, anti-establishment song “Alice’s Restaurant” has died. Alice Brock suffered

The real Alice of Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant” dies at 83

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2024-11-23 08:30:02

The hippie-era icon who inspired folk singer Arlo Guthrie’s epic, anti-establishment song “Alice’s Restaurant” has died. Alice Brock suffered from health issues, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and passed away at a hospice home in Wellfleet on Thursday. She was 83.

Brock's longtime close friend Viki Merrick was with her when she died. Merrick said up until the end Brock remained poetic, hilariously funny, and full of puns. “That’s the way Alice has always been.”

The timing of Brock’s passing is poignant. It’s long been a Thanksgiving tradition for radio stations across the country to broadcast Guthrie’s 18-minute spoken word ramble that made "Alice” famous.

On Facebook, Guthrie remembered his friend as “a no-nonsense gal, with a great sense of humor.” The musician wrote that they spoke on the phone a couple of weeks ago, and added, “This coming Thanksgiving will be the first without her."

In a 2020 interview, Brock recounted how she became “the living-legend, Earth Mother, Alice of 'Alice's Restaurant.'” In the '60s she was chef-owner of The Back Room in the Berkshires. But an unfortunate trash dumping incident that originated in Brock’s home inspired Guthrie to write his song.