Catch Alice’s Restaurant on the 2023 radio dial. See our latest listening guide.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, the wind up to the holiday season, which means that the annual ritual of tuning in to hear “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” on the radio is just around the corner. As I’ve been chronicling year after year and as we discussed on this week’s podcast, the classic 18 minute + Arlo Guthrie story-song has become a much-loved Thanksgiving listening tradition for many American families. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the Alice’s Restaurant album and as part of a long-standing gig, Guthrie will perform this weekend at Carnegie Hall (also a 50th anniversary affair). To familiarize yourself with the history of the piece, take a look at Smithsonian Magazine’s recent article about the epic track.
Many more fans will commune with Guthrie over the radio, though. I was amused to see this tweet from @savannahbagwell: “i think im most excited for the annual playing of ‘alice’s restaurant massacre’ than actual thanksgiving.” Others are getting an early start. @hey_pono tweets “Half day before the long weekend. So I’m playing Alice’s Restaurant on loop to annoy my coworkers… ”
If your turkey-day tunes steer clear of Guthrie, you might dig this Thanksgiving-themed playlist penned by college radio station Radio 1190’s Music Director. And, if you want to get all 2017, fire up this collection of Thanksgving-themed podcasts (“Alice’s Restaurant” even gets the nod) recommended by the New York Times.
To assist in your planning, here’s a run-down of some of the radio stations that plan to air the song this year. If you know of others, please let me know in the comments. I will also continue to update this list.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Alice’s Restaurant on the Radio on Thanksgiving Day 2017 – November 23, 2017
WXPN 88.5 FM (Philadelphia, PA) will air “Alice’s Restaurant” at noon, following Sleepy Hollow Thanksgiving.
WFUV 90.7 FM (Bronx, NY) has a full schedule of live music programming, dubbed the WFUV Feastival, with Alice’s Restaurant running at noon on Thanksgiving.
WNCW 88.7 FM (Spindale, NC) will run “Alice’s Restaurant” at noon and 9pm.
Wyoming Public Media plans to air “Alice’s Restaurant” at 11am, amid a variety of Thanksgiving-themed programming.
WDVR 89.7 FM (Sergeantsville, NJ) will air the classic song a little after 8am. WDVR posted, “This Thanksgiving, Ted Lyons, host of the Honky Tonk Roadhouse on WDVR, will present ‘Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,’ the iconic 1967 recording by singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie. This will be the 24th year for the airing of ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ by Lyons…”
WMVY aka Mvyradio (Martha’s Vineyard and the Cape) will air “Alice’s Restaurant” at noon and will also run an archival Newport Folk Festival set by Arlo Guthrie at 9pm.
Eagle 102.3 Augusta’s Classic Rock (Augusta, GA) will air the song at noon and 6pm. Cliff Dyches writes on Facebook, “Since I started radio almost 25 years ago, I have ALWAYS played Alice’s Restaurant on Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition!!!”
107.5 The Breeze (Portsmouth, OH) will air the track at 9am, noon, and 5pm. Added bonus, the station tweets, “Follow along as the story unfolds based on true but slightly exaggerated events. And listen for your chance to WIN a copy of the CD.”
WNRN 91.9FM (Charlottesville, VA) plans to air “Alice’s Restaurant” at 9am, noon and 5pm.
WYEP 91.3 FM (Pittsburgh, PA) will air the song at 6pm.
DC101 (Washington, D.C.) will play “Alice’s Restaurant” at 7am.
The Wagon and Moon Grove in Second Life will be airing the track at nine and noon for you Second Life denizens. DJ Holocluck Henly is behind the turntables.
KBCO 97.3 FM (Boulder, CO) will play the song at noon and 6pm.
KRCC 91.5 FM (Colorado Springs, CO) is playing “Alice’s Restaurant” at 7pm.
95.9 The Fox (Stamford/Norwalk, CT) will play the track at 12:30pm.
102.9 The Whale (Hartford, CT) plays “Alice’s Restaurant” at 9am.
92 KQRS (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN) will play the track at noon and 6pm.
