Editing Arlo Guthrie (section)

==Career==
==="Alice's Restaurant"===
{{Main|Alice's Restaurant}}
[[File:ArloGuthrieMinnesotaZooAmphitheatre2005.jpg|thumb|Guthrie performing during the ''Alice's Restaurant Massacree 40th Anniversary'' tour in 2005]]
On November 26, 1965, while in [[Stockbridge, Massachusetts]], during [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] break from his brief stint in college, 18-year-old Guthrie and his friend, Richard Robbins, were arrested for illegally dumping on private property what Guthrie described as "a half-ton of garbage" from the home of his friends, teachers Ray and [[Alice Brock]], after he discovered that the local landfill was closed for the holiday. Guthrie and Robbins appeared in court, pled guilty to the charges, were levied a nominal fine and picked up the garbage that weekend.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3747386/alices_restaurant_massacree/ | title = Youths Ordered to Clean Up Rubbish Mess | newspaper = Berkshire Eagle | date = November 29, 1965 | location = Pittsfield, Massachusetts | page = 25 | via = Newspapers.com | quote = Richard J. Robbins, 19, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Arlo Guthrie, 18, of Howard Beach, N.Y.. each paid a fine of $25 in Lee District Court after pleading guilty of illegally disposing of rubbish.}}{{openaccess}}</ref>

This littering charge served as the basis for Guthrie's most famous work, "[[Alice's Restaurant]]", a [[talking blues]] song that runs 18 minutes and 34 seconds in its original recorded version. In 1997, Guthrie jokingly pointed out that this was also the exact length of one of the infamous gaps in President [[Richard Nixon]]'s [[Nixon White House tapes|Watergate tapes]], and that Nixon owned a copy of the record. The "Alice" in the song is Alice Brock, who had been a librarian at Arlo's boarding school in the town before opening her restaurant. She later opened an art studio in [[Provincetown, Massachusetts|Provincetown]], Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web|first=Alice |last=Brock |url=http://www.alicebrock.com/All%20About%20Alice.htm |title=All About Alice |work=AliceBrock.com |publisher=Alice Brock |access-date=January 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229200730/http://www.alicebrock.com/All%20About%20Alice.htm |archive-date=December 29, 2011 }}</ref>

The song lampoons the [[Vietnam War]] [[conscription|draft]]. However, Guthrie has stated in multiple interviews that the song is more an "anti-stupidity" song than an anti-war song, adding that it is based on a true incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ronbenningtoninterviews.com/2009/08/08/arlo-guthrie/|title=Ron Bennington Interviews Arlo Guthrie|website=Ronbenningtoninterviews.com|access-date=October 28, 2018|archive-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116052751/http://ronbenningtoninterviews.com/2009/08/08/arlo-guthrie/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the song, Guthrie is called up for a draft examination and rejected as unfit for military service as a result of a criminal record consisting solely of one conviction for the aforementioned littering. Alice and her restaurant are the subjects of the refrain, but are generally mentioned only incidentally in the story (early drafts of the song explained that the restaurant was a place to hide from the police). Though her presence is implied at certain points in the story, Alice herself is described explicitly in the tale only briefly when she bails Guthrie and a friend out of jail. On the DVD commentary for the 1969 movie, Guthrie stated that the events presented in the song all actually happened. Others, such as the arresting officer, [[William Obanhein]], disputed some of the song's details,<ref>Saul Braun, "Alice & Ray & Yesterday's Flowers," in ''[[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy]]'s'' Music Scene, Chicago, IL, 1972, pp. 122–125. [http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/alice.html Online copy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125225135/http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/alice.html |date=November 25, 2015 }}</ref> but generally verified the truth of the overall story.<ref name=wsj2006>[http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/celebrities/2006/11/22/Arlo-Guthrie-s-Alice-is-alive-glad-to-be-here/stories/200611220390 Arlo Guthrie's Alice is alive, glad to be here]. ''The Wall Street Journal'' via the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' (November 22, 2006). Retrieved September 8, 2017.</ref>

"Alice's Restaurant" was the song that earned Guthrie his first recording contract, after [[counterculture]] radio host [[Bob Fass]] began playing a tape recording of one of Guthrie's live performances of the song repeatedly one night in 1967.<ref name=fisher>Fisher, Marc. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=wxSnv8ZQFBUC&pg=PA136 Something in the Air: Radio, Rock, and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation].'' p. 136. Books.google.com</ref> A performance at the [[Newport Folk Festival]] on July 17, 1967, was also very well received.<ref name="LarkinGE"/><ref name="Smithsonian">{{Cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-alices-restaurant-180967276/ |title=A Brief History of "Alice's Restaurant" |last=Sears |first=David |date=November 20, 2017 |website=Smithsonianmag.com |access-date=November 22, 2017}}</ref> Soon afterward, Guthrie recorded the song in front of a studio audience in New York City and released it as side one of the album, ''Alice's Restaurant''.<ref name="Smithsonian" /> By the end of the decade, Guthrie had gone from playing coffee houses and small venues to playing massive and prestigious venues such as [[Carnegie Hall]] and the [[Woodstock Festival]].<ref name=guthrieinterview>Cummings, Paula (November 21, 2017). [https://nysmusic.com/2017/11/21/interview-arlo-guthrie-carries-on-thanksgiving-traditions-and-fulfills-family-legacy/ Interview: Arlo Guthrie Carries On Thanksgiving Traditions And Fulfills Family Legacy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026025024/https://nysmusic.com/2017/11/21/interview-arlo-guthrie-carries-on-thanksgiving-traditions-and-fulfills-family-legacy/ |date=October 26, 2018 }}. ''NYS Music''. Retrieved October 25, 2018.</ref>

For a short period after its release in October 1967, "Alice's Restaurant" was heavily played on U.S. college and counterculture radio stations. It became a symbol of the late 1960s, and for many it defined an attitude and lifestyle that were lived out across the country in the ensuing years. Its leisurely finger-picking acoustic guitar and rambling lyrics were widely memorized and played by irreverent youth. Many radio stations in the United States have a Thanksgiving Day tradition of playing "Alice's Restaurant".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uguakxft-JwC&q=%22alice's+restaurant%22&pg=PT190|title=The Joy of Family Traditions: A Season-by-Season Companion to Celebrations|author=Thompson, Jennifer Trainer|year=2011|publisher=Random House|isbn=9780307788849}}</ref>

A 1969 film, directed and co-written by [[Arthur Penn]], was based on the true story told in the song,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> but with the addition of a large number of fictional scenes. This film, also called ''[[Alice's Restaurant (film)|Alice's Restaurant]]'', featured Guthrie and several other figures in the song portraying themselves. The part of his father Woody Guthrie, who had died in 1967, was played by actor Joseph Boley; Alice, who made a [[cameo appearance]] as an extra, was also recast, with actress [[Pat Quinn (American actress)|Pat Quinn]] in the title role.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064002/ |title=Alice's Restaurant |publisher=[[IMDb]] }}</ref> Guthrie, Brock and Robbins have all spoken out about their dissatisfaction with the film and the way they were portrayed.<ref name=2023interview/><ref name=bostonglobe2008>Brown, Jane Roy (February 24, 2008). [http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/massachusetts/regions/capecod/articles/2008/02/24/after_alices_restaurants/?page=full After Alice's restaurants]. ''Boston Globe''. Retrieved October 24, 2015.</ref><ref name=bfa2014>Giuliano, Charles (March 27, 2014). [http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-27-2014_alice-s-restaurant-returns-to-the-berkshires.htm Alice's Restaurant Returns to the Berkshires]. ''Berkshire Fine Arts''. Retrieved October 24, 2015.</ref><ref name=wsj2006/>

Despite its popularity, the song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" was not always featured on the setlist of any given Guthrie performance. Since putting it back into his setlist in 1984, he has performed the song every ten years, stating in a 2014 interview that the Vietnam War had ended by the 1970s and that everyone who was attending his concerts had likely already heard the song anyway. So, after a brief period in the late 1960s and early 1970s when he replaced the monologue with a fictional one involving "multicolored rainbow roaches", he decided to do it only on special occasions from that point forward.<ref name=rollingstone>Doyle, Patrick (November 26, 2014). [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/arlo-guthrie-looks-back-on-50-years-of-alices-restaurant-20141126?page=2 Arlo Guthrie looks back on 50 years of Alice's Restaurant] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909053133/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/arlo-guthrie-looks-back-on-50-years-of-alices-restaurant-20141126?page=2 |date=September 9, 2017 }}. ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved November 29, 2014.</ref>

====Musical career and critical reception====
[[Image:Arlo Guthrie 2007.jpg|thumb|Guthrie performing with the Guthrie Family Legacy Tour 2007]]
The "Alice's Restaurant" song was one of a few very long songs to become popular just when albums began replacing hit singles as young people's main music listening. But in 1972 Guthrie had a highly successful single as well: [[Steve Goodman]]'s song "[[City of New Orleans (song)|City of New Orleans]]",<ref name="LarkinGE"/> a wistful [[paean]] to long-distance passenger [[railway|rail]] travel. Guthrie's first trip on that train was in December 2005 (when his family joined other musicians on a train trip across the country to raise money for musicians financially devastated by [[Hurricane Katrina]] and [[Hurricane Rita]], in the South of the United States). Other songs that achieved minor popularity without reaching the [[record chart]]s included "Coming into Los Angeles", which was played at the 1969 [[Woodstock Festival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rutlandherald.com/features/vermont_arts/alice-s-restaurant-is-back/article_18adacde-d843-53d5-8ec2-2d6b83a489f0.html|title='Alice's Restaurant' is back|author=Art Edelstein|website=Rutlandherald.com|date=October 6, 2018 |access-date=October 28, 2018}}</ref> and a live version of "[[The Motorcycle Song]]" (one of the songs on the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] of the ''Alice's Restaurant'' album). A cover of the folk song "[[Gypsy Davy]]" was a hit on the [[easy listening]] charts.

In the fall of 1975 during a benefit concert in [[Massachusetts]], Guthrie performed with his band, Shenandoah, in public for the first time. They continued to tour and record throughout the 1970s until the early 1990s.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Although the band received good reviews, it never gained the popularity that Guthrie did while playing solo. Shenandoah consisted of (after 1976) David Grover, Steve Ide, Carol Ide, Terry A La Berry and Dan Velika<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kasten |first=Roy |url=http://archives.nodepression.com/2001/01/arlo-guthrie-outlasting-the-bluespower-of-love/ |title=Arlo Guthrie: Outlasting The Blues / Power Of Love (Koch) |journal=Not Fade Away |publisher=Americana and Roots Music – No Depression  |date=January–February 2001 |issue=31 |access-date=January 1, 2012}}</ref> and is not to be confused with the country music group [[Shenandoah (band)|Shenandoah]]. The Ides, along with Terry a la Berry, reunited with Guthrie for a 2018 tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/arlo-guthrie-going-on-the-alices-restaurant-back-by-popular-demand-tour/|title=Arlo Guthrie going on "The Alice's Restaurant – Back By Popular Demand Tour"|website=Brooklynvegan.com|date=August 10, 2018 |access-date=October 28, 2018}}</ref> In 1991, Guthrie's backing band was known as Xavier, an assembly of college-aged musicians led by his son Abe, designed to emulate the sound of Guthrie's studio recordings as closely as possible.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D’agostino |first=John |date=1991-03-15 |title=Arlo Guthrie's Signature Lives On : Song: His "Alice's Restaurant" was the underground anthem of that long-past Summer of Love. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-15-ca-247-story.html |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

Guthrie performed a concert almost every Thanksgiving weekend at Carnegie Hall from the late 1960s until 2019; he had planned to end the tradition even before his career-ending stroke.<ref>[https://patch.com/new-york/midtown-nyc/arlo-guthrie-play-last-carnegie-hall-thanksgiving-show Arlo Guthrie To Play Final Carnegie Hall Thanksgiving Show], Patch.com, November 8, 2019</ref>

Guthrie's 1976 album ''[[Amigo (Arlo Guthrie album)|Amigo]]'' received a five-star (highest rating) from ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', and may be his best-received work. Aside from the song ''Massachusetts'', it also includes ''Victor Jara'', a poignant tribute to the slain Chilean folk singer with lyrics by poet [[Adrian Mitchell]].

However, that album, like Guthrie's earlier [[Warner Bros. Records]] albums, is rarely heard today, even though each contains strong folk and folk rock music accompanied by widely regarded musicians such as [[Ry Cooder]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2012-09-04 |title=Arlo Guthrie |url=https://www.mmone.org/arlo-guthrie/ |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=The Music Museum of New England |language=en-US}}</ref>

A number of musicians from a variety of genres have joined Guthrie onstage, including [[Pete Seeger]], [[David Bromberg]], [[Cyril Neville]], [[Emmylou Harris]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[Judy Collins]], [[John Prine]], Wesley Gray, [[Josh Ritter]], and others. A video from a concert with Seeger at [[Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts|Wolf Trap]] in 1993 has been a staple of YouTube,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSF89swJ9IU| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/sSF89swJ9IU| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|title=Arlo Guthrie/I Can't Help Falling In Love With You| date=June 30, 2008|access-date=September 9, 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> with Guthrie's story-telling showcased in a performance of "[[Can't Help Falling in Love]]".  In 2020, Guthrie collaborated with [[Jim Wilson (musician)|Jim Wilson]] on a cover of [[Stephen Foster]]'s "Hard Times Come Again No More".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jambands.com/news/2020/07/31/arlo-guthrie-and-jim-wilson-release-take-on-stephen-collins-fosters-hard-times-come-again-no-more/|title=Arlo Guthrie and Jim Wilson Release Take on Stephen Collins Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More"|date=July 31, 2020}}</ref>

On October 23, 2020, Guthrie announced via [[Facebook]] that he had "reached the difficult decision that touring and stage shows are no longer possible," due to a series of strokes that had impaired his ability to walk and perform. All of his scheduled tour appearances for 2020 were cancelled, and Guthrie said he will not accept any new bookings offered. His final performance at Carnegie Hall was on November 29, 2019. His final live touring concert was on March 7, 2020, at The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arloguthrie.com//about|title=About &#124; Arlo Guthrie|website=Arloguthrie.com|access-date=September 9, 2021}}</ref> He had attempted to record some private concerts in the summer of 2020 but concluded his playing was no longer up to his standards.<ref name="GoneFishing"/>

Guthrie rescinded his retirement announcement and stated that he would begin touring again in April 2023, albeit with his appearances reduced to locations in the Northeast within driving distance of his Massachusetts home, spaced at least one week apart to allow him to return home between shows. Due to the inhibitions caused by the stroke, the ''What's Left of Me'' tour was mostly conversations with Bob Santelli and archival video "with maybe some music included," but he embarked on the comeback tour in an effort to rehabilitate from his stroke more quickly.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Brooks |first=Dave |date=2022-11-14 |title=Arlo Guthrie to Come Out of Retirement for Storytelling 'What's Left of Me' Tour |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/arlo-guthrie-storytelling-tour-dates-retirement/ |access-date=2023-01-26 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> Guthrie expressed no interest in further tours after ''What's Left of Me'' ended, conceding he was no longer interested nor physically able to "live in a tour bus."<ref name=2023interview>{{Cite web |last=Daley |first=Lauren |title=Just in time for Thanksgiving, Arlo Guthrie tells it like it is |url=https://www.boston.com/culture/music/2023/11/22/just-in-time-for-thanksgiving-arlo-guthrie-tells-it-like-it-is/?s_campaign=bcom:socialflow:twitter |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=[[The Boston Globe]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Acting===
Though Guthrie is best known for being a musician, singer, and composer, throughout the years he has also appeared as an actor in films and on television. The film ''[[Alice's Restaurant (film)|Alice's Restaurant]]'' (1969) is his best known role, but he has had small parts in several films and even co-starred in a television drama, ''[[Byrds of Paradise]]''.

Guthrie has had minor roles in several movies and television series. Usually, he has appeared as himself, often performing music and/or being interviewed about the 1960s, folk music and various social causes.  His television appearances have included a broad range of programs from ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' (1979) to ''[[Politically Incorrect]]'' (1998).<ref>{{IMDb name|0349241}}</ref> A rare dramatic film part was in the 1992 movie ''[[Roadside Prophets]]''. Guthrie's memorable appearance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival was documented in the [[Michael Wadleigh]] film ''[[Woodstock (film)|Woodstock]]''.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/>

Guthrie also made a pilot for a TV variety show called ''The Arlo Guthrie Show'' in February 1987.  The hour-long program included story telling and musical performances and was filmed in Austin, Texas.  It was broadcast nationally on [[PBS]]. Special guests were Pete Seeger, [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[David Bromberg]] and [[Jerry Jeff Walker]].<ref>{{Cite web|via=[[YouTube]]|title=Amazing Grace ARLO GUTHRIE & FRIENDS|date=February 12, 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNHKlhTHoA| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/xhNHKlhTHoA| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|access-date=February 3, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.knowyoursong.com/Alices-Rock-Roll-Restaurant-by-Arlo-Guthrie-Lyrics.html/-line-64.html|title=Alice's Rock & Roll Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie|last=Guthrie|first=Arlo|website=Knowyoursong.com|access-date=January 29, 2018|archive-date=January 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130013823/http://www.knowyoursong.com/Alices-Rock-Roll-Restaurant-by-Arlo-Guthrie-Lyrics.html/-line-64.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Political activism===
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Guthrie had taken what seemed a left-leaning approach to American politics, influenced by his father. In his often lengthy comments during concerts, his expressed positions were consistently anti-war, anti-[[Richard Nixon|Nixon]], pro-drugs and in favor of making nuclear power illegal. However, he apparently did not perceive himself as the major youth culture spokesperson he had been regarded as by the media, as evidenced by the lyrics in his 1979 song "Prologue": "I can remember all of your smiles during the demonstrations ... and together we sang our victory songs though we were worlds apart."<ref>{{cite web|first=Alro |last=Guthrie |url=http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/prologue.shtml |title=Prologue: Words and Music by Arlo Guthrie |work=Arlo.net |publisher=Arloco Music Inc |access-date=January 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106111253/http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/prologue.shtml |archive-date=November 6, 2011}}</ref> A 1969 rewrite of "Alice's Restaurant" pokes fun at former President [[Lyndon Johnson]] and his staff.

In 1984, he was the featured celebrity in [[George McGovern]]'s presidential campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in Guthrie's home state of Massachusetts, performing at rallies and receptions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Marano |first=Richard Michael |title=Vote Your Conscience: The Last Campaign of George McGovern |publisher=Praeger Publishers | publication-place=Westport, Conn | isbn=978-0-275-97189-2 |year=2003 |page=172}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myspace.com/georgemcgovern/photos/48035887#%7B%22ImageId%22%3A48035887%7D |title=Promotional flyer for 'Rally for McGovern' on March 12, 1984, Copley Square, Boston, Massachusetts (Special guest: Arlo Guthrie) |website=Myspace.com |date=December 8, 2011 |access-date=January 1, 2012}}</ref><ref name="McGovern">{{citation | last=Butterfield | first=Fox | title=HART WINS IN MASSACHUSETTS; MCGOVERN PLANS WITHDRAWAL | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=14 March 1984 | issn=0362-4331 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/14/us/hart-wins-in-massachusetts-mcgovern-plans-withdrawal.html | language=en-US | access-date=15 July 2024 | page=}}</ref>

Guthrie identified as a registered [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] in 2008. He endorsed Texas Congressman [[Ron Paul]] for the [[Results of the 2008 Republican presidential primaries|2008 Republican Party nomination]], and said, "I love this guy. Dr. Paul is the only candidate I know of who would have signed the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] of the United States had he been there. I'm with him, because he seems to be the only candidate who actually believes it has as much relevance today as it did a couple of hundred years ago. I look forward to the day when we can work out the differences we have with the same revolutionary vision and enthusiasm that is our American legacy."<ref>{{cite news |first=June |last=Kronholz |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/01/29/group-w-grad-endorses-ron-paul/ |work=The Wall Street Journal |title=Group W Grad Endorses Ron Paul |date=January 29, 2008 |access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref> He told ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'' that he (had become) a Republican because, "We had enough good Democrats. We needed a few more good Republicans. We needed a [[loyal opposition]]."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/magazine/26fob-q4-t.html |work=The New York Times |title=Questions for Arlo Guthrie: Just Folk |first=Deborah |last=Solomon |date=July 26, 2009 |access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref>

Commenting on the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 election]], Guthrie identified himself as an independent, and said he was "equally suspicious of Democrats as I am of Republicans". He declined to endorse a candidate, noting that he personally liked [[Bernie Sanders]] despite disagreeing with parts of Sanders' platform. While he thought it "wonderful" that [[Donald Trump]] was not relying on campaign donations, he did not believe that it necessarily meant that Trump had the best interests of the country in mind.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/26/arlo-guthrie-on-stupid-politicians-and-50-years-of-thanksgiving-classic-alice-s-restaurant.html?via=desktop&source=facebook|title=Arlo Guthrie on 'Stupid' Politicians and 50 Years of Thanksgiving Classic 'Alice's Restaurant'|work=The Daily Beast|date=November 26, 2015|access-date=November 26, 2015}}</ref>

In 2018, Guthrie contacted publication ''[[Urban Milwaukee]]'' to clarify his political stance. He stated "I am not a Republican", and expressed deep disagreement with the Trump administration's views, especially its policies on immigration and treatment of detained immigrants by ICE. Guthrie further clarified, "I left the party years ago and do not identify myself with either party these days. I strongly urge my fellow Americans to stop the current trend of guilt by association, and look beyond the party names and affiliations, and work for candidates whose policies are more closely aligned with their own, whatever they may be. ... I don't pretend to be right all the time, and sometimes I've gone so far as to change my mind from time to time."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2018/07/02/im-not-republican-arlo-guthrie-says/|title="I'm Not Republican," Arlo Guthrie Says|work=Urban Milwaukee|date=July 2, 2018|access-date=July 4, 2018}}</ref>

Guthrie expressed support for the [[George Floyd protests]] in June 2020, stating that it would be good if politicians "embraced it rather than resist the evolving nature of what it means to be an American".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arlo.net/forums/blog/?permalink=15556|title=ArloNet News and Announcements|website=Arlo.net|access-date=September 9, 2021}}</ref>

In 2023, Guthrie stated that though he still maintained his personal convictions on particular issues, he had grown to become largely apolitical. He expressed irritation at having his past political views be brought up in later interviews and commented that the collapse of the groups and institutions that his parents' generation had embraced in favor of an overly individualist culture was "disheartening", but a natural progression of society.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schaffer |first=Noah |date=March 29, 2023 |title=Music Interview: Arlo Guthrie on Returning to the Stage and Being Banned in Boston - The Arts Fuse |url=https://artsfuse.org/270531/music-interview-arlo-guthrie-on-returning-to-the-stage-and-being-banned-in-boston/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=ArtsFuse |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Legacy===
[[File:Arlo Guthrie-Bardentreffen 2010.JPG|thumb|Guthrie in 2010 in [[Nuremberg]], Germany]]
Like his father, Woody Guthrie, he often sings songs of protest against social injustice.  He collaborated with poet [[Adrian Mitchell]] to tell the story of Chilean folk singer and activist [[Víctor Jara]] in song.  He regularly performed with folk musician Pete Seeger, one of his father's longtime partners.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reineke |first1=Hank |title=Arlo Guthrie: the Warner/Reprise years |date=2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=Lanham, Md. |pages=159–161 |oclc=883647214 |url=http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/883647214 |access-date=4 August 2022}}</ref> [[Ramblin' Jack Elliott]], who had lived for two years in the Guthries' home before Arlo left for boarding school, had absorbed Woody's style perhaps better than anyone; Arlo has been said to have credited Elliott for passing it along to him.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reineke |first1=Hank |title=Ramblin' Jack Elliott: The Never-Ending Highway |date=2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=Lanham, Md. |page=183 |oclc=663885711 |url=http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/663885711 |access-date=4 August 2022}}</ref>

In 1991, Guthrie bought the church that had served as Alice and Ray Brock's former home in [[Great Barrington, Massachusetts|Great Barrington]], Massachusetts, and converted it to the Guthrie Center, an interfaith meeting place that serves people of all religions.  The center provides weekly free lunches in the community and support for families living with HIV/AIDS, as well as other life-threatening illnesses. It also hosts a summertime concert series and Guthrie does six or seven fund raising shows there every year. There are several annual events such as the Walk-A-Thon to Cure Huntington's Disease and a "Thanksgiving Dinner That Can't Be Beat" for families, friends, doctors and scientists who live and work with Huntington's disease.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/11/AR2005081100624.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Richard |last=Harrington |title=Arlo Guthrie's Storied Career |date=August 12, 2005 |access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref>

One of the title characters in the comic strip ''[[Arlo and Janis]]'' is named after Guthrie. Cartoonist [[Jimmy Johnson (cartoonist)|Jimmy Johnson]] noted he was inspired by a friend who resembled Guthrie to name one of his characters Arlo.<ref name="Barbie">[https://books.google.com/books?id=BPWpLufrz_MC&dq=arlo+%26+janis&pg=PA90 Johnson, Rheta ''Enchanted Evening Barbie and the Second Coming: A Memoir''], NewSouth Books, 2010 {{ISBN|978-1-58838-250-4}} p. 90</ref> English commentator [[Arlo White]] was named after Guthrie.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/American-dream-reality-Arlo-White-Derby-voice/story-20468618-detail/story.html |title=Derby football reporter Arlo White: How American dream became a reality |accessdate=25 November 2014 |last=Gallone |first=Jill |date=21 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122174221/http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/American-dream-reality-Arlo-White-Derby-voice/story-20468618-detail/story.html |archive-date=22 January 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Guthrie was the subject of a 2012 unauthorized biography, ''Arlo Guthrie: The Warner Reprise Years'', by Hank Reineke, for which Guthrie refused to cooperate. After finding Reineke's work to be "better than (he) imagined it" and feeling it had suffered from Guthrie's non-participation in it, he agreed to assist Reineke in the sequel, ''Rising Son: The Life and Music of Arlo Guthrie'', which is being released in 2023.<ref name=2023interview/> Guthrie has expressed no interest in writing any memoir or tell-all.<ref name=2023interview/>