Light in the western sky

It must have been hard being an American for the past eight years. Folk singer Arlo Guthrie certainly thinks so, but things are looking up. As Barack Obama takes office this January, Americans are feeling pretty good.

“I think we’re even more hopeful than the rest of the world,” he states. “We’ve had to live with eight years of incredible idiocy, so we’re really looking forward to some kind of change. Every once in a while a light shines for a little while, and we’re all very grateful for it.”
The Obama feelgood factor is pretty potent stuff. Even the recession hasn’t been able to dampen the optimism.
“You know, I’d rather have everybody feeling good instead of everyone having a little more cash. Maybe that’s the difference between what we’re hoping for and what we’ve been living with.”
Guthrie will be touring America with a full band over the next few months, and is hoping to get together with some old friends for a Woodstock reunion later in the year.
“That would be a lot of fun, especially as my original venture on that stage probably could have been better had I not been under the influence at the time!”
The Dublin show – a solo reunion as he calls it – will be a little more intimate.
“I have no idea what the it will be like. Oh, I’ll have a couple of guitars, and I’ll tell some stories about Woodstock. I’ll sit there and think of something at the time!”
Go on, tell us a story about Woodstock then!
“There was no way to drive directly to the festival, so they picked us up in a big helicopter. The door was open before we lifted off, and there were two state cops on the side of the door. One was a big guy, and one was a little guy. The big one said, ‘A lot of hippies down there’ and the little one said ‘Yep!’ Then the big one said, ‘I bet they’re doing lots of illegal stuff’ and the little one said, ‘Yep! I’m not going down there, are you?’ And the big one said, ‘No!’ So that’s when I realised we were going to have a pretty good time!
“The great thing about Woodstock was we knew we were part of an historic event at the time it was happening. Most historic events aren’t fun. It’s either a disaster or war or famine or flood. To be in an historic event that was fun, and know that you are part of history at the same time doesn’t happen very often.”
Woodstock is probably the one concert almost everyone wishes they’d been at.
“I suppose so,” muses Guthrie. “But don’t feel bad. Even the people who were there weren’t really there!”

Arlo Guthrie plays Cyprus Avenue, Cork (January 17); Whelan’s, Dublin (18); Roisin Dubh, Galway (20); Dolan’s, Limerick (21); Royal Theatre , Castlebar (24); and The Menagerie Bar Antrim (26).