Wiki Ochs
Philip David Ochs (pron.: /ˈoʊks/; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American protest
singer (or, as he preferred, a topical
singer) and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor,
earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and
distinctive voice. He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and released eight
albums in his lifetime.
Ochs performed at many political events, including anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies,
student events, and organized labor events over the course of his
career, in addition to many concert appearances at such venues as New York
City's Town Hall and Carnegie
Hall. Politically, Ochs described himself as a "left social
democrat" who became an "early revolutionary" after the protests at
the 1968 Democratic National Convention in
Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state
of mind.[1]
After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental
stability declined in the 1970s. He eventually succumbed to a number of
problems including bipolar disorder and alcoholism,
and took his own life in 1976.
Some of Ochs's major influences were Woody
Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Buddy Holly, Elvis
Presley, Bob Gibson, Faron Young, Merle
Haggard, John Wayne, and John
F. Kennedy.
His best-known songs include "I Ain't Marching Anymore",
"Changes", "Crucifixion", "Draft
Dodger Rag", "Love Me, I'm a Liberal", "Outside of a Small Circle of
Friends", "Power and the Glory", "There but for Fortune", and
"The War Is Over".
Biography
Early years
Phil Ochs was born in El
Paso, Texas, to Jacob ("Jack") Ochs, a physician who was born in New
York United States
His war experiences affected his mental health and he
received an honorable medical discharge in November 1945.[5] On his
return, Jack, who suffered from bipolar
disorder and depression,
worked at a series of hospitals around the country, unable to establish a
successful medical practice.[4] As
a result, the Ochs family moved frequently: to Far Rockaway, New York,
when Ochs was a teenager; then to Perrysburg in upstate
New York, where he first studied music; and then to Columbus, Ohio.[6]
Ochs grew up with an older sister, Sonia (known
as Sonny), and a younger brother, Michael.[7] The Ochs
family was middle class and Jewish, but not religious.[8] His
father was distant from his wife and children, and was hospitalized for
depression.[9] He
died in 1963 from a cerebral hemorrhage.[10]
As a teenager, Ochs was recognized as a talented clarinet
player; in an evaluation, one music instructor wrote: "You have
exceptional musical feeling and the ability to transfer it on your instrument
is abundant."[11] His
musical skills allowed him to play clarinet with the orchestra at the Capital University Conservatory of Music in
Ohio
Ochs also spent a lot of time at the movies. He especially
liked big screen heroes such as John Wayne and Audie
Murphy.[13] Later
on, he developed an interest in movie rebels, including Marlon
Brando and James Dean.[14]
From 1956 to 1958, Ochs was a student at the Staunton Military Academy in
rural Virginia,
and when he graduated he returned to Columbus and enrolled in the Ohio State University.[15] Unhappy
after his first semester, he took a leave of absence and went to Florida. While
in Miami, the
18-year-old Ochs was jailed for two weeks for sleeping on a park bench, an
incident he would later recall: "Somewhere during the course of those
fifteen days I decided to become a writer. My primary thought was journalism ...
so in a flash I decided—I'll be a writer and a major in journalism."[16]
Bob Gibson was a major influence on Ochs's writing.
Ochs returned to Ohio
State
At Ohio State
Glover taught Ochs how to play guitar, and they debated
politics.[13] Ochs
began writing newspaper articles, often on radical themes. When the student
paper refused to publish some of his more radical articles, he started his own
underground newspaper called The Word. His two main interests, politics
and music, soon merged, and Ochs began writing topical political songs. Ochs
and Glover formed a duet called "The Singing Socialists", [17] later
renamed "The Sundowners", but the duo broke up before their first
professional performance and Glover went to New
York City to become a folksinger. [18]
Ochs's parents and brother had moved from Columbus Ohio State New York
1962–1966
“In the early 1960s, there was a folk music rebirth
in this country with the likes of Peter, Paul and Mary,Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan.
Although his fame was probably limited, Ochs became an integral part of that
crowd. His songs ‘Draft Dodger Rag’ and ‘I Ain't Marching Anymore’ became a
rallying cry for the peace movement
much the way that Dylan's did.” - San Francisco Chronicle [22]
Ochs arrived in New York City
Ochs described himself as a "singing journalist", [25] saying
he built his songs from stories he read in Newsweek. [26]
By the summer of 1963 he was sufficiently well known in folk
circles to be invited to sing at the Newport Folk Festival, where he performed
"Too Many Martyrs" (co-written with Bob Gibson), "Talking
Birmingham Jam", and "Power and the Glory"— his patriotic
Guthrie-esque anthem that brought the audience to its feet.
Other performers at the 1963 folk festival included Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan,
and Tom
Paxton. [27] Ochs's
return appearance at Newport
PHOTO - Ochs in the
early 1960s playing his Gibson J-45.
During 1963, Ochs performed at New
York
Ochs contributed many songs and articles to the
influential Broadside Magazine. [34][35] He
recorded his first three albums for Elektra
Records: All the News That's Fit to Sing (1964), I Ain't Marching Anymore(1965), and Phil Ochs in Concert (1966). [36] Critics
wrote that each album was better than its predecessors, and fans seemed to
agree; record sales increased with each new release.[37]
On these records, Ochs was accompanied only by an acoustic
guitar. The albums contain many of Ochs's topical songs, such as "Too Many
Martyrs", "I Ain't Marching Anymore" and
"Draft Dodger Rag"; and some musical reinterpretation of older
poetry, such as "The Highwayman" (poem by Alfred
Noyes) and "The Bells" (poem by Edgar
Allan Poe). Phil Ochs in Concert includes some more introspective
songs, such as "Changes" and "When I'm Gone". [38][39]
During the early period of his career, Ochs and Bob Dylan
had a friendly rivalry. Dylan said of Ochs, "I just can't keep up with
Phil. And he just keeps getting better and better and better".[40] On
another occasion, when Ochs criticized one of Dylan's songs, Dylan threw him
out of his limousine, saying, "You're not a folksinger. You're a
journalist".[41]
In 1962, Ochs married Alice Skinner, who was pregnant with
their daughter Meegan, in a City Hall ceremony with Jim Glover as
best man and Jean Ray as bridesmaid, and witnessed by Dylan's
sometime girlfriend, Suze Rotolo. [42][43] Phil
and Alice separated in 1965, but they never divorced.[44][45]
Like many people of his generation, Ochs deeply admired
President John F. Kennedy, even though he disagreed with the
president on issues such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the growing involvement of the United
States in the Vietnamese civil war. When Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 , Ochs wept. He
told his wife that he thought he was going to die that night. It was the only
time she ever saw Ochs cry.[46][47]
Ochs's managers during this part of his career were Albert
Grossman (who also managed Dylan and Peter, Paul, and Mary) followed
by Arthur Gorson.[48] Gorson
had close ties with such groups as Americans For Democratic Action,
the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee, andStudents for a
Democratic Society.[49]
Ochs was writing songs at an amazing pace. Some of the songs
he wrote during this period were held back and recorded on his later albums.[50]
1967–1969
In 1967, Ochs—now managed by his brother Michael—left
Elektra for A&M Records and moved to California
Critic Robert
Christgau, writing in Esquire of Pleasures of the
Harbor in May 1968, did not consider this new direction a good turn. While
describing Ochs as "unquestionably a nice guy", he went on to say,
"too bad his voice shows an effective range of about half an octave [and]
his guitar playing would not suffer much if his right hand were webbed."
"Pleasures of the Harbor", Christgau continued,
"epitomizes the decadence that has infected pop since Sgt. Pepper. [The] gaudy
musical settings ... inspire nostalgia for the three-chord strum."[55] With
an ironic sense of humor, Ochs included Christgau's "webbed hand"
comment in his 1968 songbook The War is Over on a page titled
"The Critics Raved", opposite a full-page picture of Ochs standing in
a large metal garbage can.[56] Despite
his sense of humor, Ochs was unhappy that his work was not receiving the
critical acclaim and popular success he had hoped for.[57] Still,
Ochs would joke on the back cover of Greatest Hits that there were 50
Phil Ochs fans ("50 fans can't be wrong!"), a sarcastic reference to
an Elvis Presley album that bragged of 50 million Elvis fans.[58]
None of Ochs's songs became hits, although "Outside of
a Small Circle U.S.
Although he was trying new things musically, Ochs did not
abandon his protest roots. He was profoundly concerned with the escalation of
the Vietnam War, performing tirelessly at anti-war rallies across the country.
In 1967 he organized two rallies to declare that "The War Is
Over"—"Is everybody sick of this stinking war? In that case, friends,
do what I and thousands of other Americans have done—declare the war
over."[64]—one
in Los Angeles New York Yellow
Land
Other topical songs of this period include "Outside of
a Small Circle of Friends", inspired by the murder of Kitty Genovese, who was stabbed
to death outside of her New York City apartment building while dozens of her
neighbors reportedly ignored her cries for help, and "William Butler Yeats
Visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed", about the despair he felt in
the aftermath of the Chicago 1968 Democratic National Convention police riot.[66]
Ochs was writing more personal songs as well, such as
"Crucifixion", in which he compared the deaths of Jesus Christ and
President John F. Kennedy as part of a "cycle of
sacrifice" in which people build up heroes and then celebrate their
destruction; "Chords of Fame", a warning against the dangers and
corruption of fame; "Pleasures of the Harbor", a lyrical portrait of
a lonely sailor seeking human connection far from home; and "Boy in
Ohio", a plaintive look back at Ochs's childhood in Columbus.[67][68]
A lifelong movie fan, Ochs worked the narratives of justice
and rebellion that he had seen in films into his music, describing some of his
songs as "cinematic".[69] He was
disappointed and bitter when his onetime hero John Wayne embraced the Vietnam War with
what Ochs saw as the blind patriotism of Wayne
[H]ere we have John Wayne, who was a major artistic and
psychological figure on the American scene, ... who at one point used to make
movies of soldiers who had a certain validity, ... a certain sense of honor
[about] what the soldier was doing.... Even if it was a cavalry movie doing a
historically dishonorable thing to the Indians, even as there was a feeling of
what it meant to be a man, what it meant to have some sense of duty.... Now
today we have the same actor making his new war movie in a war so hopelessly
corrupt that, without seeing the movie, I'm sure it is perfectly safe to say
that it will be an almost technically-robot-view of soldiery, just by
definition of how the whole country has deteriorated. And I think it would make
a very interesting double feature to show a good old Wayne movie like,
say, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon with The Green Berets. Because
that would make a very striking comment on what has happened to America in
general.[70]
Ochs was involved in the creation of the Youth International Party, known as the
Yippies, along with Jerry Rubin, Abbie
Hoffman, Stew Albert, and Paul
Krassner.[71] At
the same time, Ochs actively supported Eugene
McCarthy's more mainstream bid for the 1968 Democratic
nomination for President, a position at odds with the more radical Yippie
point of view.[72][73] Still,
Ochs helped plan the Yippies' "Festival of Life"
which was to take place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention along with
demonstrations by other anti-war groups including the National
Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam.[74] Despite
warnings that there might be trouble, Ochs went to Chicago both as a guest of
the McCarthy campaign and to participate in the demonstrations. He performed
in Lincoln
Park, Grant Park, and at the Chicago
Coliseum, witnessed the violence perpetrated by the Chicago police against
the protesters, and was himself arrested at one point.[75][76]
The cover of Ochs's 1969 album,Rehearsals for Retirement
The events of 1968—the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert
F. Kennedy, the police riot in Chicago, and the election of Richard
Nixon—left Ochs feeling disillusioned and depressed.[77] The
cover of his 1969 album Rehearsals for Retirement eerily
portrays a tombstone with the words:
Ochs testified for the defense at the trial of the Chicago
Seven in December 1969. His testimony included his recitation of the
lyrics to his song "I Ain't Marching Anymore". On his way out of the
courthouse, Ochs sang the song for the press corps; to Ochs's amusement, his
singing was broadcast that evening by Walter
Cronkite on the CBS
Evening News.[79]
1970
After the riot in Chicago
Ochs sought to be "part Elvis
Presley ...
... and part Che Guevara".
Ochs turned to his musical roots in country music and early
rock and roll.[81]He
decided he needed to be "part Elvis Presley and part Che Guevara",[82] so he
commissioned a gold lamé suit from Elvis Presley's costumer Nudie Cohn.[83] Ochs
wore the gold suit on the cover of his 1970 album, Greatest Hits, which
consisted of new songs largely in rock and country styles.[67][81]
Ochs went on tour wearing the gold suit, backed by a rock
band, singing his own material along with medleys of songs by Buddy Holly,
Elvis, and Merle Haggard. His fans did not know how to respond. This new Phil
Ochs drew a hostile reaction from his audience. Ochs's March 27, 1970 , concerts atCarnegie
Hall were the most successful, and by the end of that night's second
show Ochs had won over many in the crowd. The show was recorded and released
as Gunfight at Carnegie Hall.[84]
During this period, Ochs was taking drugs to get through
performances. He had been taking Valium for
years to help control his nerves, and he was also drinking heavily.[85] Pianist Lincoln
Mayorga said of that period, "He was physically abusing himself
very badly on that tour. He was drinking a lot of wine and taking uppers. The wine
was pulling him one way and the uppers were pulling him another way, and he was
kind of a mess. There were so many pharmaceuticals around—so many pills. I'd
never seen anything like that."[86] Ochs
tried to cut back on the pills, but alcohol remained his drug of choice for the
rest of his life.[87][88]
Depressed by his lack of widespread appreciation and
suffering from writer's block, Ochs did not record any further
albums.[89] He
slipped deeper into depression and alcoholism.[87][88] His
personal problems notwithstanding, Ochs performed at the inaugural benefit
for Greenpeace on
October 16, 1970 , at
the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver,
BC. A recording of his performance, along with
performances by Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, was released by Greenpeace in
2009.
1971–197
In August 1971, Phil went to Chile Chile Argentina Bolivia Bolivia United States
Ochs was having difficulties writing new songs during this
period, but he had occasional breakthroughs. He updated his sarcastic song
"Here's to the State of Mississippi" as "Here's to the State of
Richard Nixon", with cutting lines such as "the speeches of the Spiro
are the ravings of a clown", a reference to Nixon's vitriolic vice
president, Spiro Agnew—sung as "the speeches of the President
are the ravings of a clown" after Agnew's resignation.[91][92][93]
Ochs was personally invited by John Lennon to
sing at a large benefit at the University
of Michigan United
States
Although the 1968 election had left him deeply
disillusioned, Ochs continued to work for the election campaigns of anti-war
candidates, such asGeorge McGovern's unsuccessful Presidential bid in 1972.[95]
In 1972, Ochs was asked to write the theme song for the
film Kansas City Bomber. The task proved difficult,
as Ochs struggled to overcome his writer's block. Although his song was not used in the
soundtrack, it was released as a single.[96]
Ochs decided to travel. In mid-1972, he went to Australia and New Zealand.[97] He
traveled to Africa in 1973, where he visited Ethiopia, Kenya,Tanzania, Malawi, and South
Africa. One night, Ochs was attacked and strangled by robbers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which damaged his
vocal cords, causing a loss of the top three notes in his vocal range.[98] The
attack also exacerbated his growing mental problems, and he became increasingly
paranoid. Ochs believed the attack may have been arranged by government
agents—perhaps the CIA . Still, he continued
his trip, even recording a single in Kenya
On September 11,
1973 , the Allende government of Chile Chile Chile
After the Chile
The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975 .[102] Ochs
planned a final "War Is Over" rally, which was held in New
York
Decline and death
Phil Ochs outside the offices of the National Student Association in Washington ,
D.C.
Ochs's drinking became more and more of a problem, and his
behavior became increasingly erratic. He frightened his friends both with his
drunken rants about the FBI and CIA, and about his claiming to want to
have Elvis's manager Colonel Tom Parker or Kentucky Fried Chicken's Colonel
Sanders manage his career.[104]
In mid-1975, Ochs took on the identity of John
Butler Train. He told people that Train had murdered Ochs, and that he, John
Butler Train, had replaced him. Train was convinced that someone was trying to
kill him, so he carried a weapon at all times: a hammer, a knife, or a lead
pipe.[105]
Ochs's friends tried to help him. His brother Michael
attempted to have him committed to a psychiatric hospital. Friends pleaded with him
to get help voluntarily. They feared for his safety, because he was getting
into fights with bar patrons. Unable to pay his rent, he began living on the
streets.[106]
After several months, the Train persona faded and Ochs
returned, but his talk of suicide disturbed his friends and family. They hoped
it was a passing phase, but Ochs was determined.[107]
One of his biographers explains Ochs's motivation: By Phil's thinking, he had died a long time
ago: he had died politically in Chicago in 1968 in the violence of the
Democratic National Convention; he had died professionally in Africa a few
years later, when he had been strangled and felt that he could no longer sing;
he had died spiritually when Chile had been overthrown and his friend Victor
Jara had been brutally murdered; and, finally, he had died psychologically at
the hands of John Train.[108]
In January 1976, Ochs moved to Far Rockaway, New
York April 9, 1976 , Ochs hanged
himself.[110]
Years after his death, it was revealed that the FBI had a
file of nearly 500 pages on Ochs.[111] Much
of the information in those files relates to his association with counterculture figures, protest
organizers, musicians, and other people described by the FBI as
"subversive".[112] The
FBI was often sloppy in collecting information on Ochs: his name was frequently
misspelled "Oakes" in their files, and they continued to consider him
"potentially dangerous"[113] after
his death.[112]
Congresswoman Bella Abzug (Democrat from New York), an
outspoken anti-war activist herself who had appeared at the 1975 "War is
Over" rally, entered this statement into the Congressional Record on April 29, 1976: Mr.
Speaker, a few weeks ago, a young folksinger whose music personified the
protest mood of the 1960s took his own life. Phil Ochs—whose original compositions
were compelling moral statements against war in Southeast Asia —apparently
felt that he had run out of words.
While his tragic action was undoubtedly motivated by
terrible personal despair, his death is a political as well as an artistic
tragedy. I believe it is indicative of the despair many of the activists of the
1960s are experiencing as they perceive a government which continues the
distortion of national priorities that is exemplified in the military budget we
have before us.
Phil Ochs' poetic pronouncements were part of a larger
effort to galvanize his generation into taking action to prevent war, racism,
and poverty. He left us a legacy of important songs that continue to be
relevant in 1976—even though "the war is over".
Just one year ago—during this week of the anniversary of the
end of the Vietnam War—Phil recruited entertainers to appear at the "War
is Over" celebration in Central Park , at which I
spoke.
It seems particularly appropriate that this week we should
commemorate the contributions of this extraordinary young man.[114]
Robert Christgau, who had been so critical of Pleasures of the Harbor and Ochs's
guitar skills eight years earlier, wrote warmly of Ochs in his obituary in
the Village Voice. "I came around to liking Phil
Ochs' music, guitar included," Christgau wrote. "My affection [for
Ochs] no doubt prejudiced me, so it is worth [noting] that many observers who
care more for folk music than I do remember both his compositions and his
vibrato tenor as close to the peak of the genre."[115]
Legacy
More than thirty years after his death, Ochs's songs remain
relevant. Ochs continues to influence singers and fans worldwide, many of whom
never saw him perform live. There are mailing lists and online discussion
groups dedicated to Ochs and his music;[116][117] websites
that have music samples, photographs, and other links;[118][119] and
articles and books continue to be written and published about him.[120]
His sister Sonny Ochs (Tanzman) runs a series of "Phil
Ochs Song Nights" with a rotating group of performers who keep Ochs's
music and legacy alive by singing his songs in cities across the U.S.
In February 2009, the North American Folk Music
and Dance Alliance gave the 2009 Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement
Award to Phil Ochs.[128]
Covers and updates
Ochs's songs have been covered by
scores of performers, including Eric
Andersen, Peter Asher, Joan Baez, Bastro, Cilla Black, Black 47, Billy Bragg, Eugene
Chadbourne, Cher, Gene Clark, Judy
Collins, Henry Cow, Allison
Crowe, John Denver,[121] Kevin
Devine, Ani DiFranco, disappear
fear, Mark Eitzel, Marianne Faithfull, Julie Felix, Diamanda
Galás, Dick Gaughan, Ronnie
Gilbert,[121] Thea
Gilmore, John Wesley Harding, Carolyn
Hester, Pat Humphries, Jason & the Scorchers,[129] Jim and
Jean, Jeannie Lewis,[130] Gordon
Lightfoot,[121] Christy
Moore,[131] Ray
Naylor, Harry Nilsson, Will Oldham, Brian
Ritchie, David Rovics, Melanie
Safka, Pete Seeger, The Shrubs, Squirrel
Bait, Crispian St. Peters, Teenage
Fanclub,Tempest, They Might Be Giants, Dave
Van Ronk, Eddie Vedder, and The
Weakerthans.[132] Wyclef Jean performed
"Here's to the State of Mississippi
In 1998, Sliced Bread Records released What's That I Hear?: The
Songs of Phil Ochs, a two CD set of 28 covers by artists that includes Eric
Andersen, Billy Bragg, John Gorka, Nanci
Griffith, Arlo Guthrie, Pat Humphries, Magpie, Tom Paxton,
Dave Van Ronk, Sammy Walker, Peter
Yarrow, and others.[134] The
liner notes indicate that all record company profits from the sale of the set
were to be divided between the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
of Southern California and Sing Out! magazine.[135]
Wood Records released an indie rock/experimental
rock tribute album titled Poison Ochs: A Tribute to Phil Ochs in
2003.[136]
In 2005, Kind Of Like Spitting released an
album, Learn: The Songs of Phil Ochs,
consisting of covers of nine songs written by Ochs, to pay tribute to his music
and raise awareness of the artist, whom they felt had been overlooked.[137][138]
Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon,
on their album Prairie Home Invasion, recorded a version of
"Love Me, I'm a Liberal" with lyrics updated to the Clinton
era.[139] Evan
Greer, part of the Riot-Folk collective, later updated the song for the George
W. Bush era.[140] Ryan
Harvey, also part of Riot-Folk, remade "Cops Of The World" with
updated lyrics.[141] The Clash used
some of the lyrics to "United Fruit" in their song "Up in Heaven
(Not Only Here)", which appeared on their 1980 album Sandinista!.[142] During
their performance on VH1
Storytellers, Pearl Jam covered "Here's to the State of
Mississippi" with updated lyrics to include Jerry
Falwell, Dick Cheney, John
Roberts, Alberto Gonzales, and George W. Bush.[143] In
2002, with the agreement of Ochs's sister Sonny, Richard Thompson added an extra
verse to "I Ain't Marching Anymore" to reflect recent American
foreign policy.[144] Jefferson Starship recorded "I Ain't
Marching Anymore" with additional lyrics by band member Cathy
Richardson for their 2008 release Jefferson's Tree of Liberty.[145]
Tributes
On learning of Ochs's death, Tom Paxton wrote a touching
song titled "Phil", which he recorded for his 1978 album Heroes.[146] Ochs
is also the subject of "I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night", by
Billy Bragg, from his 1990 album The Internationale. [147] "Thin
Wild Mercury," by Peter Cooper and Todd Snider,
is about Ochs's infamous clash with Dylan and getting thrown out of Dylan's
limo.[148] Ochs
is mentioned in the Dar Williams song "All My Heroes Are
Dead", the Will Oldham song "Gezundheit", the Chumbawamba song
"Love Me", and the They Might Be Giants song "The Day".[149] The Josh
Joplin Group recorded a tribute to Ochs on their album Useful
Music.[150] Schooner
Fare recorded "Don't Stop To Rest (Song for Phil Ochs)" on
their 1981 album Closer to the Wind.[146] Latin Quarter memorialized him in the
song "Phil Ochs" on their albumLong Pig (1993).[151]
John Wesley Harding recorded a song titled "Phil Ochs,
Bob Dylan, Steve Goodman, David Blue and Me", the title a reference to the
Ochs song "Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Me".[152] Singer-songwriter
Nanci Griffith wrote a song about Phil entitled "Radio Fragile".
English folk/punk songwriter Al Baker recorded a song about Ochs entitled
"All The News That's Fit To Sing", a reference to the title of Ochs's
first album.[149] Cajun
musician Vic Sadot wrote a song about Ochs entitled "Broadside
Balladeer".
[153] Singer-songwriter Jen Cass's
"Standing In Your Memory", and Harry
Chapin's "The Parade's Still Passing By" are tributes to
Ochs. Leslie Fish recorded "Chickasaw
Mountain April 9, 2009 , Jim Glover
performed a tribute to Ochs at Mother's Musical Bakery in Sarasota,
Florida.[156]
A one-hour musical commentary on the life and times of Phil
Ochs called No More Songs: Phil Ochs and the Sixties was performed at
the National Folk Festival held in the Australian capital, Canberra April 18, 2003 . The show
was written by Anthony Ashbolt, who also narrated it. The performers, A
Small Circle Australia
Popular culture
Among Ochs's many admirers were the short story writer Breece D'J Pancake[157] and
actor Sean
Penn.[158] Meegan
Lee Ochs, who worked as Sean Penn's personal assistant from 1983 to 1985,[159] wrote
in her Foreword to Farewells & Fantasies that she and Penn
discussed "over many years" the possibility of making a movie about
her father;[160] the
plan has not yet come to fruition, although Penn expressed an interest in the
project as recently as February 2009.[161] Author Jim Carroll's
autobiography, The Basketball Diaries (1978), was
dedicated in memory of Phil Ochs.[162] On
the cover of The Go-Betweens' The Lost Album, Grant
McLennan wore a shirt with the words "Get outta the car,
Ochs", a reference to the limousine incident involving Ochs and Dylan.[163] The
1994 film Spanking the Monkey makes reference to
Ochs and his suicide.[164] Ochs
is mentioned in the Stephen King novels The
Tommyknockers[165] and Hearts in Atlantis.[166]
Films
Michael Korolenko directed the 1984 biopic Chords of Fame, which featured Bill Burnett
as Ochs. The film included interviews with people who had known Ochs, including
Yippies Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, manager Harold Leventhal, and Mike
Porco, the owner of Gerde's Folk City. Chords of Fame also
included performances of Ochs songs by folk musicians who knew him, including
Bob Gibson, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Dave Van Ronk, and Eric Andersen.[167]
Filmmaker Ken Bowser directed the documentary film Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune,
which premiered at the 2010 Woodstock Film Festival inWoodstock, New York.[168][169][170] Its
theatrical run began on January 5, 2011, at the IFC
Theater in Greenwich Village, New York City, opening in cities around the US
and Canada thereafter.[171] The
film features extensive archival footage of Ochs and many pivotal events from
the 1960s civil rights and peace
movements, as well as interviews with friends, family and colleagues who
knew Ochs through music and politics. [172][173] ThePBS American
Masters series opened its 2012 season with an edited version of the
film.[174]
Professional affiliations
Ochs was a member of the American Federation
of Television and Radio Artists, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.[175][176]
The music publishing company Ochs formed with Arthur Gorson,
Barricade Music, was an ASCAP company.[177]
Discography
Main article: Phil Ochs discography
Studio albums and live recordings
I Ain't Marching Anymore (Elektra,
1965)
Phil Ochs in Concert (Elektra, 1966)
Pleasures of the Harbor (A&M,
1967)
Tape from California (A&M, 1968)
Rehearsals for Retirement (A&M,
1969)
Greatest Hits (A&M, 1970)
Gunfight at Carnegie Hall (A&M
Canada, 1975)
Compilations and other albums
Chords of Fame (A&M, 1976)
Interviews with Phil Ochs (Folkways,
1976)
The War Is Over: The Best of
Phil Ochs (A&M, 1988)
The Broadside Tapes 1 (Smithsonian
Folkways, 1989)
There but for Fortune (Elektra,
1989)
There and Now: Live in Vancouver
1968 (Rhino, 1991)
Farewells & Fantasies (Elektra/Rhino,
1997)
American Troubadour (A&M Britain,
1997)
The Early Years (Vanguard,
2000)
20th
Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Phil Ochs (Universal,
2002)
On My Way (Micro Werks, 2010)
See also
Notes
1^ Schumacher,
p. 201.
2^ Schumacher,
p. 13.
3^ Schumacher,
pp. 11–12.
5^ Schumacher,
p. 17.
6^ Schumacher,
pp. 20, 23–24.
7^ Schumacher,
pp. 15–16
8^ Eliot
(1989), p. 12.
9^ Schumacher,
pp. 16–17, 21.
10^ Schumacher,
p. 57.
11^ Schumacher,
p. 24.
12^ Schumacher,
pp. 24–27.
13^ a b Kornfeld,
Michael (16 January 2011 ). "Sonny
Ochs Reflects on Her Brother Phil and a New Film About Him". Acoustic
Music Scene. Retrieved 18 January 2011 .
14^ Eliot
(1989), pp. 5, 8, 13.
15^ Schumacher,
pp. 26–28.
16^ Doggett,
P. (2001). All the News That's Fit to Sing/I Ain't Marching Anymore (CD
reissue). Elektra.
17^ Houghton,
Mick; Allan Jones (March 2011). "The Power and the
Glory". Uncut. Page 60.
18^ Schumacher,
pp. 33–41.
19^ Schumacher,
pp. 41–42.
20^ Schumacher,
p. 43.
21^ Schumacher,
pp. 44–45.
22^ 'Phil
Ochs' Review: A Voice Made for Marching by Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle, March 18, 2011
23^ Schumacher,
p. 53.
24^ Brend, pp.
101–102.
25^ Buckley,
Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to More Than
1200 Artists and Bands (3 ed.). London
26^ Schumacher,
p. 54.
27^ Schumacher,
pp. 59–63.
28^ Schumacher,
p. 84.
29^ Schumacher,
pp. 98, 101–104.
31^ Schumacher,
p. 67.
32^ Schumacher,
pp. 112–115.
33^ Cohen
(1999), pp. 12–15.
34^ Schumacher,
pp. 54–55.
36^ Cohen
(1999), pp. 189–191.
37^ Schumacher,
pp. 91–92, 117.
38^ Eliot
(1989), pp. 77, 86–89, 99–103.
39^ Schumacher,
pp. 76–77, 90–91, 116–117.
40^ Dallas,
Karl (November 27, 1965). "Dylan Said It—'I Can't Keep Up With
Phil'". Melody Maker. p. 10.
41^ Schumacher,
p. 106.
42^ Rotolo,
Suze (2008). A freewheelin' time: a memoir of Greenwich
Village in the sixties. New York
43^ Eliot
(1979), pp. 61-63.
44^ Schumacher,
pp. 58, 67, 92.
45^ Eliot
(1989), p. 148.
46^ Schumacher,
p. 68.
47^ Schumacher,
pp. 68–69.
48^ Eliot
(1989), p. 64, 94.
49^ Eliot
(1989), pp. 66–67.
50^ Schumacher,
pp. 118, 149.
51^ Schumacher,
pp. 129–130, 134.
52^ Cohen
(1999), pp. 191–193.
53^ Brend, p.
106.
54^ Eliot
(1989), pp. 131–133.
55^ Christgau,
Robert (May 1968). "Dylan-Beatles-Stones-Donovan-Who,
Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield, John Fred, California".Esquire. Retrieved January 24, 2009 .
56^ Ochs
(1968), p. 44.
57^ Schumacher,
p. 166.
58^ Schumacher,
p. 226.
59^ Eliot
(1989), pp. 136–137.
60^ Warner,
Jay (2008). Notable Moments of Women in Music. Milwaukee
61^ Taylor,
Timothy Dean (1997). Global Pop: World Music, World Markets. New
York
63^ Schumacher,
p. 95.
64^ Ochs, Phil
(November 23, 1967). "Have You Heard? The War is Over!". The
Village Voice.; reprinted in Ochs (1968), p. 92; excerpted in Schumacher,
p. 171.
65^ Schumacher,
pp. 139–148, 170–173.
66^ Schumacher,
pp. 149, 208.
68^ Schumacher,
pp. 110, 160, 214–215, 223–224.
70^ Cunningham,
Sis; Gordon Friesen (1968). "Interview with
Phil Ochs". Broadside Magazine (91).; quoted in
Schumacher, p. 178.
71^ Eliot
(1989), p. 140.
72^ Schumacher,
p. 182–184.
73^ Despite
their disagreements, the Yippies used several Ochs songs in their media, in
particular the anti-war "I Ain't Marching Anymore". For example,
see this
Yippie-produced documentary.
74^ Brend, pp.
106–107.
75^ Schumacher,
pp. 194–196.
76^ See also
the documentary film Conventions:
The Land Around Usat Google
Videos (Adobe Flash video).
77^ Schumacher,
p. 204.
78^ Schumacher,
p. 211.
79^ Eliot
(1989), pp. 175–188.
80^ Schumacher,
pp. 222–223.
82^ Schumacher,
p. 227.
83^ Brend, p.
108.
84^ Schumacher,
pp. 227–233.
85^ Schumacher,
pp. 216–217, 233.
86^ Schumacher,
p. 233.
89^ Schumacher,
pp. 226, 235, 255.
90^ Schumacher,
pp. 239–253.
91^ Schumacher,
p. 255.
92^ Eliot, p.
216.
93^ The
"Spiro" lyrics can be heard in this clip from the
1971 "Free John Sinclair" rally. The "President" lyrics can
be heard in the 1974single release.
94^ Schumacher,
pp. 256–259.
95^ Schumacher,
pp. 262–263.
96^ Schumacher,
pp. 263–264, 269, 271.
97^ Schumacher,
pp. 264–271.
99^ Schumacher,
pp. 279–285.
100^ Schumacher,
pp. 287–297.
101^ Schumacher,
pp. 298–299.
102^ Schomp ,
Virginia Tarrytown , N.Y.
103^ Schumacher,
pp. 304–306.
104^ Schumacher,
pp. 310–311.
105^ Schumacher,
pp. 312–318
106^ Schumacher,
pp. 327–333.
107^ Schumacher,
pp. 339–341.
108^ Schumacher,
p. 341.
109^ After
Ochs's death, his sister found he had been lying about taking his medication.
Schumacher, p. 349.
110^ Schumacher,
pp. 344–352.
111^ Blair, p.
4.
113^ Schumacher,
p. 355.
114^ Abzug,
Bella (April 29, 1976). Congressional Record 122 (10).,
quoted in Schumacher, pp. 354–355.
115^ Christgau,
Robert (April 19, 1976). "Phil Ochs
1940-1976". The
Village Voice. Retrieved January
28, 2009 .
120^ Examples
include Marlatt, Jayne Stewart (1985). There but for Fortune: A
Critical Analysis of the Protest Rhetoric of Phil Ochs. California
State University 18 August 2010 ). "Dylan’sBlonde
on Blonde vs. Ochs’ Pleasures of the Harbor". Crawdaddy
Magazine. Retrieved 8 September 2010 .
121^ a b c d Ochs,
Sonny. "History
of Phil Ochs Song Nights". SonnyOchs.com. Retrieved October 5, 2010 .
122^ "Getty
Images Acquires the Michael Ochs Archives". February 27, 2007 . Retrieved January 28, 2009 .
123^ Cohen,
David (December 4, 1997). "Phil
Ochs: Pleasures of the Puzzle". Columbus Free Press. Retrieved January 28, 2009 .
127^ "ALICE
ELIZABETH OCHS Obituary". Marin Independent Journal. 8 December 2010 . Retrieved 20 January 2011 .
128^ Tackett,
Travis (October 24, 2008 ). "Folk
Alliance to honor Old Town School of Folk Music, Phil Ochs, Guy & Candie
Carawan". BluegrassJournal.com. Retrieved April 23, 2009 .
130^ Healy,
Barry (July 29, 1998). "What
Phil Ochs Heard". Green
Left Weekly. Retrieved November 2,
2010 .
131^ Denselow,
Robin (October 20, 2005 ). "Christy
Moore, Burning Times". The
Guardian. Retrieved November 13,
2011 .
132^ Cohen
(1999), pp. 273–294.
133^ Hornaday,
Ann (April 30, 2010 ). "Movie
Review: 'Soundtrack for a Revolution'". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 17, 2010 .
134^ Eder ,
Bruce. "What's That I
Hear?: The Songs of Phil Ochs". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 28, 2009 .
136^ Shimmer,
Matt. "Poison
Ochs: A Tribute to Phil Ochs". indieville.com. Retrieved January 29, 2009 .
139^ Cohen
(1999), p. 274.
142^ Cohen
(1999), p. 294.
143^ "Storytellers:
Pearl Jam". VH1.
Archived from the
original on October 17, 2008 .
Retrieved January 29, 2009 .
144^ Winters,
Pamela (June 9, 2003 ). "Richard
Thompson: Plunging the Knife in Deeper". Paste.
Retrieved January 29, 2009 .
145^ "New Jefferson
Starship Album of Formative Folk Treasures: Jefferson's Tree of Liberty".
Top40 Charts.com. August 8, 2008 .
Retrieved February 2, 2010 .
147^ Bragg,
Billy. "I
Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night". BillyBragg.co.uk. Retrieved January 20, 2012 .
148^ Cooper,
Peter; Todd Snider. "Thin Wild
Mercury". Peter Cooper - The Official Site. Retrieved January 20, 2012 .
157^ McPherson,
James Alan (2003). "Foreword". In Breece D'J Pancake.The Stories of
Breece D'J Pancake. Boston Back
Bay . p. 12.ISBN 978-0-316-71597-3.
159^ Kelly,
Richard T. (2006). Sean Penn: His Life and Times. New
York U.S.
161^ Kreps,
Daniel (February 6, 2009 ). "Sean
Penn: The Story Behind the Story". Rolling
Stone. Retrieved April 4, 2012 .
164^ Lane,
Zack (June 20, 2002 ). "Woosters Stories
Offer Cure for All Things Depressing". Daily
Nebraskan. Retrieved January 26,
2009 .
166^ King,
Stephen (2001). Hearts in Atlantis. New York
167^ Maslin,
Janet (February 16, 1984). "Film:
Phil Ochs, A Short Biography". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2010 .
169^ Baker,
Bob (December 26, 2010 ). "Tracing the
Arc of a Tragic Folk Singer". The New York Times. Retrieved December 26, 2010 .
170^ Bell September 1, 2010 ). "2010 Woodstock Film
Festival Announces Lineup". Film Threat.
Retrieved September 1, 2010 .
172^ Rooney,
David (2 January 2011 ). "Phil
Ochs: There But for Fortune -- Film Review". The Hollywood
Reporter. Retrieved 24 January 2011 .
173^ Vozick-Levinson,
Simon (10 December 2010 ). "'Phil
Ochs: There But for Fortune,' a great documentary about an underappreciated
folk singer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 January 2011 .
174^ Burger,
David (21 December 2011 ). ""American
Masters" to feature Phil Ochs and Cab Calloway in 2012". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 20 January 2012 .
176^ "What
Is AFTRA?". American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Archived from the original on
May 28, 2007 . Retrieved February 4, 2009 .
177^ Ochs
(1978), passim.
References
Blair, Eric (2007). Folk Singer for the FBI: The Phil
Ochs FBI File. Morrisville , North
Carolina
Brend, Mark (2001). American Troubadours:
Groundbreaking Singer-Songwriters of the 60s. San
Francisco
Cohen, David (1999). Phil Ochs: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport ,
Conn. Greenwood
Eliot, Marc (1979). Death of A Rebel: Starring Phil
Ochs and a Small Circle
Eliot, Marc (1989) [1979]. Death of a Rebel: A
Biography of Phil Ochs. New York
Ochs, Phil (1978). The Complete Phil Ochs. Hollywood ,
Calif.
Schumacher, Michael (1996). There But for Fortune: The
Life of Phil Ochs. New York
Further reading
Brown, Peter Stone (2011). "Where is Phil Ochs
When We Really Need Him?". CounterPunch;
"Folk
Singer Ochs' Songs Live On". Victoria Advocate. August 3, 1997 .
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Phil OchsPhil Ochs web pages includes
lyrics, discography, images, &c.
No More Songs A
growing collection of less widely available material relating to Phil
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