Now that I’m completely nauseated by the Republican Convention, It’s time to write about a true American hero. His name was Phil Ochs…and he was a real Commie!
The best document to check out for Phil Ochs is the documentary “There But For Fortune.” It was realeased in 2010 and was Directed by Kenneth Bowser.
Phil was the second fiddle to Bob Dylan which is kinda sad. Who really could take on Dylan in the 60’s? No one. Thus was the demise of Phil Ochs.
He had great producers like Van Dyke Parks just to drop one name. However, that could not save him from the troubles of the music business in the 60’s and the constant competing with Dylan. Dylan at one point actually threw Phil out of a limo one day.
Phil fell apart after the death of President Kennedy (not far from his own fathers). Ironic. At the Catholic church don’t they call the preist “father?” Yes, it was a close reflection.
Phil even made fun of liberals in his songs tounge in cheek. He really wanted to be famous…but instead, he made people nervous with his songs of constant political protest.
Then at A&M Phil went classical/folk and really blew everybodies mind. Jerry Moss comments now that it was the best thing to go with at the time. That is not a direct qoute.
After all this, RFK was assasinated and Phil took it personally. The war was still on through the sixties and the early 70’s. Of course LBJ was President then and Phil hated his stance on Vietnam. Then of course came the right wing Nixon. More of the same.
It was time for Phil to put out his “Greatest Hits.” In a gold lame suit, Phil blew everybody away with a power pop album that no one understood. Manic depression ran in his family…so who could blame him? “The Chords Of Fame.”
Then after much meandering and folk shenanigans, Phil went and hung himself in 1976. It was a great loss to the folk world and to humanity. Phil Ochs was a great American hero and we could use more like him now.
