When the wind from the island is rolling through the trees / When a kiss from a prison cell is carried in the breeze / That's when I wonder how sad a man can be.
Oh, when will Celia come to me? / Oh, when will Celia come to me? This is the beauty of Phil Ochs.
I wake each morning and I watch the sun arise / I wonder if my Celia sleeps, wonder if she cries / If hate must be my prison lock, love must be the key / Oh, when will Celia come to me?The guns have stopped their firing, you may wander through the hills / They kept my Celia through the war, they keep her from me still/ She waits upon island now, a prisoner of the sea / Oh, when will Celia come to me?
When the wind from the island is rollin' through the trees / When a kiss from a prison cell is carried in the breeze / That's when I wonder how sad a man can be.
/ Oh, when will Celia come to me? / I still remember the mountains of the war
Sierra Madre and the Philipino shore . When will I lie beside my Celia 'neath the trees? / Oh, when will Celia come to me?
THIS COMING JANUARY 5TH , THE DOCUMENTARY BY KENNETH BOWSER "PHIL OCHS:THERE BUT FORTUNE" IS BEING SHOWN AT IFC CENTER ON 323 AVENUE OF THE MERICAS...CALL FOR THE TIME AT 212-924-7771 AND I SUGGEST YOU LISTEN TO FRIENDS OF PHIL ON "RADIO UNNAMEABLE" EVERY THURSDAY AT MIDNIGHT ON 99.5 FM WBAI,A 100% LISTENER SPONSORED RADIO FROM FROM PACIFICA FOUNDATION..CALL THERE DURING THE PROGRAM LIVE:212-209-2900 AND GIVE BILL PROPP AND HOST BOB FASS SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS....TOM SCHMIDT
I had the privilege of meeting this wonderful poet and true activist,what a loss and how we need him today what would he write about now that we live in a FOX NOISE world
To copenhagenrayne: I think you misunderstood me.....I'm objecting on ARTISTIC grounds to his switching from the plight of the individual man to the Viet Nam business. It seems tacky to me.
@ferdinandthecrow He didn't actually SWITCH from "the plight of the individual man to the Viet Nam business". Phil's music was ALWAYS political, and he was one of the first people in the whole country to oppose that insane and unwinnable war. And that war led to dismal plights for many "individual men". And women. And children, although people like you don't care because they weren't white American children.
If it's "tacky" to be against massive and senseless killing, we need tackiness.
So, Sue and I -borrowed- her father's Chevy and with money enough to go from NY to Philly and get into the club we saw Phil. Coming home? running out of gas on the Jersey TPK...picked up a hitcher from Fort Dix...he wanted more than the toll and some gas...somehow we got home intact.
Who would guess he was classically trained (as a clarinetist) as I recall? And such a terrible, prolonged ending. Too ugly to tell here. But he left so much that deserves to be remembered.
@willgonow Which just proved that Dylan was an asshole(a genius at times, but an asshole). As Joan Baez and Suze Rotolo(the woman Dylan appears with on the "The Freewheelin' Bob" album cover)and many other people could also have told you.
I think every verse in the song accompanies each other nicely. Poverty, hunger, war all can be a consequence of one another. But there but for fortune, go you or I.
@ferdinandthecrow It was PART of the original concept. He was writing about people and then using the same lyrical structure to write about larger things.
In a far darker vein, Phil used the same idea in his song "Pretty Smart On My Part", where he used the images of a series of people with severe moral damage and then showed how the same mindset created a morally damaged country whose leaders felt entitled to invade and overthrow the government of any country they wanted to..
Phil Ochs fans, help me out. Does anyone have an extra $150.00 if so you could get the DVD footage of Phil Ochs with his backup rock band. It's a dream to see Phil's 3 David Frost episodes, and his 1 Mike Douglas show. If you have the spare cash to buy one episode, please email me. They're for sale from the people who have the shows films. They'll put any episode on DVD. Live footage of Phil playing Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends, and Elvis/Buddy Holly Melodies with a rock band!
The company that owns all the episodes on film will convert any episode to DVD. They don't give discounts for multiple episodes. I knew about 1 episode of David Frost, but they let me know that he was on 3 times. This is four full shows that have never ever been released on DVD, or bootleged. If any fan has the cash, let me know, and I'll get you the info. THEN we can all own it for free! I can't afford it, but if 4 people buy 1 each, we'll have them all streaming MKV in the DivX Web Player.
Shit I can't even find it know, but I have been in talks through email, it was a few years ago though. Damn, I really want that footage of Phil Ochs doing the Buddy Holly melody in his gold suit. They say he will emerge like Cinderella, then Phil Ochs says, how about like Superman coming out of a phone booth.
Listen to Harry CHAPIN's "The Parade's Still Passing By" and you'll get chills. I think that this is a testament to the greatness of this type of music. It transcends age and time and is relevant to all of us. I've turned on Many friends who are my age (32) and even younger to this music. I strongly encourage you to do the same. Now more than ever, we need to hear songs like these. We all need to take it upon ourselves to do something to make this world a better place to be. -Mike Tocci
(One of the 1st posts, here) reminded those who love(d) Phil, that his sister, Sonia ("Sonny") is keeping her bro's memory alive. Those who live near major cities should keep a look-out for "Phil Ochs' Song Nights," her "travelling tribute" shows. In add'n to intro'ing up & coming "stars" who sing (at least ONE) of *their* fave Phil songs, every concert ends with "When I'm Gone." **Is a rather good pc on Wiki about him. Has a Bella Abzug address, to Congress, 2+ wks after he passed.
Nice to see some interesting facts and intellectual exchange worthy of this song and Phil on this last page. I didn't know Dylan finally admitted he was wrong, though anyone who sees "Don't look Back" can see what a jerk Dylan could be. Also, that Phil was bipolar with drinking binges has more to do with his death than when his vocal chords of fame were cut in S. America.
and i'll show you a great man with so many reasons why
in a world with any justice Phil would never die. so unhappy.
OK thanks I've been wrong about that for so many years. I wish Phil had been bigger than Dylan. Selfishly, of course, so women would say oh I love Phil too .. let's go to bed now. I usually pick those who never make it big. ha. Rarely does great music get a lot of attention with the exception of the Beatles and some others and if you ask me the later Beatles are so overrated whereas the early and middle (Rubber Soul, Revolver) records are my favs and underrated.
Later, after Oaks' death, FBI documents leaked about Oaks. They deemed him as a potentially dangerous indiviual. just goes to show that ideas are more powerful than weapons.
"When I'm Gone" (as sung by Phil) is nowhere to be *found* here! Anyone willing to post? Is particularly poignant--coz of how Phil died--& deeply personal--I switched majors to Social Work, after hearing it. My Dad, appalled @ the change, asked why... so I took out my 6-string & sang it.
Dad, tears in his eyes, said, "Go ahead. Change the world, Daughter..." Sadly, both Phil & Dad are dead (& I w/drew from college). Would mean a LOT to hear it again... Thanx.
Phil was MURDERED! I have personally collected precious evidence on Phil Ochs, I have mailed it to any who will ask. Phil Ochs was murdered by our own Government/CIA/Secret Service. I have very strong information to support this. It will convince any skeptic, I can assure that. Psychiatry, and "medicine" to help? Tom Cruise was right about that. Cut out the ignorance Phil Ochs fans, and let's get some Justice For Phil!
I hope to hell you are wrong. I love Phil and as far as I know-he hung himself in his sisters house after having his vocal chords damaged in Africa. Do you really know different?
No, he just didn't want to be lumped with the the fingerpointing songs. He was beginning to write more songs about other things, and he felt that politics was restricting him.
We have to stop this tendency of trying to attack folks by categorizing them as this or that. Let's stop stereotyping people, regardless of their supposed political views.
We cannot face the challenges ahead of us by character attacks and guilt by association. Help us to have good hearts and the strength to meet our challenges boldly, honestly, and with full valor.
He was a genius .. listen to Changes. You don't have to like his politics. Neil Young says Phil Ochs had great melodies .. listen to his later CDs and you know he was a genius. Poor Phil.
What can't you stand? That he stood against racists and murderers? That he believed that everyone derserved an opportunity for a good life? That he strove for America to embrace the values of equality, freedom and justice it disgarded decades ago?
If you don't like his politics I really don't see what you get out of his muisc...
Equality, freedom and justice? He was a marxist. He took up the issues to undermine his own country but ignored the same thing or worse in nations he admired like Cuba, Vietnam, and the Eastern block. I don't like Leni Reienstahl's Nazi politics but I can appreciate her filmmaking. Ochs was a genius who wrote and sang brillantly but his political reasoning was warped and sadly so was his mental state in the last years of his life. Paul Robeson was the same way. God does not give with two hands.
Actually he wasn't a marxist. He declared this after Marxists criticised him for writing ''That was the President'. True, Ochs spoke highly of countries like Cuba which undoubtedly had many faults of their own. However, it wasn't his job to highlight the problems of these countries; the Western media was already doing enough of that. Ochs was an American and he only criticised his own country because he loved it so much. He was not undermining it, he was fighting for it.
I don't know what the "job description" of a political folk singer is but he gave aid and support to marxist police states around the world in the freedom that his own nation provided including celebrating the Communist take over of Vietnam in 1975. He committed suicide when Pol Pot in Cambodia was commiting genocide and the plight of boat babies from Vietnam came to light.
Communism was called Fascism with a human face and the same can be said of Ochs.
Fascism with a human face? Phil Ochs? Now you're being ridiculous... What aid and support did he give to these countries? Just because Pol Pot claimed to be a communist doesn't mean all socialists are evil. Ochs never glorified any Stalinist leaders. His main messages were equality for black people and for workers to be given a fair share of the wealth they helped to create. Surely you can't argue with these concepts?
People who do not understand communism have no right to speak against it. Get acquainted with it first before you say communism is bad and before you hate the politics of people who espouse Marxism and communism.
And while George Bush claimed to champion freedom and liberty, he was slaughtering the innocent in different parts of the world.
If he was really for equality for black people and for workers he would be staunchly opposed to Castro but he wasn't to name one example. His high-minded idealism that centers on the faults of the USA and not any communist nation is part of the big lie.
I fail to see how Ochs' beliefs in civil rights and labor organizing were undermined by lack of talk about Castro. By that logic, Martin Luther King wasn't for equality for black people.
Lack of talk? He was a strong supporter of all kinds of Marxist movements. Did he care about the crimes they engaged in. If he did, he never talked or sang about it.
With all its flaws, the Cuban Revolution was the first time in Cuban history that blacks had lived as equals to whites. The Miami exiles would take that away.
The answer is democratic socialism, not a restoration of the old order. There was NOTHING worth getting back about the Batista era, and no black Cubans want it back.
Second maybe only to Dr. Martin Luther King, Phil Ochs's absence in modern times is the thing from the 60s I miss the most. I hope somewhere in the universe there is some kind of green, shady, tree lined farm, and Nick Drake, Phil Ochs, and Tim Buckley are trading guitar tunings...
I first heard Phil Ochs in Berkeley in the mid-1960s, have always been touched when I hear his music. Phil was so intelligent and sweet. His early death was a great loss for me and for many others.
well it just goes to show that a college education isn't always worth the time or expense. ponder this: i believe it's all about HAPPENSTANCE/FATE/THE LUCK OF THE DRAW.
Oh by the way, the correct spelling is CONSENSUS, you twit.
Today, people hear, find, experience, and purchase music in such different ways than in the 60s, and they do it all for different reasons. Phil's songs can't be stretched to 4 minutes for top-40 radio stations. it is music that must be LISTENED TO, not just heard in the backround. In a world full of (so called)music that sells copies only because an annoying chorus gets stuck in your head, its nice to look back to songwriters who meant what they said, and for the right reasons.
First heard about him when Billy Bragg wrote 'I Dreamt of Phil Ochs Last Night'. Managed to get a compilation CD after a l;ong time looking - love him.
Sean Penn wanted to play him once, but now is also too old. Jake Gyllenhaal would be good in the part(check out his work in "The Good Girl", where his character has some similarities to Phil both in personal charisma and personal demons).
making an excessive claim to merit or importance ..... You seem to have -6 comments. I have not given you a negative comment, but feel that it is NOT pretentious, but in keeping with the time when it was written.
I wasn't talking about the music. I was talking about the post made by a youtube user by the name of "vogtwo". Geeze, why don't you make sure you know what you're talking about when you criticise someone's comment.
So many of his songs could be re-recorded today and still sound amazing. What a sad, pathetic loss for us all when he took his own life. I would love to hear what his commentary on the Iraq situation would have been. Would he have written something like "White Boots Marching In A Yellow Land"? One can but wonder.
yes. There was no way Phil was going to get out of the 70's alive. But he was a gift to this country and he gave all he could for as long as he could.
when i was a kid about ten tears old a man was passing through town he had asked my father if he could sleep the night in our sears tin shed the only payment he could give was 1 record phil ochs live what. what an influence on my life.
I love this clip. It's brief, but so affecting. And look at the people in the audience! They're enthralled. Phil Ochs never got the commercial success he deserved; he never got the acclaim he deserved. What a tragedy that he decended into alcoholism and madness and ended up a suicide. He deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He certainly would deserve to be there.
He was a very fine artist, but didn't sell that many records, and that is due to the fickleness of the record-buying public. He was also not that charismatic a performer. But his songs were passionate and moving, and contained a lot of wit and humor. Other performers appreciated him more. A lot of artists who deserve commercial success don't get it, and Phil Ochs was one of those. He had a lot of talent but that isn't enough to succeed in the music business.
It's hard to measure success, though, at least by the standards of his first three albums. Seen from a pop and commercial standpoint, they were failures (combined, they didn't sell more than 50,000 copies) but Bob Dylan notes in Chronicles that a folk record could be considered successful (or at least not a flop) in that era if it sold as few as 2,500 copies. So while he wasn't a popular success, Ochs was standout in the small folk universe, creatively and commercially.
In part, because the government was working to prevent it. "Outside Of A Small Circle of Friends", Phil's best-known song, would have been
been a hit record, but the FCC banned the original version of it because it had a verse about smoking pot(a verse that was ANTI-drug, but they didn't care, the drug thing was mainly an excuse). By the time a version without that verse could be edited, the momentum of the song was gone.
Well, I wouldn't call that verse anti-drug, exactly... anti-drug user, more or less. He didn't say that pot was bad... he said it was bad to continue using it without saying anything for the dealers that go to prison.
For a such a left-leaning 1960's artist, he was remarkably anti-drug (valium and Chardonney didn't count!) - as well as anti-counter culture in many respects. He believed honesty and integrity, and even civility were the best ways to get one's point across. I think this quality made him even more endearing - and enduring - than he may otherwise have been. He really was just a typical American boy from a typical American town.
The only chance you got to hear his most powerful songs was if you were at a coffee house or rally where he was playing..Hopefully, someone from The Bitter End, Gerdes or ANY of the venues where Phil played taped his performances and will release some of his unrecorded material...
Acclaim isn't everything. As others have said, somehow Phil's music has managed to survive his almost complete lack of commercial success and fame. Phil's fan base may be small, but the fact that he has not disappeared (look a all the clips out here) is proof of the power of his music. I showed some to my 13 year old niece and she was enthralled. "His glory is growing in the magic that he made."
You guys saying that you wish the youth of today could be like this should check out this user "Kirobaito". Its an 18/19 year old guy who does a good job with songs by Ochs and Paxton, etc.
From what I've read about Phil, when he was "up", he had an outrageous sense of humor, but when he was "down", he was as low as one could go. He also was a bit schizophrenic; he actually invented an abrasive alter ego later in his life. Some speculate that he killed himself because he thought he, in his altar ego, had gone too far. His is a fascinating yet sad tragedy.
Played the Bitter End in '74. My usual set, part mine, part his & Baez & Dylan... Saw this guy sitting in the corner--it was HIM. Phil
Ochs! My 'HERO'! Intro'd myself but he had 'shadows on his soul' even then, 'People aren't listening, anymore. Don't wanna hear what I've got to say. They just don't CARE--.' That *I* cared made no difference. Phil was ALREADY gone... 'We must support the Artist and set him FREE...' --Pres. JFK.
Pt2: Was abt 2 go on stage (Chgo)when the news came. Changed my set to an Ochs tribute.Walkd onstage be4 a HUGE US flag,broke the news,sang--ended w. 'When I'm Gone'('Cant live proud enuf to DIE when I'm gone, Guess I'll have to do it while I'm here.") Audience dead SILENT. Suddenly all GASP,roar,get to their feet... 2 tacks had given way @ the top of the flag & it slowly flipped upside down into a "Nat'l Distress Signal!"(Everyone thought *I'D* done it!) (Thanx for the help, Phil.)
@cdadave83814 The name Phil used for his alter ego was "John Butler Train" or just "John Train" for short. Weirdly enough, some people actually started a band CALLED "John Train" a few years ago. I'm not sure what point they were trying to make in doing that.
Technically speaking, it was indead Phil Ochs, in the bathroom, with a belt. But who are you suggesting assisinated him? John Train? The CIA? Bob Dylan? I'm open to new ideas on this.
Perhaps if Phil hadn't been bi-polar, he would have been more successful and maybe he'd still be alive today. I know of the ups and downs of bi-polarism, for I am bi-polar. Phil had a good heart and was a very smart man. His is a sad story. There's a book called "Death of a Rebel" which is his biography; it gives a very clear understanding of the demons within Phil. I hope he's at peace now.
Bi-polars are often the most creative of people. I think it may be possible that if Phil hadn't been bi-polar, he might be indeed be alive today. But then again, he might not have become our Phil.
Phil was bipolar and paranoid. He drank much too much and took all kinds of pills. He, like many others, was a reflection of his generation. Paranoid he had a right to be as the FBI has over a 400 page file on him. But their surveilance wasn't too good. It took them a few months to figure out he was dead.
Love Phil's lyrics, his singing and guitar playing. Thank you for the video.
Some people seem to think it an insult that Ochs should be called a singing journalist. Yet, remember that one of his eariest albums was called "All The News That's Fit To Sing". Ochs was inspired by what he read in the papers - just as Tom Paxton was.
Don't forget that Dylan fell out with Ochs when Phil commented that a single Dylan was releasing wasn't going to be a hit. He was right.
Why does dylans opinion matter? Shouldn't we base our opinions on Phils music on our eperience with his music, and our personal tatstes. I don't see the point of arguing weither or not dylan may have or maynot have complimented Phil Ochs 40 years ago.
Interesting reading the comments already here. Yes, very hard to find Phil video -- he just wasn't being taped that way. But I have a long poor quality video of him in Sweden playing on TV and in a park. Grainy but great anyway. I am very grateful for those who provide these gems. Have loved Phil for years and in my mind, he really isn't gone.
Actually, Ochs quote is "I'm a singing journalist". Dylan was in a cab with him when he said it to Mr. Ochs and then had the cab stopped and got out. Dylan was being sarcastic. I wasn't attempting to make any point, just a comment. There But For Future is a beautiful song and I am sorry that Mr. Ochs chemical abuse was his downfall, or maybe just the state of the world was his downfall.
Dylan later admitted he was wrong to do that to Phil, btw(As Dylan also admitted he'd been a total shit to Joan Baez when she was touring with him in England). The 1964-65 era was a fairly dark period for Dylan, and it ended with him nearly doing himself in through drug abuse.
It's wrong: Phil was every bit a folk singer, knew the American folk canon, got political, personal, poetic. Of 7 studio albums, only first 3 are the sung journalism some think all his stuff was; his later songs tap into a strange and powerful place that I've seen few singers delve.
I remember Dylans comment about Phil being a journalist. All these years later it sounds like a compliment. What do journalists do?... Make a "record" of what was current events then and is now history. Phil had many descriptions of what he was doing with his tunes and performances..My favorite is his reference to himself as a Balladeer.
Ya know what? I don't believe Dylan meant it as a compliment; however way too much time has been spent on my comments and I find it interesting. Ochs was okay...to me, which counts because not everyone found him to be the great folk singer of all times. His music was okay, he was okay, but he was not (to me) any voice that made a BIG difference and the key word is "BIG". Those that disagree, good. That's what makes for good conversation. Can we move on? Peace to ya.
Won't argue. It is important to know I am 57 yrs old.. I grew up with Phil so his "greatness" is tied to my youth (lol) and all the experiences that phil's music was the soundtrack for.
Then again, was DYLAN really a folk singer? My understanding is that he always basically saw himself as a rock-n-roll guy, but went folk when he started because, in those days(1960 to 1965, more or less)you were able to write about more stuff if you played an acoustic and presented yourself as a folkie. As a rocker in that period(pre-Byrds and pre-Rubber Soul and Revolver-era Beatles)you were pretty much forced to crank out cheesy love songs and that was it.
If you like Phil Ochs, then watch for the Phil Ochs Song Night (or something close to that) if it comes to where you live. The MC is Phil's sister, Sonny, and perfomers usually include Kim and Reggie Harris, Magpie, Josh White, Jr, and others. They do a great job with his music, and, of course, finish with "when I'm Gone."
Support Bush? You have Halliburton stock? How in the world can any rational human being support the actions of that lunatic? Read about the Illuminati my friend.
I'm a republican and support Bush, but I'll be damned if I won't admit how poignant Phil Ochs' lyrics and melodies were. We do need Phil Ochs again. Not just for the passion he put into his music on and off stage, but for young guitarists and writers everywhere to learn from his brilliance.
ochs' best friend was a conservative. I'm not one but I'm really moved that you can still appreciate him. I think Ochs captured what it meant to be American more so than any other artist in history. His death symbolized something that is very hard for me to come to terms with.
Numbnuts? Now there's some fine love for ya.
gallantguns 4 hours ago
blackshep01: Who's taking themselves seriously? Numbnuts!
ROCKETMISSILE1234 4 months ago
belive it or not thats my step great great grandfather my grandpa is max ochs
14gretty 6 months ago
@rigoletto92111: "college educated friends" You pompous, self important Jackwagon!
ROCKETMISSILE1234 7 months ago
@ROCKETMISSILE1234 Don't take yourself so seriously man. Relax, have a beer. :)
blackshep01 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@ROCKETMISSILE1234 Don't take yourself too seriously. Relax, have a beer. :)
blackshep01 4 months ago
Phil's music has always remained in my heart!
RIP!
ginmillsinger 9 months ago 3
When the wind from the island is rolling through the trees / When a kiss from a prison cell is carried in the breeze / That's when I wonder how sad a man can be.
Oh, when will Celia come to me? / Oh, when will Celia come to me? This is the beauty of Phil Ochs.
11xzxzxz 1 year ago
I wake each morning and I watch the sun arise / I wonder if my Celia sleeps, wonder if she cries / If hate must be my prison lock, love must be the key / Oh, when will Celia come to me?The guns have stopped their firing, you may wander through the hills / They kept my Celia through the war, they keep her from me still/ She waits upon island now, a prisoner of the sea / Oh, when will Celia come to me?
11xzxzxz 1 year ago
When the wind from the island is rollin' through the trees / When a kiss from a prison cell is carried in the breeze / That's when I wonder how sad a man can be.
/ Oh, when will Celia come to me? / I still remember the mountains of the war
Sierra Madre and the Philipino shore . When will I lie beside my Celia 'neath the trees? / Oh, when will Celia come to me?
11xzxzxz 1 year ago
THIS COMING JANUARY 5TH , THE DOCUMENTARY BY KENNETH BOWSER "PHIL OCHS:THERE BUT FORTUNE" IS BEING SHOWN AT IFC CENTER ON 323 AVENUE OF THE MERICAS...CALL FOR THE TIME AT 212-924-7771 AND I SUGGEST YOU LISTEN TO FRIENDS OF PHIL ON "RADIO UNNAMEABLE" EVERY THURSDAY AT MIDNIGHT ON 99.5 FM WBAI,A 100% LISTENER SPONSORED RADIO FROM FROM PACIFICA FOUNDATION..CALL THERE DURING THE PROGRAM LIVE:212-209-2900 AND GIVE BILL PROPP AND HOST BOB FASS SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS....TOM SCHMIDT
alohamaui100 1 year ago 2
I had the privilege of meeting this wonderful poet and true activist,what a loss and how we need him today what would he write about now that we live in a FOX NOISE world
captspock1 1 year ago
To copenhagenrayne: I think you misunderstood me.....I'm objecting on ARTISTIC grounds to his switching from the plight of the individual man to the Viet Nam business. It seems tacky to me.
ferdinandthecrow 1 year ago
@ferdinandthecrow He didn't actually SWITCH from "the plight of the individual man to the Viet Nam business". Phil's music was ALWAYS political, and he was one of the first people in the whole country to oppose that insane and unwinnable war. And that war led to dismal plights for many "individual men". And women. And children, although people like you don't care because they weren't white American children.
If it's "tacky" to be against massive and senseless killing, we need tackiness.
KennBurch 1 year ago
So, Sue and I -borrowed- her father's Chevy and with money enough to go from NY to Philly and get into the club we saw Phil. Coming home? running out of gas on the Jersey TPK...picked up a hitcher from Fort Dix...he wanted more than the toll and some gas...somehow we got home intact.
Rest Phil..you'll always be our Hghwayman..
Fen and Sirk
leeward46 1 year ago
Who would guess he was classically trained (as a clarinetist) as I recall? And such a terrible, prolonged ending. Too ugly to tell here. But he left so much that deserves to be remembered.
tintosangre 1 year ago
the best!
lekunberriko1 1 year ago
poor guy must have been in alot of pain to kill himself.
he should'nt be judged by that.
just pitied.
romancitoG 1 year ago
@romancitoG He should not be pitied. Who are we to pity such a great songwriter. He needs to be celebrated.
kabirsuman1 1 year ago
We need more Phil Ochs today. He died 6 months before I was born and he is greatly missed
AVoiceCrying33 1 year ago
"get outta the car,ochs"
Bob Dylan
willgonow 1 year ago 4
@willgonow Which just proved that Dylan was an asshole(a genius at times, but an asshole). As Joan Baez and Suze Rotolo(the woman Dylan appears with on the "The Freewheelin' Bob" album cover)and many other people could also have told you.
KennBurch 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I hate it when he adds "show me the country"....Stick to the original concept & if you want to protest US foreign policy wrote a different song!
ferdinandthecrow 2 years ago
I think every verse in the song accompanies each other nicely. Poverty, hunger, war all can be a consequence of one another. But there but for fortune, go you or I.
willm19 2 years ago 2
@willm19 What you say is so true, so very true.
kabirsuman1 1 year ago
OOPS I meant "WRITE a different song"
ferdinandthecrow 1 year ago
@ferdinandthecrow that just shows you failed to see the concept.
the logic in the song goes that we cant deny all the statements he makes at first and therefore we cant deny the injustice in his last statement
CopenhagenRayne 1 year ago
@ferdinandthecrow It was PART of the original concept. He was writing about people and then using the same lyrical structure to write about larger things.
In a far darker vein, Phil used the same idea in his song "Pretty Smart On My Part", where he used the images of a series of people with severe moral damage and then showed how the same mindset created a morally damaged country whose leaders felt entitled to invade and overthrow the government of any country they wanted to..
KennBurch 1 year ago
Is it just me, or, at about 1:10 in the video, does the black woman in the audience look like a young Condoleezza Rice?
orthosordos 2 years ago
Phil Ochs fans, help me out. Does anyone have an extra $150.00 if so you could get the DVD footage of Phil Ochs with his backup rock band. It's a dream to see Phil's 3 David Frost episodes, and his 1 Mike Douglas show. If you have the spare cash to buy one episode, please email me. They're for sale from the people who have the shows films. They'll put any episode on DVD. Live footage of Phil playing Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends, and Elvis/Buddy Holly Melodies with a rock band!
philochs 2 years ago
Who is selling them? If its bootleg they should post for free.
willm19 2 years ago
The company that owns all the episodes on film will convert any episode to DVD. They don't give discounts for multiple episodes. I knew about 1 episode of David Frost, but they let me know that he was on 3 times. This is four full shows that have never ever been released on DVD, or bootleged. If any fan has the cash, let me know, and I'll get you the info. THEN we can all own it for free! I can't afford it, but if 4 people buy 1 each, we'll have them all streaming MKV in the DivX Web Player.
philochs 2 years ago
Shit I can't even find it know, but I have been in talks through email, it was a few years ago though. Damn, I really want that footage of Phil Ochs doing the Buddy Holly melody in his gold suit. They say he will emerge like Cinderella, then Phil Ochs says, how about like Superman coming out of a phone booth.
philochs 2 years ago
This guy should have been as big as Dylan. They were different in style, but equal in soul.
mussman717word 2 years ago 4
@mussman717word the meiodies of ochs are much more interesting than dylans his words are of equal power as dylans
jonlarkster 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Listen to Harry CHAPIN's "The Parade's Still Passing By" and you'll get chills. I think that this is a testament to the greatness of this type of music. It transcends age and time and is relevant to all of us. I've turned on Many friends who are my age (32) and even younger to this music. I strongly encourage you to do the same. Now more than ever, we need to hear songs like these. We all need to take it upon ourselves to do something to make this world a better place to be. -Mike Tocci
miketocci 2 years ago
i have an old phil ochs songbook and some of his albums. this was one of his best. . .bet the songbook's a collectors item by now
guyglowmore1 2 years ago 3
Hmm. . . perhaps Jake Gyllenhaal in a Phil Ochs biopic?
HeroicOaf 2 years ago
Hey I was thinking that and then I say your post.
Yeah Jake was great in Zodiac too. I didn't like Brokeback mt cause I am not a Heath Ledger fan and the script was just pretty OK.
11xzxzxz 2 years ago
(One of the 1st posts, here) reminded those who love(d) Phil, that his sister, Sonia ("Sonny") is keeping her bro's memory alive. Those who live near major cities should keep a look-out for "Phil Ochs' Song Nights," her "travelling tribute" shows. In add'n to intro'ing up & coming "stars" who sing (at least ONE) of *their* fave Phil songs, every concert ends with "When I'm Gone." **Is a rather good pc on Wiki about him. Has a Bella Abzug address, to Congress, 2+ wks after he passed.
silverbonn 2 years ago
Nice to see some interesting facts and intellectual exchange worthy of this song and Phil on this last page. I didn't know Dylan finally admitted he was wrong, though anyone who sees "Don't look Back" can see what a jerk Dylan could be. Also, that Phil was bipolar with drinking binges has more to do with his death than when his vocal chords of fame were cut in S. America.
and i'll show you a great man with so many reasons why
in a world with any justice Phil would never die. so unhappy.
11xzxzxz 2 years ago 2
The injury to Phil's vocal cords occurred in Africa (Tanzania) in 1973, not South America. :-)
But I agree with the rest of what you said!
NewWaver80014 2 years ago
OK thanks I've been wrong about that for so many years. I wish Phil had been bigger than Dylan. Selfishly, of course, so women would say oh I love Phil too .. let's go to bed now. I usually pick those who never make it big. ha. Rarely does great music get a lot of attention with the exception of the Beatles and some others and if you ask me the later Beatles are so overrated whereas the early and middle (Rubber Soul, Revolver) records are my favs and underrated.
11xzxzxz 2 years ago
No problem - yea, I tend to favor the "underdog" musicians too - those who fly just under the radar.
NewWaver80014 2 years ago
Yeah but the ones I favor are often supposed to be big one day .. oh well. Phil looks cinematic and charismatic here. Take care.
11xzxzxz 2 years ago
Brilliant!!!
Grandma Mary
Fr3derick 2 years ago 3
Later, after Oaks' death, FBI documents leaked about Oaks. They deemed him as a potentially dangerous indiviual. just goes to show that ideas are more powerful than weapons.
mancheromanchero 2 years ago 13
"When I'm Gone" (as sung by Phil) is nowhere to be *found* here! Anyone willing to post? Is particularly poignant--coz of how Phil died--& deeply personal--I switched majors to Social Work, after hearing it. My Dad, appalled @ the change, asked why... so I took out my 6-string & sang it.
Dad, tears in his eyes, said, "Go ahead. Change the world, Daughter..." Sadly, both Phil & Dad are dead (& I w/drew from college). Would mean a LOT to hear it again... Thanx.
silverbonn 2 years ago 3
that songs probably one me favourite ochs and song of all time.
4tealicks 2 years ago
Phil was MURDERED! I have personally collected precious evidence on Phil Ochs, I have mailed it to any who will ask. Phil Ochs was murdered by our own Government/CIA/Secret Service. I have very strong information to support this. It will convince any skeptic, I can assure that. Psychiatry, and "medicine" to help? Tom Cruise was right about that. Cut out the ignorance Phil Ochs fans, and let's get some Justice For Phil!
philochs 2 years ago
show me
thomasraymondkelly 2 years ago
I hope to hell you are wrong. I love Phil and as far as I know-he hung himself in his sisters house after having his vocal chords damaged in Africa. Do you really know different?
genecorrado 2 years ago
@philochs why do you think dylan stopped being politacal in the mid 60`s?
jonlarkster 1 year ago
Respond to this video...why did dylan stop being polit ical in the mid 60`s. it might have been for safety reasons
jonlarkster 1 year ago
@jonlarkster
No, he just didn't want to be lumped with the the fingerpointing songs. He was beginning to write more songs about other things, and he felt that politics was restricting him.
mussman717word 1 year ago
We have to stop this tendency of trying to attack folks by categorizing them as this or that. Let's stop stereotyping people, regardless of their supposed political views.
We cannot face the challenges ahead of us by character attacks and guilt by association. Help us to have good hearts and the strength to meet our challenges boldly, honestly, and with full valor.
yearsprint 2 years ago
Comment removed
LeeMike233 2 years ago
He was a genius .. listen to Changes. You don't have to like his politics. Neil Young says Phil Ochs had great melodies .. listen to his later CDs and you know he was a genius. Poor Phil.
60phile 2 years ago
He was a genius but I cannot stand his politics.
RobGoth100 2 years ago
What can't you stand? That he stood against racists and murderers? That he believed that everyone derserved an opportunity for a good life? That he strove for America to embrace the values of equality, freedom and justice it disgarded decades ago?
If you don't like his politics I really don't see what you get out of his muisc...
MightyTreguard 2 years ago
Equality, freedom and justice? He was a marxist. He took up the issues to undermine his own country but ignored the same thing or worse in nations he admired like Cuba, Vietnam, and the Eastern block. I don't like Leni Reienstahl's Nazi politics but I can appreciate her filmmaking. Ochs was a genius who wrote and sang brillantly but his political reasoning was warped and sadly so was his mental state in the last years of his life. Paul Robeson was the same way. God does not give with two hands.
RobGoth100 2 years ago
Actually he wasn't a marxist. He declared this after Marxists criticised him for writing ''That was the President'. True, Ochs spoke highly of countries like Cuba which undoubtedly had many faults of their own. However, it wasn't his job to highlight the problems of these countries; the Western media was already doing enough of that. Ochs was an American and he only criticised his own country because he loved it so much. He was not undermining it, he was fighting for it.
MightyTreguard 2 years ago 2
I don't know what the "job description" of a political folk singer is but he gave aid and support to marxist police states around the world in the freedom that his own nation provided including celebrating the Communist take over of Vietnam in 1975. He committed suicide when Pol Pot in Cambodia was commiting genocide and the plight of boat babies from Vietnam came to light.
Communism was called Fascism with a human face and the same can be said of Ochs.
RobGoth100 2 years ago
Fascism with a human face? Phil Ochs? Now you're being ridiculous... What aid and support did he give to these countries? Just because Pol Pot claimed to be a communist doesn't mean all socialists are evil. Ochs never glorified any Stalinist leaders. His main messages were equality for black people and for workers to be given a fair share of the wealth they helped to create. Surely you can't argue with these concepts?
MightyTreguard 2 years ago 3
Rob Goth,
People who do not understand communism have no right to speak against it. Get acquainted with it first before you say communism is bad and before you hate the politics of people who espouse Marxism and communism.
And while George Bush claimed to champion freedom and liberty, he was slaughtering the innocent in different parts of the world.
Smorgasbordbeauty 2 years ago 2
No right, huh? piss off. I'll speak like I choose.
RobGoth100 2 years ago
Someone told george bush 2 that two brazilian soldiers were killed in irak he said how many is that ?
spacepatrolman 2 years ago
If he was really for equality for black people and for workers he would be staunchly opposed to Castro but he wasn't to name one example. His high-minded idealism that centers on the faults of the USA and not any communist nation is part of the big lie.
RobGoth100 2 years ago
I fail to see how Ochs' beliefs in civil rights and labor organizing were undermined by lack of talk about Castro. By that logic, Martin Luther King wasn't for equality for black people.
elusiverobertdenby 2 years ago
Lack of talk? He was a strong supporter of all kinds of Marxist movements. Did he care about the crimes they engaged in. If he did, he never talked or sang about it.
RobGoth100 2 years ago
Being against Castro means being for putting the Miami exiles back in control in Cuba. The U.S. won't allow any other possibilities there.
KennBurch 2 years ago
@KennBurch dont forget" the singing nun" and edie gormet, those wonderfull early 60`s acts.
jonlarkster 1 year ago
With all its flaws, the Cuban Revolution was the first time in Cuban history that blacks had lived as equals to whites. The Miami exiles would take that away.
The answer is democratic socialism, not a restoration of the old order. There was NOTHING worth getting back about the Batista era, and no black Cubans want it back.
KennBurch 2 years ago 4
A cool YouTube channel: Distorted Views (philochs) I'm often adding videos, which are rare.if you like, then subscribe
watch John Lennon and phil ochs - chords of fame on my channel
philochs 3 years ago
It's all cliche,irony and nursery rhymes,these days.Devolution on a grand scale.Gawd 'elp us.
supercrazyandy 3 years ago
Perfect. A great poet with an angelic voice.
GeorgiaPat 3 years ago 4
Second maybe only to Dr. Martin Luther King, Phil Ochs's absence in modern times is the thing from the 60s I miss the most. I hope somewhere in the universe there is some kind of green, shady, tree lined farm, and Nick Drake, Phil Ochs, and Tim Buckley are trading guitar tunings...
Quag7 3 years ago 7
Wonderful sentiments Quag--sometimes I wonder if our thoughts about a person don't effect their existence in another realm.
bahroke 3 years ago 2
So beautiful, so true, and, in Phil's case, so sadly prophetic. What a great talent.
TirNaNogForever 3 years ago
I first heard Phil Ochs in Berkeley in the mid-1960s, have always been touched when I hear his music. Phil was so intelligent and sweet. His early death was a great loss for me and for many others.
cndotydcs 3 years ago 2
Phil was one gifted, intelligent, original, beautiful,brave mind, man and singer.
hangeygirl 3 years ago 6
He's a hidden legend. My fav is crucifiction.
drawuin 3 years ago 3
I played this song for a group of college educated friends at a party and the concensus was that the song made no sense. God help our country!
rigoletto92111 3 years ago 19
well it just goes to show that a college education isn't always worth the time or expense. ponder this: i believe it's all about HAPPENSTANCE/FATE/THE LUCK OF THE DRAW.
Oh by the way, the correct spelling is CONSENSUS, you twit.
denokd 3 years ago 2
That really scares me! Phil Ochs is the best songwriter this country ever produced.
dunzaman 3 years ago 5
God help our education system, I think you mean, if college educated people can't understand the least convoluted folk music ever produced.
peanutfoot 3 years ago
can't believe there are no recent posts on this video, still real, today, with all that is going on in 2008
jerryy1968 3 years ago 6
As it is, So be it
rpare666 3 years ago 4
This guy was never going to live a long life!
He was too honest and had too many enemies.
Even in the music industry!
australisman 3 years ago 3
you had to be a real threat to be targeted.there should be more of this music today,but reality has been dumbed down,so nobody gives a fuck.
garzaeduardo 3 years ago 6
That is true. Too much integrity and you're a goner in the biz...
ottoskidoo 3 years ago 7
Today, people hear, find, experience, and purchase music in such different ways than in the 60s, and they do it all for different reasons. Phil's songs can't be stretched to 4 minutes for top-40 radio stations. it is music that must be LISTENED TO, not just heard in the backround. In a world full of (so called)music that sells copies only because an annoying chorus gets stuck in your head, its nice to look back to songwriters who meant what they said, and for the right reasons.
trenflyhigh 3 years ago 5
Another audience on ludes
amandalee7747 3 years ago
Thanks pyro and Thanks Liam, great post!
amandalee7747 3 years ago
Bitter sweet truthful lyrics,he was honest if anything.
testilums 3 years ago 3
First heard about him when Billy Bragg wrote 'I Dreamt of Phil Ochs Last Night'. Managed to get a compilation CD after a l;ong time looking - love him.
mgs1970 3 years ago
He's too old now, but Edward Norton would have been a great choice to play Phil Ochs in a film about his life.
cynthiacher 4 years ago 5
Sean Penn wanted to play him once, but now is also too old. Jake Gyllenhaal would be good in the part(check out his work in "The Good Girl", where his character has some similarities to Phil both in personal charisma and personal demons).
KennBurch 3 years ago 3
Wow...that was horibly pretentious.
Sunderlanding 4 years ago
making an excessive claim to merit or importance ..... You seem to have -6 comments. I have not given you a negative comment, but feel that it is NOT pretentious, but in keeping with the time when it was written.
Normanskie 3 years ago
I wasn't talking about the music. I was talking about the post made by a youtube user by the name of "vogtwo". Geeze, why don't you make sure you know what you're talking about when you criticise someone's comment.
Sunderlanding 3 years ago
So many of his songs could be re-recorded today and still sound amazing. What a sad, pathetic loss for us all when he took his own life. I would love to hear what his commentary on the Iraq situation would have been. Would he have written something like "White Boots Marching In A Yellow Land"? One can but wonder.
dadangel51 4 years ago 2
I'm afraid he would have died a dozen more times between then and now. Read "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein.
gworthey 4 years ago
yes. There was no way Phil was going to get out of the 70's alive. But he was a gift to this country and he gave all he could for as long as he could.
petey1892 4 years ago 5
i meant to press THUMBS UP!!! SORRY
bobdennis53 4 years ago 2
when i was a kid about ten tears old a man was passing through town he had asked my father if he could sleep the night in our sears tin shed the only payment he could give was 1 record phil ochs live what. what an influence on my life.
liberalk78 4 years ago 2
I love this clip. It's brief, but so affecting. And look at the people in the audience! They're enthralled. Phil Ochs never got the commercial success he deserved; he never got the acclaim he deserved. What a tragedy that he decended into alcoholism and madness and ended up a suicide. He deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He certainly would deserve to be there.
cynthiacher 4 years ago 2
cynthia - why did Philip Ochs not get the success he deserved?
dowling1981 4 years ago
He was a very fine artist, but didn't sell that many records, and that is due to the fickleness of the record-buying public. He was also not that charismatic a performer. But his songs were passionate and moving, and contained a lot of wit and humor. Other performers appreciated him more. A lot of artists who deserve commercial success don't get it, and Phil Ochs was one of those. He had a lot of talent but that isn't enough to succeed in the music business.
cynthiacher 4 years ago
That's sad. Who else springs to mind when you think of others who deserved it but didn't get it?
dowling1981 4 years ago
Sandy Denny, Gram Parsons, Nick Drake...none of them got the success they deserved, and they all died young.
cynthiacher 4 years ago
cynthia - what about Tutsy McMaughan?
dowling1981 4 years ago
Tutsy McMaughan???
cynthiacher 4 years ago
Yes, he plays guitar for the Mandroid Wreckhearts. He's good. Have you seen The Commitments?
dowling1981 4 years ago
It's hard to measure success, though, at least by the standards of his first three albums. Seen from a pop and commercial standpoint, they were failures (combined, they didn't sell more than 50,000 copies) but Bob Dylan notes in Chronicles that a folk record could be considered successful (or at least not a flop) in that era if it sold as few as 2,500 copies. So while he wasn't a popular success, Ochs was standout in the small folk universe, creatively and commercially.
elusiverobertdenby 4 years ago
In part, because the government was working to prevent it. "Outside Of A Small Circle of Friends", Phil's best-known song, would have been
been a hit record, but the FCC banned the original version of it because it had a verse about smoking pot(a verse that was ANTI-drug, but they didn't care, the drug thing was mainly an excuse). By the time a version without that verse could be edited, the momentum of the song was gone.
KennBurch 4 years ago 5
Well, I wouldn't call that verse anti-drug, exactly... anti-drug user, more or less. He didn't say that pot was bad... he said it was bad to continue using it without saying anything for the dealers that go to prison.
Kirobaito 4 years ago 4
For a such a left-leaning 1960's artist, he was remarkably anti-drug (valium and Chardonney didn't count!) - as well as anti-counter culture in many respects. He believed honesty and integrity, and even civility were the best ways to get one's point across. I think this quality made him even more endearing - and enduring - than he may otherwise have been. He really was just a typical American boy from a typical American town.
petey1892 4 years ago 3
kennburch - why was this?
dowling1981 4 years ago 2
The only chance you got to hear his most powerful songs was if you were at a coffee house or rally where he was playing..Hopefully, someone from The Bitter End, Gerdes or ANY of the venues where Phil played taped his performances and will release some of his unrecorded material...
randyflats 4 years ago 2
Acclaim isn't everything. As others have said, somehow Phil's music has managed to survive his almost complete lack of commercial success and fame. Phil's fan base may be small, but the fact that he has not disappeared (look a all the clips out here) is proof of the power of his music. I showed some to my 13 year old niece and she was enthralled. "His glory is growing in the magic that he made."
juliejazz 4 years ago 3
I have always loved this song...thanks for posting.
cablexs 4 years ago 2
one of my two heros, i miss them dearly
treehugger4u2 4 years ago
You guys saying that you wish the youth of today could be like this should check out this user "Kirobaito". Its an 18/19 year old guy who does a good job with songs by Ochs and Paxton, etc.
intron1 4 years ago
Check out my song I posted on youtube. It's titled, Mighty Mogadishu. Constructive criticism and comments are welcome.
TheMidnightAvenger 4 years ago
Phil will live forever, his voice will never be silenced
slowpokecat 4 years ago
peter and gordon covered "The Flower Lady" on the Knight in Rusty Armour album in 1967. A great insightful poetic song......my favorite by Phil Ochs
LEWOOF 4 years ago
Now I remember why I loved him!
TeachESL 4 years ago
Phil never died, truth never dies.
sydneylocks 4 years ago
So true. They were great artists, but Lennon and Elvis are dead. Phil still lives and breathes through his songs; he cannot die.
MrsSuratt 4 years ago
From what I've read about Phil, when he was "up", he had an outrageous sense of humor, but when he was "down", he was as low as one could go. He also was a bit schizophrenic; he actually invented an abrasive alter ego later in his life. Some speculate that he killed himself because he thought he, in his altar ego, had gone too far. His is a fascinating yet sad tragedy.
cdadave83814 4 years ago
Played the Bitter End in '74. My usual set, part mine, part his & Baez & Dylan... Saw this guy sitting in the corner--it was HIM. Phil
Ochs! My 'HERO'! Intro'd myself but he had 'shadows on his soul' even then, 'People aren't listening, anymore. Don't wanna hear what I've got to say. They just don't CARE--.' That *I* cared made no difference. Phil was ALREADY gone... 'We must support the Artist and set him FREE...' --Pres. JFK.
silverbonn 4 years ago
Pt2: Was abt 2 go on stage (Chgo)when the news came. Changed my set to an Ochs tribute.Walkd onstage be4 a HUGE US flag,broke the news,sang--ended w. 'When I'm Gone'('Cant live proud enuf to DIE when I'm gone, Guess I'll have to do it while I'm here.") Audience dead SILENT. Suddenly all GASP,roar,get to their feet... 2 tacks had given way @ the top of the flag & it slowly flipped upside down into a "Nat'l Distress Signal!"(Everyone thought *I'D* done it!) (Thanx for the help, Phil.)
silverbonn 4 years ago
@cdadave83814 The name Phil used for his alter ego was "John Butler Train" or just "John Train" for short. Weirdly enough, some people actually started a band CALLED "John Train" a few years ago. I'm not sure what point they were trying to make in doing that.
KennBurch 1 year ago
He did not kill himself, he was assasinated, just so everyone knows.
SayreObrien 4 years ago
Technically speaking, it was indead Phil Ochs, in the bathroom, with a belt. But who are you suggesting assisinated him? John Train? The CIA? Bob Dylan? I'm open to new ideas on this.
MrsSuratt 4 years ago
My favorite sung by Phil Ochs -- The Bells.
lloldy 4 years ago
Perhaps if Phil hadn't been bi-polar, he would have been more successful and maybe he'd still be alive today. I know of the ups and downs of bi-polarism, for I am bi-polar. Phil had a good heart and was a very smart man. His is a sad story. There's a book called "Death of a Rebel" which is his biography; it gives a very clear understanding of the demons within Phil. I hope he's at peace now.
cdadave83814 4 years ago
Bi-polars are often the most creative of people. I think it may be possible that if Phil hadn't been bi-polar, he might be indeed be alive today. But then again, he might not have become our Phil.
MrsSuratt 4 years ago
Phil, we need you now but you are not forgotten. In Austin they have taken up the torch. Thanks liam12.
Wisegeorge 4 years ago
Oh, Phil, why the hell did you kill yourself? Everyone loves you.
This is a great video. Thanks for posting.
Badgerthegreat 4 years ago
Phil was bipolar and paranoid. He drank much too much and took all kinds of pills. He, like many others, was a reflection of his generation. Paranoid he had a right to be as the FBI has over a 400 page file on him. But their surveilance wasn't too good. It took them a few months to figure out he was dead.
Love Phil's lyrics, his singing and guitar playing. Thank you for the video.
kit1544 4 years ago
Thank you liam for the blessing of seeing phil ochs after only looplistening to him,after all these years!
sricord 4 years ago
If you like Phil Ochs, check out David Rovics. He's doing incredible work in that same vein, right now.
EliBSmith 4 years ago
Some people seem to think it an insult that Ochs should be called a singing journalist. Yet, remember that one of his eariest albums was called "All The News That's Fit To Sing". Ochs was inspired by what he read in the papers - just as Tom Paxton was.
Don't forget that Dylan fell out with Ochs when Phil commented that a single Dylan was releasing wasn't going to be a hit. He was right.
Ochs died in 1976. Dylan died in 1965.
splashdubh 4 years ago 2
Spoken like a true purist! But I disagree with one thing. Dylan still exists. But Phil lives!
MrsSuratt 4 years ago
It doesn't matter, the two were friends and rightly so- they were both great.
TargetAudience1 5 years ago
Why does dylans opinion matter? Shouldn't we base our opinions on Phils music on our eperience with his music, and our personal tatstes. I don't see the point of arguing weither or not dylan may have or maynot have complimented Phil Ochs 40 years ago.
nailersrule 5 years ago
bless you Phil miss you we really need you now
xerxes7 5 years ago
Interesting reading the comments already here. Yes, very hard to find Phil video -- he just wasn't being taped that way. But I have a long poor quality video of him in Sweden playing on TV and in a park. Grainy but great anyway. I am very grateful for those who provide these gems. Have loved Phil for years and in my mind, he really isn't gone.
jjgogo1963 5 years ago
Why don't you upload it?
TargetAudience1 5 years ago
With all due respect to Mr. Ochs, Bob Dylan said to him "you're not a folk singer, you're a journalist". Any comments are welcome.
skilski2003 5 years ago
That's also what Ochs said about himself. What's your point?
CharlieChan007 5 years ago
Actually, Ochs quote is "I'm a singing journalist". Dylan was in a cab with him when he said it to Mr. Ochs and then had the cab stopped and got out. Dylan was being sarcastic. I wasn't attempting to make any point, just a comment. There But For Future is a beautiful song and I am sorry that Mr. Ochs chemical abuse was his downfall, or maybe just the state of the world was his downfall.
skilski2003 5 years ago
Dylan later admitted he was wrong to do that to Phil, btw(As Dylan also admitted he'd been a total shit to Joan Baez when she was touring with him in England). The 1964-65 era was a fairly dark period for Dylan, and it ended with him nearly doing himself in through drug abuse.
KennBurch 2 years ago 2
It's wrong: Phil was every bit a folk singer, knew the American folk canon, got political, personal, poetic. Of 7 studio albums, only first 3 are the sung journalism some think all his stuff was; his later songs tap into a strange and powerful place that I've seen few singers delve.
badger500 5 years ago 2
I remember Dylans comment about Phil being a journalist. All these years later it sounds like a compliment. What do journalists do?... Make a "record" of what was current events then and is now history. Phil had many descriptions of what he was doing with his tunes and performances..My favorite is his reference to himself as a Balladeer.
vsibirsky 5 years ago
Ya know what? I don't believe Dylan meant it as a compliment; however way too much time has been spent on my comments and I find it interesting. Ochs was okay...to me, which counts because not everyone found him to be the great folk singer of all times. His music was okay, he was okay, but he was not (to me) any voice that made a BIG difference and the key word is "BIG". Those that disagree, good. That's what makes for good conversation. Can we move on? Peace to ya.
skilski2003 5 years ago
Won't argue. It is important to know I am 57 yrs old.. I grew up with Phil so his "greatness" is tied to my youth (lol) and all the experiences that phil's music was the soundtrack for.
vsibirsky 5 years ago
Then again, was DYLAN really a folk singer? My understanding is that he always basically saw himself as a rock-n-roll guy, but went folk when he started because, in those days(1960 to 1965, more or less)you were able to write about more stuff if you played an acoustic and presented yourself as a folkie. As a rocker in that period(pre-Byrds and pre-Rubber Soul and Revolver-era Beatles)you were pretty much forced to crank out cheesy love songs and that was it.
KennBurch 2 years ago
Yes, I was really a folk singer. People don't spend the first twenty years of their life pretending to be Woody Guthrie if they aren't folk singers.
auitane 2 years ago 2
One of the best songs ever written.
TargetAudience1 5 years ago
it's great to hear so much from other phil ochs fans who feel the same way i do. I must agree that such a clip is a real treasure.
turtlegosling 5 years ago
If you like Phil Ochs, then watch for the Phil Ochs Song Night (or something close to that) if it comes to where you live. The MC is Phil's sister, Sonny, and perfomers usually include Kim and Reggie Harris, Magpie, Josh White, Jr, and others. They do a great job with his music, and, of course, finish with "when I'm Gone."
GoodOldGar 5 years ago
Support Bush? You have Halliburton stock? How in the world can any rational human being support the actions of that lunatic? Read about the Illuminati my friend.
hirofan 5 years ago
I'm a republican and support Bush, but I'll be damned if I won't admit how poignant Phil Ochs' lyrics and melodies were. We do need Phil Ochs again. Not just for the passion he put into his music on and off stage, but for young guitarists and writers everywhere to learn from his brilliance.
It's a shame he killed himself.
TheMooseOfDeath 5 years ago
Repent while there is still time! Phil died for your sins.
juliejazz 5 years ago
ochs' best friend was a conservative. I'm not one but I'm really moved that you can still appreciate him. I think Ochs captured what it meant to be American more so than any other artist in history. His death symbolized something that is very hard for me to come to terms with.
mattbleyle 5 years ago
Crucifixion is probably my favorite song of all time. Rest in peace, Phil.
mpaone 5 years ago
Listen up young folks we let you down, beware of Bush crimes
hoctor 5 years ago
Always loved the man. I wish the young people of today couldl listen and push hard for change to help us out of our current abyss--
xerxes7 5 years ago
wonderful
gypsyroseuk2001 5 years ago
Very charming and poignant join the Jim and Jean Folk Club at myspace.com
spacepatrolman 5 years ago
It grieves me that his illness took him so soon. Yes, we need a Phil today more than ever.
jrosenberry 5 years ago