Tragedy #2 Phil Ochs

Philip David Ochs (pronounced /oʊks/) (December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was a U.S. 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 haunting 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.

After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental stability declined in the 1970s and eventually he succumbed to a number of problems including bipolar disorder and alcoholism, and he 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".

I aint marching anymore


Phil Ochs was born in 1940 in El Paso, Texas, to Jacob ("Jack") Ochs, a doctor who was born in the U.S., and Gertrude Phin Ochs, who was born in Scotland. 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.

Ochs grew up with an older sister, Sonia (known as Sonny), and a younger brother, Michael. The Ochs family was middle class and Jewish, but not religious. His father Jack, who had treated soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge, suffered from bipolar disorder and was distant from his children.

Power And The Glory (1974)


Ochs's drinking became more and more of a problem, and his behavior became increasingly erratic. He frightened his friends by his drunken rants about the FBI and CIA, or about his plans to have Colonel Tom Parker or Colonel Sanders manage his career.

In mid-1975, Ochs took on the identity of John Butler Train. He told people that Train had murdered Ochs, and that he, John Train, had replaced him. Train was convinced that somebody was trying to kill him, and he carried a weapon at all times—a hammer, a knife, or a lead pipe.

Ochs's friends tried to help him. His brother Michael tried to have him committed to a mental hospital. Other friends pleaded with him to get help voluntarily. They feared for his safety, because he was getting into fights with other bar patrons. He couldn't pay his rent, and started living on the streets.

After several months, the Train persona faded and Ochs returned. His talk of suicide disturbed his friends and family, who hoped it was a passing phase. But Ochs was determined.[98] 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.

In January 1976, Ochs moved to Far Rockaway, New York, to live with his sister Sonny. He was lethargic; his only activities were watching television and playing cards with his nephews. Ochs saw a psychiatrist, who diagnosed his bipolar disorder. He was prescribed medication, and he told his sister he was taking it. On April 9, 1976, Ochs hanged himself.

What are you fighting for?


THE LONGEST VIDEO I HAVE POSTED
Phil Ochs The Land Around Us 1968


Years after his death, it was revealed that the FBI had a file of nearly 500 pages on Ochs. 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". 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" after his death.