Phil Ochs (1940-1976) was definitely one of my folk heroes back in the day as a teenager when I discovered the songs, singing, and politics of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
I loved that perfectly measured vibrato in Phil’s voice and the way his phrases tended to linger and turn slightly downward at the end giving them a mournful, sad sound. The title song of the film, There But For Fortune is a stirring song that asks the listener to have empathy for prisoners and the down-trodden, a love song to the least of us.
Ochs Biopic
So it was a little sad and disheartening to watch the documentary film Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune (2010). Maybe it all starts with Phil’s dad, Jack Ochs, a bi-polar physician who also suffered from depression. Phil Ochs was a classically trained clarinetist by the time he was 16 and he was also keenly interested in the music of Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash.
In college at Ohio State University in 1958, Ochs studied journalism and fell in love with the folk music of Pete Seeger and The Weavers. When Phil’s music combined with his leftist politics, a folk singer was born.
Folk Music History
There But For Fortune features many of Phil’s friends and associates talking about the great folk singer. Joan Baez, Tom Hayden, Christopher Hitchens and Phil’s brother, Michael, all recall Ochs as a driven and passionate person. As part of the Greenwich Village Folk Scene during the 1960s, Phil Ochs rubbed elbows with all the other singer-songwriter stars of the day including Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul, and Mary. Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs had a friendly rivalry of sorts; at one point Bob Dylan said to Ochs, "You’re not a folksinger, you’re a journalist."
In some ways, Dylan was right. Ochs would stay up nights going through the New York Times looking for topical stories to write songs about. Over time, and in comparing the work of Dylan and Ochs, Dylan’s songs have more lasting value because of their poetry, while some might argue that many of Och’s songs are truly time-specific capsules.
One of Och’s friends talks about partying with Phil Ochs. At one point they visited the brothels of Haiti together. This is the part where I become disillusioned about Ochs but you also have to cut him slack points for being mentally ill. But why would a folk singer concerned about the rights of working people exploit prostitutes in a third world country? It is all part of being human.
Artistic Vision of Ochs
Like many iconoclastic folks from history Phil Ochs had a singular way that he wanted to do things that didn’t necessarily help his career. His first three record albums contain almost no arrangement or extra instrumentation; it’s just Phil singing songs and accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. With eight studio albums, Ochs never achieved the financial and critical success of others such as Bob Dylan.
In 1975, Phil Ochs lost himself to drinking and mental illness. He took on the name of John Butler Train and claimed to have killed Phil Ochs. Sadly, Ochs hung himself in 1976 after being diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, the same illness that his father suffered from.
One of the measures of a great artist is in how many other artists he has influenced. The songs of Phil Ochs have been covered by the likes of Billy Bragg, Cher, Judy Collins, John Denver, Ani DiFranco, Marianne Faithfull, Harry Nilsson, Gordon Lightfoot, Pete Seeger, They Might Be Giants, Dave Van Ronk, Eddie Vedder, and The Weakerthans.
Watch for and listen to the very touching tribute performance to Phil Ochs by Dave Van Ronk who covers, "He Was a Friend of Mine". As this song closes the movie, you don't love Phil Ochs any less for his faults, you love him more for what he accomplished with the time he had. Dead by age 35, Ochs left us a valuable legacy of songs in a voice that still resonates.
• Running time: 96 minutes
• Written and directed by: Kenneth Bowser
Mary Rayme - Mary Rayme is a graphic designer and arts educator with a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
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