Phil Ochs

Can't stop listening to Phil Ochs lately. What a pure, passionate voice. It's also great to listen to a topical writer who wasn't afraid to be a topical writer. He did not strive to be timeless. He was in his time, of his time, and a total pioneer of the protest singer/songwriter part of the folk revival, and completely synonymous with the zeitgeist of the 60s.

I love his vibrato tenor, I really like his guitar (he wasn't just a "strummer", but an innovative stylist). And "There But For Fortune" is one of the best songs of its time--or any time, because it is thematic, not just topical, and relevant, even now. Too bad Joan Baez had to cover it; she did the same for that song as she did for "Dixie."

Dave Van Ronk described Ochs so vividly and his sartorial style--or lack thereof--obviously is from the Rick Danko School of Fashion. Van Ronk said that he wore these things that "used to be suits" until they were so threadbare and shiny, you could look in their reflection to shave when Ochs stood still. I thought that was cute and made him all the more vulnerable. I love the fact that he got a gold lame' Nudie suit in the least likely era--in between Hippiedom and Bubblegum.

Ochs descended into mental illness and alcoholism, as so many artistic, sensitive souls have done. Sadly, he was too sensitive for the world as it was and took his own life. Thankfully, we have his songs and his wonderful voice. I hope people continue to discover him.