Pullin’ ‘Tubes: The Story Of Phil Ochs
On a day when we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it seemed only appropriate to post on another person that was heavily involved in the 1960s Civil Rights movement – folk singer Phil Ochs. In his 1960s heyday Ochs was as synonymous with the Greenwich Village folk circuit as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, though over time his contributions have seemingly been a bit forgotten. Ochs, who identified himself a “topical singer” penning tunes about the turbulent issues of the day from the Vietnam War to segregation to labor unions, never quite attained the commercial success of so many of his peers, despite a number of his songs being socio-political anthems.
Ochs, who experienced an epic bout of writer’s block and stopped putting out albums by the end of the 1960s, battled with both bipolar disorder and spiraled into alcoholism, taking his own life at the age of 35 in 1976. Ochs’ life is the subject of the new documentary Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune, which is currently making the rounds on the art house circuit.
Check out the trailer for Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune…
Jeffrey Greenblatt
Jeff joined the Hidden Track team full-time in 2008 and helps guide the site in his role as Managing Editor and Social Media Coordinator. Each week Jeff pens Pullin' 'Tubes, Tour Dates and Bloggy Goodness in addition to features, video posts and more. Jeff is a graduate of The George Washington University ('98), with a degree in Journalism, and has worked in the media and technology industry for the likes of MTV, VH1, A&E and Joost.
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