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There But for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs
After a long battle with writer's block & manic depression, internationally acclaimed folksinger-activist Phil Ochs hung himself in 1976. His music had been a spark firing 60s political idealism. His death signaled the end of an era. There But for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs is both an in-depth biography & a significant musical history, focusing on the importance of Ochs' topical songs addressing the civil rights, anti-war & labor movements. With the full cooperation of his family, & with unprecedented access to his diaries & notebooks, biographer Michael Schumacher tells the story of this gifted artist--from his early years as a musical prodigy & aspiring journalist in Ohio, where he earned his 1st guitar after betting on a Presidential election, to his initial performances in Greenwich Village's cafes & folk clubs; from his headline-making appearances at Carnegie Hall to his ambitious consciousness-raising political rallies. Rich in anecdotal detail, this biography recounts his travels round the globe, including his involuntary prison tour of S. America, as well as his associations with some of the most notable figures of his generation, including Bob Dylan, Robert F. Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy, Joan Baez & John Lennon. The story of Phil Ochs is ultimately the chronicle not only of a man but of the singular times in which he lived.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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338 people want to read
About the author
Michael Schumacher
46 books26 followersA lifelong resident of the Great Lakes region, Michael Schumacher is the author of twelve books, including biographies of Allen Ginsberg, Phil Ochs, and Eric Clapton, and the award-winning book Wreck of the Carl D. He has also written twenty-five documentaries on Great Lakes shipwrecks and lighthouses.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 22, 2025
The first half of this book focuses on Phil Ochs musical career, and it was thorough, informative, and enjoyable. I'd give that portion of this book a rating of 5. The second half dealt with politics and the deterioration of Phil Ochs' life. It was also thorough and informative, but very painful to read. Both halves are equally well written, but the second half was painful to read. For that reason I'm only going to give this book a rating of 4.
I was introduced to both Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan as songwriters, not singers, and I was introduced to them both at pretty much the same time. Sometime between 1962 and 1964 my brother built a stereo system from a kit so he could play his Beethoven and Tchaikovsky records.
My mother eventually said, "It's not that I don't enjoy your records, but have you considered purchasing something where people sing?" My brother then borrowed a Peter, Paul, and Mary album from a friend. My mother mentioned that she enjoyed Blowin In The Wind. My brother replied, "Bob Dylan wrote it. Chad Mitchell sang it. But P, P, & M made it famous."
After my brother returned the borrowed album, he went out and purchased two live performance albums. One by Peter, Paul, and Mary. The other by The Chad Mitchell Trio. Both contained songs written by Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan. I eventually became a fan of both. First as songwriters then later as singers.
After Chad Mitchell left the trio, both he and the trio disappeared into oblivion; but that was okay with me, because I had already gone out and purchased my first record album: The Drifters Greatest Hits. I listened to it nonstop and dreamed of being Up On The Roof in the big city.
The Drifters eventually introduced me to Carole King, and she introduced a totally different genre to my life.
I was introduced to both Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan as songwriters, not singers, and I was introduced to them both at pretty much the same time. Sometime between 1962 and 1964 my brother built a stereo system from a kit so he could play his Beethoven and Tchaikovsky records.
My mother eventually said, "It's not that I don't enjoy your records, but have you considered purchasing something where people sing?" My brother then borrowed a Peter, Paul, and Mary album from a friend. My mother mentioned that she enjoyed Blowin In The Wind. My brother replied, "Bob Dylan wrote it. Chad Mitchell sang it. But P, P, & M made it famous."
After my brother returned the borrowed album, he went out and purchased two live performance albums. One by Peter, Paul, and Mary. The other by The Chad Mitchell Trio. Both contained songs written by Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan. I eventually became a fan of both. First as songwriters then later as singers.
After Chad Mitchell left the trio, both he and the trio disappeared into oblivion; but that was okay with me, because I had already gone out and purchased my first record album: The Drifters Greatest Hits. I listened to it nonstop and dreamed of being Up On The Roof in the big city.
The Drifters eventually introduced me to Carole King, and she introduced a totally different genre to my life.
November 24, 2012
I have read two biographies of Phil Ochs. The first was Eliot's Death of a Rebel ('79/89). I've inserted marginalia in my copy of Schumacher's more recent ('96) work, noting the occasional intersections of my life with Ochs', making corrections and additions.
When I was a kid, Ochs was my favorite (urban) folk musician, a singer-songwriter I'd first been exposed to through "The Midnight Special" radio program Dad listened to every Saturday night on WFMT in Chicago. Then, in high school, I started buying his recordings and, when possible, attending his concerts in the area, attending also the events in front of the Hilton Hotel during the Democratic National Convention (in the words of the government report) "police riot". This continued into college when, once, on break and back in the city, I actually had the courage to speak with him after a benefit performance for Eugene McCarthy. Finally, with his suicide in New York, being myself at school in the city, I was able to attend the memorial event at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden.
Throughout the years of being a fan I collected articles and other paraphenalia about Ochs which ultimately I passed on to Chicago's Peace Museum.
Ochs, in my opinion, gave more and suffered more for others in his political work than almost any other performer. Pete Seager, of course, has also done much, but he was born into wealth while Ochs was a mere army brat. Contrary to the note prefacing the table of contents in this book's GoodReads description, I suspect that the precipitating events leading to Phil's depressive slide included his being mugged and his throat being kicked in while on touring North Africa. This event--suspiciously fortuitous from the standpoint of the government of the USA--narrowed his range as a singer. Beyond that, one imagines a late-onset bipolar disorder. These issues, which Schumacher does discuss, deserve a fuller treatment and maybe, years from now, access to medical and governmental records will allow the story to be told more fully.
When I was a kid, Ochs was my favorite (urban) folk musician, a singer-songwriter I'd first been exposed to through "The Midnight Special" radio program Dad listened to every Saturday night on WFMT in Chicago. Then, in high school, I started buying his recordings and, when possible, attending his concerts in the area, attending also the events in front of the Hilton Hotel during the Democratic National Convention (in the words of the government report) "police riot". This continued into college when, once, on break and back in the city, I actually had the courage to speak with him after a benefit performance for Eugene McCarthy. Finally, with his suicide in New York, being myself at school in the city, I was able to attend the memorial event at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden.
Throughout the years of being a fan I collected articles and other paraphenalia about Ochs which ultimately I passed on to Chicago's Peace Museum.
Ochs, in my opinion, gave more and suffered more for others in his political work than almost any other performer. Pete Seager, of course, has also done much, but he was born into wealth while Ochs was a mere army brat. Contrary to the note prefacing the table of contents in this book's GoodReads description, I suspect that the precipitating events leading to Phil's depressive slide included his being mugged and his throat being kicked in while on touring North Africa. This event--suspiciously fortuitous from the standpoint of the government of the USA--narrowed his range as a singer. Beyond that, one imagines a late-onset bipolar disorder. These issues, which Schumacher does discuss, deserve a fuller treatment and maybe, years from now, access to medical and governmental records will allow the story to be told more fully.
August 18, 2023
Michael Schumacher has written a page-turning biography of the ill-fated Phil Ochs with a cinematic scope worthy of Ochs’ vivid imagination. Before I picked up this book, all I had known of Ochs was his songs and albums (which I love), his testimony at the trial of the Chicago 7, and his struggle with mental health leading to his suicide. Little did I realize his extraordinary life would lead to South American prisons, small villages in Africa, Tahiti, and many points between. And I certainly didn’t know that his mental health struggle included such a stark break from reality during the year-long period that he stalked around as a Mr. Hyde-style alter ego named “John Butler Train.”
The journey Schumacher takes us on in Ochs’ life – from the genial, naive, boyish folk singer to the rapid mental disintegration (bipolar? manic depression? schizophrenia?) of an erratic, suicidal transient – is shocking for anyone who might have known only the very barest of details of Ochs’ life. I couldn’t put this book down, even as I lamented experiencing Ochs’ misfortunes and decline. So many “if onlys”: If only there were some kind of mental health safety net (then and now). If only the world were a little kinder place. If only the 1968 Democratic National Convention hadn’t soured his worldview. If only Ochs hadn’t been mugged and strangled, losing his voice (or the perception thereof). If only he had gotten help, or perhaps stumbled onto a guitar that fateful day he was considering purchasing one to make a comeback. This is the kind of biography that makes one wonder about any number of possible “unlived lives” that we all may have possibly lived, which makes the title – a reference to one of Ochs’ most famous songs – strikingly appropriate. “There But for Fortune,” indeed. The title could just as easily have been taken from one of Ochs' other classic songs: "Too Many Martyrs."
The journey Schumacher takes us on in Ochs’ life – from the genial, naive, boyish folk singer to the rapid mental disintegration (bipolar? manic depression? schizophrenia?) of an erratic, suicidal transient – is shocking for anyone who might have known only the very barest of details of Ochs’ life. I couldn’t put this book down, even as I lamented experiencing Ochs’ misfortunes and decline. So many “if onlys”: If only there were some kind of mental health safety net (then and now). If only the world were a little kinder place. If only the 1968 Democratic National Convention hadn’t soured his worldview. If only Ochs hadn’t been mugged and strangled, losing his voice (or the perception thereof). If only he had gotten help, or perhaps stumbled onto a guitar that fateful day he was considering purchasing one to make a comeback. This is the kind of biography that makes one wonder about any number of possible “unlived lives” that we all may have possibly lived, which makes the title – a reference to one of Ochs’ most famous songs – strikingly appropriate. “There But for Fortune,” indeed. The title could just as easily have been taken from one of Ochs' other classic songs: "Too Many Martyrs."
October 22, 2013
I had wondered why this exceptional songwriter's career never took off. Now that I know about his life, I'm amazed that it got as far as it did.
This book tells the Phil Ochs story starting with the unlikely couple of his parents and his birth in the unlikely place of El Paso, TX. His father had difficulties at work and in life and, whatever the reasons, his eldest son did too.
For better and worse, Phil Ochs made and produced his art on his own terms. He left college just months short of his degree for the uncertain life of a folk singer. His persistence getting gigs and pursuing recording contracts stands in sharp contrast to his life about ten years later. Calling his brother, whom he had previously written off, asking him to be his personal and professional manager illustrates his erratic decision making and paranoia. While Michael Ochs had no experience in this area, he seemed to do a competent job of making arrangements and managing Ochs. One excellent move, over the long term, was setting up a system for managing Ochs' money.
Who would Ochs, a graduate of Staunton Military Academy, have been were it not for the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement and the social upheaval of the 1960's? His pen flowed with insight, wit and satire. He remained a political writer long after Dylan and the others turned to safer material. Ochs grasped the importance of Watergate and predicted its eventual result before almost everyone else. For the integrity of his music he had to live with the pettiness in his own circle of folk singers and his own blacklisting (the saddest and most ironic being excluded from the Woody Guthrie Memorial Concert). He endured an attempt on his life in Africa and an arrest in South America. Adding to the negative times and his life experience, the fate of his friend and counterpart in Chile, Victor Jara, may have been the catalyst for the emergence of John Train. The end, which had been presaged throughout his life, is presented in a respectful sympathetic way.
The book shows his whole life: how he wrote his songs, changed managers and producers, recorded his music, promoted performances, worked for causes, traveled and lost control. There are quotes from Ochs' performance reviews, his FBI file and Bella Abzug's tribute read into the Congressional Record. There are interesting accounts of his associations with Bobby Kennedy, Bob Dylan and John Lennon.
While Ochs had a circle of fans in his lifetime, his music never reached the mainstream. He was undoubtedly one of the great songwriters of the era. I understand there are two other biographies and a documentary on him. Perhaps his work will be discovered and appreciated more by a future generation than it was by his own. This book is an engrossing read and I highly recommend it to those interested in Ochs and/or the political music this era.
This book tells the Phil Ochs story starting with the unlikely couple of his parents and his birth in the unlikely place of El Paso, TX. His father had difficulties at work and in life and, whatever the reasons, his eldest son did too.
For better and worse, Phil Ochs made and produced his art on his own terms. He left college just months short of his degree for the uncertain life of a folk singer. His persistence getting gigs and pursuing recording contracts stands in sharp contrast to his life about ten years later. Calling his brother, whom he had previously written off, asking him to be his personal and professional manager illustrates his erratic decision making and paranoia. While Michael Ochs had no experience in this area, he seemed to do a competent job of making arrangements and managing Ochs. One excellent move, over the long term, was setting up a system for managing Ochs' money.
Who would Ochs, a graduate of Staunton Military Academy, have been were it not for the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement and the social upheaval of the 1960's? His pen flowed with insight, wit and satire. He remained a political writer long after Dylan and the others turned to safer material. Ochs grasped the importance of Watergate and predicted its eventual result before almost everyone else. For the integrity of his music he had to live with the pettiness in his own circle of folk singers and his own blacklisting (the saddest and most ironic being excluded from the Woody Guthrie Memorial Concert). He endured an attempt on his life in Africa and an arrest in South America. Adding to the negative times and his life experience, the fate of his friend and counterpart in Chile, Victor Jara, may have been the catalyst for the emergence of John Train. The end, which had been presaged throughout his life, is presented in a respectful sympathetic way.
The book shows his whole life: how he wrote his songs, changed managers and producers, recorded his music, promoted performances, worked for causes, traveled and lost control. There are quotes from Ochs' performance reviews, his FBI file and Bella Abzug's tribute read into the Congressional Record. There are interesting accounts of his associations with Bobby Kennedy, Bob Dylan and John Lennon.
While Ochs had a circle of fans in his lifetime, his music never reached the mainstream. He was undoubtedly one of the great songwriters of the era. I understand there are two other biographies and a documentary on him. Perhaps his work will be discovered and appreciated more by a future generation than it was by his own. This book is an engrossing read and I highly recommend it to those interested in Ochs and/or the political music this era.
June 11, 2010
This biography of Phil Ochs was a little more respectful of Phil than the other one I read by Marc Eliot (I think the only other one that really exists, besides a bio-bibliography, which isn't the same thing). It also had a somewhat better writing style.
Not only is this a great book about an even greater man, but it's also a book that really helped me to understand the 1960s better. I think Phil really typified the era, and unfortunately, he also became a symbol of the whole disintegration of the movement.
I love you, Phil... to answer the question you posed to your brother: yes, your songs have survived, and they are as relevant as ever.
Not only is this a great book about an even greater man, but it's also a book that really helped me to understand the 1960s better. I think Phil really typified the era, and unfortunately, he also became a symbol of the whole disintegration of the movement.
I love you, Phil... to answer the question you posed to your brother: yes, your songs have survived, and they are as relevant as ever.
September 12, 2025
This engaging biography of Phil Ochs situates Phil in the tradition of folk music, the political and social challenges of the 60s and 70s, and with the several significant personalities in the US and abroad. Schumacher brings the personality of Ochs into full view in Ochs' goals, plans, motivations, and development as a musician, against the further development of Ochs' psychological challenges which end in suicide. The tragedy of Phil's life is heartbreaking but his spirit and commitment to social justice and political change is clear. This biography raises important questions about the possibility of political change and its stability as well as recognizing mental illness and supporing those who suffer.
The book contains a section of Acknowledgements, a Prologue, 18 chapters divided into two Books -- Book One: I'm Going to Say it Now and Book Two: Critic of the Dawn -- an Afterword, a Source Notes section, a Selected Discography, and an Index. There are several black and white photographs in the center of the book as well.
The book is well written and engaging. I recommend the book for those interested in Phil Ochs and his music, folk music, and the political times and those who worked for change.
The book contains a section of Acknowledgements, a Prologue, 18 chapters divided into two Books -- Book One: I'm Going to Say it Now and Book Two: Critic of the Dawn -- an Afterword, a Source Notes section, a Selected Discography, and an Index. There are several black and white photographs in the center of the book as well.
The book is well written and engaging. I recommend the book for those interested in Phil Ochs and his music, folk music, and the political times and those who worked for change.
December 29, 2022
Such a special, gentle, under-appreciated artist. I only wish he could have received the help he needed so badly. RIP Phil.
December 12, 2011
I saw Phil perform in 1964 in an intimate setting at a college in upstate NY. Met his sister Sonny in the mid-eighties as part of Clearwater's Hudson River Sloop Singsrs. After attending Phil's show I purchased his album, All The News . . . Tom Paxton was also on the bill and his tunes were more accessible and memorable but I didn't buy his record I guess because I could sing them from memory. Phil was more of a singer I thought than Tom or maybe I just was more interested in Phil's voice at the time. Anyway I bought his record but never saw or heard from him again. By the time I returned from Germany & the military in '69 the world & I had changed dramatically. I had become a singer-songwriter myself, probably saved my life in the military when I joined (more like it coalesced with me) a band as a writer/singer at Fort Benning, Georgia in '67. I didn't think of myself as a musician . . . it was just something I did, running to daylight, in the circumstances I found myself. Ten years later I was a working musician. Becoming a singer took longer, starting out as a cheaper way to make song demos. In my musical odyssey, I've met all kinds of people and musicians. I don't waste time judging or pontificating or wondering why. He left us with some good songs ~ that's pretty good IMHO.
December 29, 2023
Excellent account of the short life of Phil Ochs. If you're a fan of his music you will probably love this book. Schumacher's hard work and dedication always pays off. He's an excellent, and very thorough, writer.
May 26, 2015
This is a fairly straight forward look at the life of Phil Ochs. Schumacher's book brings you closer into his life than the recent film documentary did. It explores some of the reasons for his tragic suicide.
December 1, 2022
I can't remember if I cried, when I heard Phil Ochs had committed suicide, but something hurt me deep inside the day Phil died.
"Fifty Phil Ochs fans can't be wrong".---Phil Ochs. "Talking Viet Nam Blues", "Here's to the State of Mississippi", "Draft Dodger Rag", "Love Me, I'm A Liberal". Once in America millions could and did sing these songs. In 1976 my high school teacher, a veteran of the Sixties herself, told us political balladeer Phil Ochs had left us, though she erred in thinking he had died of alcoholism. In fact, Phil, at age 36, hung himself inside the bathroom of his sister's apartment, an act sad and pat at the same time, and a perfect metaphor for the end of the Sixties. Just a year earlier Phil had celebrated the end of the Viet Nam War in a concert at Central Park, along with luminaries such as Patti Smith. Who new the New Left had died with him? Born an Army brat in Waco, Texas, Phil majored in journalism at Ohio State University before heading to Greenwich Village at age 20 to break into the folk music scene. Alas, there he ran into the man who would both inspire and belittle him for the rest of his life, Bob Dylan. Phil was forced to live not only in the shadow of a genius but of their mutual idol, Woody Guthrie. Like Woody, Phil carved out a political position for himself as a Left Patriot, or "this country is only as good as the keeping of its promises." There’s the second specter that would ruin his life. In 1960s America (or as Jerry Rubin called it, "Amerika") the left was anti-patriotic and the patriots pro-war. This contradiction killed off Phil's musical career and, it could be argued, killed him. His self-proclaimed "topical songs", dealing with everything from student unrest to the U.S. invasion of The Dominican Republic to the Chicago police riot of 1968, are insightful, fun, but also instantly dated. In 1969 he released REHEARSALS FOR RETIREMENT, an album whose cover reads "Phil Ochs: Born Waco, 1940. Died Chicago, 1968". This must-read biography chronicles the rise and fall of a man and musician who must not be forgotten. Phil left us his own epitaph and prophecy back in 1970 when he told a concert audience: "If there is any hope for revolution in America it lies in getting Elvis Presley to become Che' Guevara."
"Fifty Phil Ochs fans can't be wrong".---Phil Ochs. "Talking Viet Nam Blues", "Here's to the State of Mississippi", "Draft Dodger Rag", "Love Me, I'm A Liberal". Once in America millions could and did sing these songs. In 1976 my high school teacher, a veteran of the Sixties herself, told us political balladeer Phil Ochs had left us, though she erred in thinking he had died of alcoholism. In fact, Phil, at age 36, hung himself inside the bathroom of his sister's apartment, an act sad and pat at the same time, and a perfect metaphor for the end of the Sixties. Just a year earlier Phil had celebrated the end of the Viet Nam War in a concert at Central Park, along with luminaries such as Patti Smith. Who new the New Left had died with him? Born an Army brat in Waco, Texas, Phil majored in journalism at Ohio State University before heading to Greenwich Village at age 20 to break into the folk music scene. Alas, there he ran into the man who would both inspire and belittle him for the rest of his life, Bob Dylan. Phil was forced to live not only in the shadow of a genius but of their mutual idol, Woody Guthrie. Like Woody, Phil carved out a political position for himself as a Left Patriot, or "this country is only as good as the keeping of its promises." There’s the second specter that would ruin his life. In 1960s America (or as Jerry Rubin called it, "Amerika") the left was anti-patriotic and the patriots pro-war. This contradiction killed off Phil's musical career and, it could be argued, killed him. His self-proclaimed "topical songs", dealing with everything from student unrest to the U.S. invasion of The Dominican Republic to the Chicago police riot of 1968, are insightful, fun, but also instantly dated. In 1969 he released REHEARSALS FOR RETIREMENT, an album whose cover reads "Phil Ochs: Born Waco, 1940. Died Chicago, 1968". This must-read biography chronicles the rise and fall of a man and musician who must not be forgotten. Phil left us his own epitaph and prophecy back in 1970 when he told a concert audience: "If there is any hope for revolution in America it lies in getting Elvis Presley to become Che' Guevara."
November 19, 2023
4.5
Oh wow. Now that was a trip. An extremely sad trip.
I've read many heartbreaking biographies, but this one could easily make it to the top 3. The author has done an excellent job researching and writing. To read the story of Phil Ochs is to read the story of a young boy who wanted to change the world and became a madman in the process. A man who came back from his madness completely broken by it, only to die short after.
The book is divided into two parts: the first one really lovely and happy (starting with the perfect quote "the true protest is beauty" that makes Phil one to be instantly adored. I remember when I heard him recite his own poem, something lit in me when he read that particular line. The second part, instead, is truly a downward spiral. The author has really been able to capture how those around Phil must have felt when he was at his lowest. It was absolutely horrifying to read how this extremely handsome and talented, full of hope, young boy, lost his identity and his purpose, becoming a stranger who terrified everyone who loved him. Because he was so loved, but love could never heal him. Whatever he needed could never get to him.
It's been absolutely delightful to see how the author mixed information about Phil's life with his own lyrics, putting them into context and making them part of the story. In the book Phil is never glorified but the author has made sure that we can understand him and feel empathy for him at all times. It's one of those stories in which one can't help but wonder what if. What if he had had better connections, what if he had been helped or saved, when did it become irreversible, was there a point of no return?
The Phil everyone will remember is the lovely, handsome one. The one who was always carrying a guitar, the one who smiled and was extremely pleasant to look at, the one who was a genius ready to disturb anyone who had to be disturbed. His music, although we're living in very different times, still stands relevant. He protested and he inspired others to protest. The echo of his voice, never completely lost, can still be heard loudly in the young voices that still have hope for a better future.
Oh wow. Now that was a trip. An extremely sad trip.
I've read many heartbreaking biographies, but this one could easily make it to the top 3. The author has done an excellent job researching and writing. To read the story of Phil Ochs is to read the story of a young boy who wanted to change the world and became a madman in the process. A man who came back from his madness completely broken by it, only to die short after.
The book is divided into two parts: the first one really lovely and happy (starting with the perfect quote "the true protest is beauty" that makes Phil one to be instantly adored. I remember when I heard him recite his own poem, something lit in me when he read that particular line. The second part, instead, is truly a downward spiral. The author has really been able to capture how those around Phil must have felt when he was at his lowest. It was absolutely horrifying to read how this extremely handsome and talented, full of hope, young boy, lost his identity and his purpose, becoming a stranger who terrified everyone who loved him. Because he was so loved, but love could never heal him. Whatever he needed could never get to him.
It's been absolutely delightful to see how the author mixed information about Phil's life with his own lyrics, putting them into context and making them part of the story. In the book Phil is never glorified but the author has made sure that we can understand him and feel empathy for him at all times. It's one of those stories in which one can't help but wonder what if. What if he had had better connections, what if he had been helped or saved, when did it become irreversible, was there a point of no return?
The Phil everyone will remember is the lovely, handsome one. The one who was always carrying a guitar, the one who smiled and was extremely pleasant to look at, the one who was a genius ready to disturb anyone who had to be disturbed. His music, although we're living in very different times, still stands relevant. He protested and he inspired others to protest. The echo of his voice, never completely lost, can still be heard loudly in the young voices that still have hope for a better future.
January 14, 2025
My personal favorite American song-writer and singer. Well done!
1. Home chatting with my daughter, Yan. She says suddenly, "So sad." "What?" "Just now you said that. " "What did I say?" "That question." "'...A few days before his suicide, Phil Ochs asked his brother, Michael, 'Do you think these songs will be remembered?'"... "You mean this?" "This way he asked makes me sad..." "Me too." ... ... "Mom, could you play his songs now?"
2. copied from my music note.
"... I also remember clearly my feelings and thoughts when I heard Phil Ochs singing "When I am Gone." I thought then, if I died one day, if I would be buried somewhere underground or into a river, or ocean, the last farewell I wish would be just, yes, one voice, one guitar, one sincere heart, to play such a song. "
3. copied from my top 15 song list.
"TOP2 “When I am Gone” Phil Ochs Phil Ochs, Elektra, 1966
If we far sight on the future, it seems complicate enough the life we have to suffer and get through; but if we look back a long time of life from the last moment of death, how about that? This is such a song standing by an angle of dying; both the melody and lyric are simple but meaningful.
And in a sense, I don’t know why I feel so familiar to him.
From my feeling, this song shows the purest personality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNp1k... "
4. copied from my interview with Danny Alexander.
"... ( By the way, You know I love Phil Ochs so much. I bought an old vinyl record, which is his concert 1965, and I found one whole side of the cover printing Mao’s poems. You know what jumped to my mind at that moment. Okay, Phil, if you were alive, we must sit down and talk about this issue…_)
November 29, 2023
I avoided this bio because due to its title I thought it would be nothing more than a transcript of the documentary of the same name, but they couldn't be further apart. While the documentary canonizes Ochs' music and his legacy Michael Schumacher's book shows the darker and uglier side of Ochs. Maybe a little too much.
Schumacher likes to mention several times over and over about how Ochs had a barely passable voice (bullshit, it was beautiful) and how he could barely play guitar (bullshit again). With biographers like this, who needs poison pen letters?
The biographer also likes to delineate Ochs as a neurotic, habitual whiner, desperate for any scrap of attention. The only real informative part of the book I learned was that Ochs was a founding member of the Yippies, the revolutionary organization spearheaded by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. He even testified at the legendary Chicago Seven trial.
A few typos I noticed: Bob Krasnow was the head of Buddah Records, not Bob Kravnow. There's no place called Cheviet Hills, it's Cheviot Hills (the district) and the park's called Rancho Park. These are not major details, but when you're busy talking smack about Phil Ochs it might slip your mind.
Schumacher likes to mention several times over and over about how Ochs had a barely passable voice (bullshit, it was beautiful) and how he could barely play guitar (bullshit again). With biographers like this, who needs poison pen letters?
The biographer also likes to delineate Ochs as a neurotic, habitual whiner, desperate for any scrap of attention. The only real informative part of the book I learned was that Ochs was a founding member of the Yippies, the revolutionary organization spearheaded by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. He even testified at the legendary Chicago Seven trial.
A few typos I noticed: Bob Krasnow was the head of Buddah Records, not Bob Kravnow. There's no place called Cheviet Hills, it's Cheviot Hills (the district) and the park's called Rancho Park. These are not major details, but when you're busy talking smack about Phil Ochs it might slip your mind.
June 1, 2025
I have been a fan of Phil Ochs since I started listening to his music through Pete Seeger and began listening to old folk artists. His catalogue is large and filled with stories, and Michael Schumacher manages to create a cohesive and insightful look at Phil's life from beginning to end. The story follows Phil's family beginnings to Phil's birth and growth as a child to his beginnings with clarinet and eventually guitar to his career struggling to get off the ground until finally he makes a name for himself, but never quite gets famous. His pursuit of truth and justice and how often it feels like it is trampled by a world where criminals run free and make the decisions might feel too relatable even now. While Schumacher has an easy to understand writing style that works very well as a narrative for a book like this, my sole issue would be that the authority and rhythm of this style may be broken up from time to time with occasional subjective music criticism, such as on Pleasures of the Harbor and Rehearsals for Retirement. As a record of not just Phil's life but music and American cultural history, this book cannot be ignored.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2020
This only took so long for me to read because apparently the mechanism that usually controls my ability to focus and read at my normal pace has been completely broken by quarantine, which has been absolutely maddening.
But then, of course, reaching the final chapters slowed me down anyway, because of the terribly sad end Phil came to, and knowing it was coming.
That said, it's a wonderfully comprehensive, even-handed account of his short but full life, and really gets into how and why he recorded what he did, when and why he released what he did and played for and with who he did, and all the ways the cruelties of the world and the slow march of undiagnosed mental illness ultimately destroyed arguably the greatest American folk singer, and also why his art still carries such weight and beauty to this day.
But then, of course, reaching the final chapters slowed me down anyway, because of the terribly sad end Phil came to, and knowing it was coming.
That said, it's a wonderfully comprehensive, even-handed account of his short but full life, and really gets into how and why he recorded what he did, when and why he released what he did and played for and with who he did, and all the ways the cruelties of the world and the slow march of undiagnosed mental illness ultimately destroyed arguably the greatest American folk singer, and also why his art still carries such weight and beauty to this day.
January 7, 2024
Zeer intrigerend persoon over wie deze biografie vertelt. De schrijver was ik dan iets minder fan van, niet dat ik het slecht geschreven vond, maar ik heb nauwelijks tot niet stil gestaan en genoten van hoe de zinnen in elkaar zaten. Wel was het interessant om te lezen hoe de folk scene in de jaren 60 en 70 in elkaar zat en hoe andere artiesten hun carrière ontwikkelden en hoe ze onderling met elkaar omgingen. Het interessantste vond ik om te lezen hoe de mentale situatie van Phil Ochs verslechterde, daar kon de schrijver wat uitgebreider over schrijven, maar misschien is dat niet uit te leggen.
Ik geef het 3,5 sterren maar dat kan niet, dus dan maar 4 sterren.
Ik geef het 3,5 sterren maar dat kan niet, dus dan maar 4 sterren.
December 5, 2025
I decided to take my time reading this book, and I am glad I did. Michael Schumacher did what I think was a wonderful job at documenting Phil's life with care and without bias. It was not too slow or too faced-paced, and didn't linger on anything for any longer than needed. I am a young person, and only discovered Phil Ochs a couple of months ago - but was immediately drawn to his music. I'm a guitarist and have been learning his songs on guitar, (namely Changes), and was curious to learn more about his life. I am just filled with an eerie sadness after finishing it. I highly recommend reading this biography for those who wish to learn more about Phil Ochs.
March 2, 2021
A poignant, well-researched, and in depth look into the life of an often overlooked soul. Ochs' life was too bright to fade, it was always destined to be snuffed out. The troubles and difficulties that plagued him throughout his life are lade bare, as is Ochs' incredible passion and energy. His mixed desires to be on top, and to change the world. A fascinating read, a fascinating guy.
August 18, 2019
A thoughtful biography of a complicated and brilliant person, which explores his life, his work, and the vibrant tumult of the '60s. Definitely would recommend to anyone interested in Phil Ochs and/or the folk scene in 1960s New York.
March 27, 2022
Reading about the struggles of Och's life was incredibly sad. This book is a detailed and engaging biography of a flawed and forgotten artist. If you are a fan of Phil Och's music, then you will be a fan of this book.
Read
December 4, 2019Read this twice. Sad that a great singer/songwriter couldn't remake himself and embrace being a nostalgia act the way so many other musicians have.
November 12, 2023
Saddest story I’ve ever read
I loved his music when I was young. This is a 5 for the writing, but a 2 for the truth of the story.
I loved his music when I was young. This is a 5 for the writing, but a 2 for the truth of the story.
July 17, 2025
he died politically
he died musically
he killed himself spiritually
he lost his friends
lost himself
and eventually, out of shame he made sure he died.
It's an incredibly sad book yet inspiring.
he died musically
he killed himself spiritually
he lost his friends
lost himself
and eventually, out of shame he made sure he died.
It's an incredibly sad book yet inspiring.
July 26, 2025
depressing stuff near the end dude. really solid biography for an artist that risked slipping through the cracks of history otherwise
October 15, 2025
4.6 stars
October 26, 2013
Phil Ochs is one of those enigmatic characters of his times that one wonders, just how would they be approaching some of the events in the world and USA today had they but lived so long. Like Richard Farina, Ochs was contemporaneous and in some fashions competitive with the young Bob Dylan, but both of them shared friendship and values with Dylan. I would go so far as to say that Ochs' Crucifixion ranks as superior piece of 20th C. poetry along with T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland, and WB Yeats' The Second Coming which it no doubt cribbed from for some images, in that it takes a signal event- the death of John Kennedy- and transforms it into a scathing matter of archetypal moment. One of my own biggest complaints about the topical song, per se, is that it barely ever survives past the fifteen minutes of fame of its causal event. The very best "protest" songs of Bob Dylan, are indeed, those in which he takes the timeless perspective and places an event in a metaphorical framework which goes beyond the point in time of outrage, and sees it in the light of the flow of events of humanity. This was Ochs' worst failing- that while he was extremely GOOD at making these topical songs up, he evolved a formula, in part, from which he rarely saw past and in the case of Crucifixion, only that once actually superceded the initial event and created true high art.
That being all said, what would Phil Ochs make of the Obama administration? Surely they have far surpassed the paranoia created in the Nixon years, and surpassed Nixon in all their crimes- lies, overthrow of foreign governments (as Allende, so Qaddafi), spying on foreign leaders and United States Citizens, summary executions without trial, slaughter of innocent civilians as part of a "techo-robot killing mentality" as Ochs himself described the Vietnam war in one of his journals. No, it is easy to see old Phil up there at current protests like Today's "Stop Watching Us!" event with Daniel Ellsberg, hauling out some new wonderful commentary in verse, targeting Hif Majeftie Prez Snoop Drone with all the wit, bile, and sarcasm he might muster. So here's to Phil Ochs- long forgot, self-sacrifice to his own era, but nonetheless, a voice for truth and a higher morality seen as "quite quaint" in this Macchiavellian age.
That being all said, what would Phil Ochs make of the Obama administration? Surely they have far surpassed the paranoia created in the Nixon years, and surpassed Nixon in all their crimes- lies, overthrow of foreign governments (as Allende, so Qaddafi), spying on foreign leaders and United States Citizens, summary executions without trial, slaughter of innocent civilians as part of a "techo-robot killing mentality" as Ochs himself described the Vietnam war in one of his journals. No, it is easy to see old Phil up there at current protests like Today's "Stop Watching Us!" event with Daniel Ellsberg, hauling out some new wonderful commentary in verse, targeting Hif Majeftie Prez Snoop Drone with all the wit, bile, and sarcasm he might muster. So here's to Phil Ochs- long forgot, self-sacrifice to his own era, but nonetheless, a voice for truth and a higher morality seen as "quite quaint" in this Macchiavellian age.
February 16, 2014
The first half of the book reads a bit too much like a lame lesson in the 60s, I wish Schumacher had more anecdotes and Phil Ochs related information but maybe it's just not out there... The second half was way more Phil-focused and therefore more interesting, unfortunately it's during the more depressing part of Och's life however.
May 19, 2009
I ordered this book special from the publisher...and I`m glad that I did..visit the old `hootnanies` held in Greenwich Village with the like of a young bobby dylan, dave van ronk, and jerry rubin.
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