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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 25 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Ochs, Phil
| Phil Ochs commited suicide April 9, 1976 at the age of 35. How did he go out? | Phil Ochs Trivia
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Hanging by his belt.. Poor Phil hung himself by his belt in the bathroom of his sister's house. He was discovered by her 14 year-old son, David.
Changes. In his lifetime, "Changes" was his most sucessful and most popular song. It was covered by Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary, Ian and Sylvia, among others. That song, in recent years, has been overshadowed by "I Ain't Marching Anymore" and "Love Me, I'm A Liberal" as Phil Ochs songs that are recorded by other artists.
| Phil Ochs wrote the title song to which roller derby movie? Hint (or not)- it starred Raquel Welch. | Phil Ochs Trivia
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'Kansas City Bomber'. Phil wrote the title song for 'Kansas City Bomber'. Suprisingly, the film wasn't a hit at the box office, but Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees sing back-up vocals on the tune.
| Did the FBI ever consider Phil Ochs to be a threat to National Security? | Phil Ochs Trivia
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Yes. Of course he was. Phil Ochs was declared a "Security Threat" by the FBI way back in 1966.
| What year did Phil Ochs organize 'The War Is Over' rally in Los Angeles, CA in response to the escalation of the Viet-Nam conflict? | Phil Ochs Trivia
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1967. In an attempt at absurdist politics, Phil decided it would be a good idea if the people themselves declare the VietNam war over in 1967. At the concert rallies to commemorate the "end" of the war, he was joined by such folkies as Joan Baez, Tom Paxton and Peter, Paul and Mary.
The Bells. Phil turned Poe's poem 'The Bells' into an amazingly melodic song. While playing it live, he was often joined on stage by Beat poet Allan Ginsberg who played buddhist finger symbols in time with the music.
| What was the name Phil gave to the violent, drug abusing/alcholoic alter-ego he created as he was spinning out of control towards the end of his life? | Phil Ochs Trivia
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John Train. Phil started calling himself "John Train" in 1975, claiming he "murdered" Phil Ochs. Phil, as Train, became a kind of local crazy, and his rampages through the bars of Greenwich Village have become legandary. As Train, Phil was banned from every bar and often was seen sleeping on park benches and in alleyways.
| The tombstone on the cover of "Rehearsals For Retirement" has Phil dying when? | Phil Ochs Trivia
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Chicago, 1968. Phil was emotionally wounded by the riots at the Chicago Convention in 1968, which he was a witness to. It had such a profound affect on him that he was never really the same again. It's his death date on the tombstone on the album.
| Which song did Phil Ochs compose as a commentary on the assassination of JFK? | Phil Ochs Trivia
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"Crucifixion". "Crucifixion" is the correct choice, although Phil wrote other songs that dealt with the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK (like "Too Many Martyrs"). The song never mentions JFK by name, or the presidency for that matter, but when Phil sung it for Robert Kennedy personally in 1967, it made Kennedy cry.
| What is the title of the song that, in 1972, Phil Ochs rewrote from his number "Here's To The State Of Mississippi"? | Phil Ochs Trivia
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"Here's To The State Of Richard Nixon". In 1972, in the midst of writers block, Phil could only come up with "Here's To The State Of Richard Nixon" to comment on the upcoming presidental election. The reworked song featured only one different verse from the original "Mississippi" version.
| Did Phil Ochs, famous for his Anti-War songs, ever join a military academy? | Phil Ochs Trivia
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Yes. Phil chose to attend high school at the Stauton Military Academy in Virginia after seeing an ad in a newspaper.
clarinet. Phil started playing the clarinet in his early teens, and showed much musical talent as a boy.
Gunfight At Carnegie Hall. 'Gunfight At Carnegie Hall' was the last album released in his lifetime. It is a live recording of his rather disasterous performance at Carnegie Hall in 1974. Phil chose to play Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard tributes instead of the folk-protest songs the audience came to hear. It's still Phil, and a great record.
1973. Richard Nixon made a promise to end the draft as part of his election campaign for the 1968 presidency. He thought that by ending the draft and creating an all-volunteer military, he could put an end to the anti-war protests of middle-class young men who were concerned about being drafted. The last soldiers to be drafted by the Selective Service were in December 1972, and the draft formally ended in 1973. However, in 1980, Congress passed legislation requiring young men to register for the military in the event that the United States was faced with an emergency.
"Without blood or gore". The Vietnam War exacted a high human price. Between one to two million Vietnamese citizens lost their lives during the conflict. Approximately 58,000 American servicemen were killed in action, and 350,000 were injured.
Chou En Lai. Chou En Lai was born in 1898 in China. In 1949, shortly after the Chinese Revolution, he became the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, a post which he held until shortly before his death in 1976.
(Information from Wikipedia)
"I get epileptic fits". Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by seizures. There are several types of epilepsy, the best-known being "grand mal", in which the seizure includes loss of consciousness, convulsions involving the limbs, and loss of bladder control. According the Epilepsy.com, one percent of the world's population suffers from epilepsy. Some famous people who had epilepsy include Napoleon Bonaparte, Lenin, Gustave Flaubert and Alfred Nobel.
"Better dead than red". "Better dead than red" was a slogan used in the United States during the Cold War. The "Cold War" describes the period of tension and hostility between the Soviet Bloc countries and the West, primarily the United States, between the end of the Second World War until the Soviet Union fell, in 1991. Several military conflicts were part of the Cold War, primarily the Korean War and the Vietnam War, although the United States and the Soviet Union never fought each other directly. One of the uglier parts of the legacy of the Cold War, at least from the American side, was the witch hunts conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy. One of the few positive outcomes of the Cold War was the marvelous spy novels of John Le Carre.
| And now, for the first verse.
"Oh, I'm just a typical American boy from a typical American town
I believe in G-d and Senator Dodd and keeping old...down".
Who does our young man believe in keeping down? | "Draft Dodger Rag" by Phil Ochs: Anatomy of a Song
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Castro. Fidel Castro, president of Cuba, came to power after a revolution that extended between 1956 to 1959. He was able to overthrow the government of Batista, due in part to support from South American revolution Che Guevara and the KGB. As a Soviet satellite, Cuba was an anathema to the United States during the Cold War.
Senator Thomas Dodd of Connecticut served in both the House of Representative and the Senate. Prior to being elected to Congress, he spent fifteen months as a prosecutor during the Nuremberg trials.
I'm sure the Almighty needs no introduction.
| "I've got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, and my asthma's getting worse
Yes, think of my career, my sweetheart dear, and my poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, I'm going to school
And..."
What else does our eager draftee do?
| "Draft Dodger Rag" by Phil Ochs: Anatomy of a Song
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"Work in a defense plant". One of the largest demonstrations ever held in the United States was on November 15, 196, and was known as the "November Moratorium". Rallies were held in cities throughout the United States, with the largest taking place on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Over half a million people attended that demonstration, which was largely peaceful. I know - I was there.
"a purse". The military in the United States has historically demonstrated intolerance towards homosexuals, beginning with Lieutenant Golthold Frederick Enslin who was drummed out of the army after having been charged with sodomy. In 1943, homosexuals were banned from serving in any branch of the US military. While declaring himself as a "purse-carrying gay" would have earned an exemption for our young draftee during the sixties, this was a rather unlikely scenario. The prevailing attitude towards homosexuals during the fifties and sixties in the United States was extremely unwelcoming and any other reason for avoiding the draft would have been preferable.
He attended a military prep school for several years.. Phil Ochs was born in 1940. His father suffered from bipolar disease, which Phil apparently inherited. After a long bout with depression, Ochs took his own life in 1976. As a teen-ager, Ochs attended the Stauton Military Academy in Virginia from 1956-58. This was his only personal experience with the military.
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