this website is run by vernon demir (that's me :>)! i'm a huge phil ochs fan (and a history nerd) and so i created this website to reconcile my love for ochs with my love for teaching historical events. thus, this site exists to archive ochs' performances, writings, and more. i've also included a section for fanart, because some phil ochs fans i've interacted with on tumblr are unbelievably talented and i'm stunned.
if you'd like to add your artwork to this site, please feel free to dm me on insta at orphechante! i'm really not picky and honestly just want this site to serve as a digital quilt dedicated to ochs.
that's a good question and you shouldn't feel embarrassed to ask it! philip david ochs, born december 19 (a day we celebrate to an unreal degree) 1940, was a journalist, folk/topical singer, and american activist. starting out in the greenwich village folk scene (thus the name of our site!), ochs grew attention for his protest songs, often focused on anti-war messages (such as i ain't marching anymore, the war is over, and draft dodger rag) and pro-civil rights activism (such as too many martyrs, going down to mississippi (one of my favorite of his songs!), and talking birmingham jam. ochs' discography, however, wasn't just limited to serious protest songs! many of his songs, even those delving into important political issues, utilized a sarcastic and comedic tone, much like many of his writings.
wow! maybe i'm just super positive today, but what a great question yet again! at a time when many of the issues ochs decried, such as american foreign intervention (cops of the world), antiblack rhetoric and violence (too many martyrs (again, sorry lol it's just that great of a song)), poverty and lack of class consciousness (that's what i wanna hear), and inequities throughout the world (there but for fortune), continue and have intensified, it's important to remind ourselves that activists have dealt with these issues in the past and we can do so again. dealing with mass deforestation and the destruction of the weelaunee forest in atlanta is rough, for instance, but reminding ourselves of how activism against the militarization of the state and against the overprominence of police gives us a model for our more modern activist orgs and reminds us that we are not alone in our struggle.
also fun fact phil ochs was almost tried at the trial of the chicago eight
and, when he found out he wouldn't be tried, was super disappointed!
aside from his historical and political importance, he was just a silly guy who we
should bring up way more often.
