Phil Ochs

Known for Acting

12/19/1940

El Paso, Texas, USA

Biography

Philip David Ochs (December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and distinctive voice. He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and 1970s and released eight albums.

Known For (13 credits)

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese

7.1

Movie

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese

2019

Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, this film captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year.

Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation

7.0

Movie

Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation

2013

Explores the music scene in Greenwich Village, New York in the '60s and early '70s. The film highlights some of the finest singer/songwriters of the day.

6.6

Movie

Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

2011

From civil rights to the anti-war movement to the struggles of workers, folksinger Phil Ochs wrote topical songs that engaged his audiences in the issues of the 1960s and 70s. In this biographical documentary, veteran director Kenneth Bowser shows how Phil's music and his fascinating life story and eventual decline into depression and suicide were intertwined with the history-making events that defined a generation. Even as his contemporaries moved into folk-rock and pop music, Phil followed his own vision, challenging himself and his listeners. Not one to pull punches, Ochs never achieved the commercial success he desperately desired. But his music remains relevant, reaching new audiences in a generation that finds his themes all too familiar.

5.6

Movie

Berkeley in the Sixties

1990

A documentary about militant student political activity at the University of California, Berkeley in the 1960s.

Movie

Chords of Fame

1984

Documentary about the life of folk singer Phil Ochs.

8.3

Movie

Renaldo and Clara

1978

Filmed in the autumn of 1975 prior to and during Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour – featuring appearances and performances by Ronee Blakley, T-Bone Burnett, Jack Elliott, Allen Ginsberg, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Hawkins, Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Mick Ronson, Arlen Roth, Phil Ochs, Sam Shepard, and Harry Dean Stanton – the film incorporates three distinct film genres: concert footage, documentary interviews, and dramatic fictional vignettes reflective of Dylan's song lyrics and life.

Movie

The Day the Music Died

1977

This documentary film is mostly about the New York Pop Festival, which began on July 17, 1970 at Randall's Island, NY, and lasted for three days

Ten for Two: The John Sinclair Freedom Rally

6.0

Movie

Ten for Two: The John Sinclair Freedom Rally

1971

Concert film documentary. The John Sinclair Freedom Rally was a protest and concert in response to the imprisonment of John Sinclair for possession of marijuana held on December 10, 1971. Features performances from John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Stevie Wonder and Bob Seger

Movie

Wondering About Things

1971

Laymen as well as celebrities in the sciences and creative arts give their views and values regarding their creative efforts and technological society. Their answers add up to the view that science is an indispensable part of mankind's hope for the future. Interviewees include Haskell Wexler, Joan Baez, Ann Halprin, Benny Bufano, Art Hoppe, Zubin Mehta, Phil Ochs, George Pimentel, Ben Maddow.

Movie

Generations Apart: A Question of Values

1969

A study of the generation gap, this program contains questions on the types of social change and societal restraints the participants would welcome or reject. In addition, participants were asked about their views of their parents' values as well as their own, and which political events had affected their life and values. Other questions covered abortion, sexual relations, civil disobedience, criticism of American society, drugs, career goals, the draft, and tactics to be used in social change.

Movie

Last Summer Won't Happen

1968

A critical yet sympathetic examination of the anti-war movement in New York City, shot in 1968, one year after the Summer of Love. The film traces the development group of activists on the Lower East Side. We see their growth from isolated, alienated individuals to a politically empowered community. Filmed between the protests at the Pentagon and the demonstrations at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, it includes portraits of Abbie Hoffman, editor Paul Krassner, folksinger Phil Ochs and anarchist Tom "Osha" Neumann.

Movie

The Creative Person: The Folksinger

1965

Three of the top folksinger-composers - Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, and Buffy Sainte-Marie - are featured here. These are the new "city" folksingers whose songs are strictly topical, commenting on the political and social issues of the day. Pete Seeger, an earlier singer in a similar tradition, talks about what the younger singer-composers are attempting to do and about their forerunners, such as Woody Guthrie and Aunt Molly Jackson.