FIRST TIME HEARING Phil Ochs-“I Ain’t Marching Anymore” REACTION with Tim Sommer.

[@martinellis7156]

I love this format guys, especially with such a knowledgeble and erudite guest. Speaking truth to power is a great responsibility, keep telling it like it is. I was born in 1954 and guys like Phil Ochs, Arlow Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Melanie Safka and many more were the voice of disaffected American youth. Peace and love always, for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

[@andymageen5308]

Amen, brother ✌️

[@KenRoerden]

Great song. Phil Ochs should be better known. Thank you so much Tim for bringing it to the RSR family. It makes me think of Dylan's With God On Our Side before it and Donovan's Universal Soldier after it. Looking forward to seeing which one you bring next and hope you continue to be a guest on the channel.

[@davidhopkins4352]

Thank You! Phil Ochs is amazing. He, Tom Paxton, Odetta, Pete Seeger, Victor Jara... the list goes on of voices that sung out with strength and clarity . Be Well

[@banksbb15]

Phil Ochs is my favorite singer! Thanks for a reaction to one of his!!!

[@LoPet6225]

I am a HUGE Phil Ochs fan! I can't believe that you're covering one of his songs!! You've got to listen to Outside of a Small Circle of Friends.

[@ptournas]

Another great one.

[@Jonni1027]

I still sing Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends in the shower a lot hahaha❤

[@mike021478]

Love Phil Ochs, so many good songs and not afraid to say it

[@Pushindazees]

It was scary for the families of all those young men too. Imagine being a parent and having your son chosen to be sent to a war that even if it didn't kill them would most certainly change them forever. And so many were abused when they came home through the ports too, for something that was completely out of their hands. I truly love that you guys are including a chance to learn about all these wonderful songs and artists.

[@faithnyou1732]

Thanks so much to Tim Sommer for dropping some history and knowledge about the wars, the 1960s culture, and introducing Phil Ochs to young people everywhere! Thanks Jay and Amber for another great interview and reaction! ✌💙✌

[@bradsullivan2495]

There's a Woody Guthrie museum in Tulsa that honors that iconic folk singer. According to their website, there's currently a Phil Ochs exhibit.

[@reedcoles1215]

Wait I thought it was just like a vault type deal

[@drewsgigi]

Lived through Vietnam lost friends. Thank you for honoring our men and women in the military.

[@laurathornton1456]

Our local library had copies of two of Phil Ochs' LPS. I'm sure they had been ordered in error as this is a small, highly conservative, Georgia town where it was almost unthinkable to listen to anyone left of Lawrence Welk. I personally tried to wear both of them out. My father, not a fan, would come in, hear me playing one of them, and comment," I hear she went back to the library again today!" I came home one weekend from college by way of the library to discover they had removed Phil Ochs from circulation. I did not go back to the library for years! And yes, I might could have bought them but they were not carried in our local record store and this was in the days before ordering online. I was a poor college student on a very limited budget.

[@bradsullivan2495]

Ochs was a contemporary of Bob Dylan and was nicknamed "The Singing Journalist" because many of his songs dealt with current events. He really hammered home the push for civil rights, especially "Too Many Martyrs" (about the murder of Medgar Evers) and "Here's to the State of Mississippi (written after the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers). Definitely need to LEAP into this rabbit hole.

[@johno1765]

Ochs was also a journalism major at Ohio State and wrote newspaper articles before he got into songwriting.

[@edprzydatek8398]

"Here's To The State of Mississippi " is an unbelievably "in your face" song.

[@Letterman0412]

Dylan actually tossed Ochs out of his car once when Ochs told him he didn’t like one of his songs. Dylan told him “you’re not a folk singer you’re a journalist.”

[@bradsullivan2495]

Ochs also wrote a lighter song about the draft: "The Draft Dodger Rag"--a classic that needs a reaction.

[@ptournas]

Great suggestion!

[@banksbb15]

YES!!!

[@chipdamutt108]

There was a great "All In the Family" episode that was centered around a draft dodger.

[@loritajohnson5664]

Love Mr. Tim's knowledge and perspective! I remember some of the late 60s as a child.

[@cathyortiz1280]

YEEEESSS! I love Phil Ochs - even more than Dylan. "There But For Fortune," "Changes," and "When I'm Gone." I want "When I'm Gone" played at my "Celebration of Life!" You also have to respect those that refused to serve on moral grounds, believing that killing is sin. Esp in a totally unjust war! MLK Jr. was against the Vietnam war & draft because African Americans didn't even have their rights, yet they were drafted more than whites.

[@neildonley9626]

His song "Crucifixion" always brings a tear to my eye. The story goes that he sang it on a plane and made Bibby Kennedy cry when he realized what it was about.

[@clg3697]

Thank you for bringing back Mr. Sommer. Entertaining and Educational for all. I was in my early teens then but I remember the Vietnam war daily on the TV. I remember the deaths of my friends older brothers. I look forward to his insights this week. Thank you Mr. Sommer and thank you Jay and Amber for bringing him back.💜

[@RWonline]

Lived through that era. Phil was a great singer. We caught a lot of grief, and sometimes still do, to have been anti-war in those days.

[@penelopehornswaggle102]

I'm always going to be Anti War unless someone is coming for us.

[@jackieknows9129]

Thank you Tim for the history lessons and stories - Now is a great time to be learning these lessons - they are still important.

[@jeanstrickland2445]

Hey Tim ,Jay, and Amber 🙋🏻‍♀️my father-in-law fought in Vietnam and Korea my husband was born in Germany in 1962. He went in at 17 and came out at 37. God bless all our troops 🇺🇸. This is a tribute to the one’s that didn’t make it home.

[@JonHammerHeart]

This is so cool! Phil Ochs was very good and is sadly underrated. It's wonderful to see you guys doing him. Great voice and a poet's soul. If you'd like some other suggestions try "Changes" or maybe "The Highwayman".

[@bradsullivan2495]

Ochs offered up others songs that weren't about the war or civil rights. Two come to mind: "When I'm Gone" is poignant because of his ultimate fate and is meant to push the idea that life is too short to put off doing stuff. "Outside a Small Circle of Friends" is different from his usual songs because it incorporates a bouncy piano. That's in stark contrast to the lyrics that are bitterly sarcastic about people's apathy. It was written after the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese in New York. She was stabbed to death outside her apartment with her neighbors hearing her screams. Those neighbors basically said they didn't want to get involved.

[@Kunsoo1024]

No More Songs is haunting - I always interpreted as about his journey into depression and mental illness.

[@Pokenoz940]

Rob, I'm 73 and want to let you know that there was a full time college deferment up until early 70's and they gave you lottery numbers. My number was 223. By the time the war ended my local draft board was up to around 100. A lot of my friends who received received lower single or double digit numbers just enlisted so they could determine what branch of the military they wanted to be in.

[@ilsaruthen5478]

Like Mr. Sommer I'm a huge Phil Ochs fan. I saw him perform many times and have all his albums. I even have an autographed ticket and a poster from one of his shows. I've always felt that he didn't get the recognition he deserved, but the folk music scene back then was a small world and Dylan & Pete Seeger were, for various reasons, the ones who got the most recognition. Still, Phil Ochs' songs are a match for anything Dylan produced - and he sure as hell sings a lot better. ( I don't know if Mr. Sommer remembers, but Phil led a march through the streets of Manhattan declaring that the war in Viet Nam was over. The faces of the bystanders were priceless! They weren't sure if it was true or not. Sadly, it wasn't.) Please listen to more of Phil's music. - for yourselves, not just as reactors. Listen to his later songs as well as his political stuff. It's all amazing.

[@harlowrioux5790]

THank you both for this! I love this format! And I am thrilled you are listening to Phil Ochs! Such a important figure in the folk music movement. He was brave, he was brilliant, he was telling it as it was. He was called a protest singer until Phil corrected the media by stating" I am a topical singer." He was indeed a contemporary of Bob Dylan but also a friend and admirer of Gordon Lightfoot. And vice versa. They used to hear one another singing in Torontos Yorkville area, where they played in coffeehouses. Phil traveled the world by the way, ending up caught in the Chilean revolution. He was attacked in Africa badly enough his ability to sing was affected. 'Love Me I'm A Liberal' is a biting, caustic look at the hypocrisy of the democratic party. You can feel the disappointment and anger in his voice-he truly was an idealist who thought the world could change for the better. A few years ago, there was an attempt to make a movie about his life. Even though he is 'before my time' he is, to me, one of the most important, singer/songwriters of all time. And he deserves to be known just as much as his contemporaries.

[@FloridaHiker619]

Please have Tim Sommer back. I always learn a lot from him.

[@bjdefilippo447]

I understand that sometimes, war, to protect your existence and democracy ,is necessary. I have trouble with the concept of sending our children to fight for oil, territory, economics, or anything that isn't an existential threat to those first two. All the men in my family as far back as I know joined. Dad joined in WWII, and fought in Korea. The impacts of that on him made me so glad that my brother missed the Vietnam draft, and my relief expanded because of the way so many were treated upon their return. Mr. Sommers is right, you cannot blame the soldier for honorable service, even if the war seems unjust. That's way above their pay grade.

[@thecliffdweller1212]

Thank You. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Tim Sommer and the Rob Family, on behalf of my brothers and sisters who stood before me and the children who shall stand in my place on the line when I fall. I marched because I had to, for all the reasons you talked about. My line goes all the way back to the Colonizers and ultimately those who brought them down on American soil. My ancestors literally were the ones in the song who fought their brothers in the Civil War. This is no joke, I have found the records on sites like Ancestry! I was caught in the last Draft Lottery in 1973 and enlisted in the US Coast Guard. I served my country domestically and humanely in a time of "foreign adventure." My "body count" walked away warm and smiling! I take my bows as a Veteran on behalf of those who served with me and all those who serve in my place today.

[@DarqJestor]

Been waiting for years for you to do some Phil Ochs and some of the protest songs! Phil is easily on par with Dylan and he has a wonderful voice. Check out "Changes", "Crucifixion", "Santo Domingo" or some of his humorous songs like "Draft Dodger Rag" or "Love Me I'm a Liberal". I've never understood why he was rejected by the media while Dylan was so embraced. Both deserved wide audiences.

[@bradsullivan2495]

Phil Och's critics tried to paint him as un-American, etc, but one of his most chilling songs (Knock on the Door) talks about the misery of life under a dictatorship.

[@fan123casual8]

I heard a song on a college radio station and I said “Who is this!?” I thought I knew my 60’s folk singers, even though I’m not of that generation. It was Phil Ochs singing “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends” and “Miranda.” His music stopped me in my tracks because of how good it was but also because his stuff is almost forgotten today. Some of them are topical for the time they were written, so you have to know your history to appreciate them. For instance “Love me, I’m a Liberal” is fantastic, but you have to know about the left’s disappointment with Hubert Humphrey’s nomination for president in 1968 to get it.

[@caroleathenacosta-songwrit9193]

“Outside of a Small Circle of Friends” and “Miranda” were from the album "Pleasures of the Harbor." The entire album is, IMHO, an absolute brilliant masterpiece, second to none. As I said to another fan when talking about the song "Pleasures of the Harbor," "Only Phil Ochs could write a song about a sailor on shore leave, going to a hooker and then getting drunk and make it sound like a beautiful love song."

[@edprzydatek8398]

​ I love "Pleasures of the Harbor" because, you know, been there, done that.

[@DerekDominoes]

Tim needs to have them hear "Love Me I'm A Liberal" and explain to them exactly what Phil was talking about.

[@pauldover1403]

Phil Ochs wrote some wonderful songs and this one with its simple arrangement really is powerful. Tim Sommer is a real find, his intelligent comments on the music seems to spur both of you on too. Just a quick comment too, when I see the young girls on these old videos, it's hard to realise that they are eighty or more years old now. And we think that they don't understand.

[@alanmusicman3385]

Phil Ochs did a lot of things that deserve to be better known. "Outside a Small Cicle of Friends" next?

[@kenpaden]

I know exactly what Tim was talking about, I was born in 58, so I was a little too young to worry about it in the 60s but my brother got the dreaded letter, fortunately he had a high draft number and was never called. Please have Tim back soon!!!

[@Cboy2023]

Wow Phil Ochs…heavy!

[@charlesellis3784]

Listen to his " Small circle of friends" and "The Party"

[@luckyskittles8976]

Most of the "folk singers"of the time did protest songs. Johnny Cash had a song "What Is Truth" You mentioned the dreaded letter arriving but there also dreaded knock on the door, if you had a loved one in any war.

[@hannejeppesen1809]

Phil Ochs was so talented. Many do not know about him. I had a close friend who had a huge LP collection (we are of that generation) my friend died 4 years ago. My friends sister let me have as many of his LP as I wanted. I took a quite few. I don't have an old fashion record player, but my son in law does, he and my daugther are in their early forties. I gave them a lot of the records among them were one of Phil Ochs records. My son in law plays guitar and is really into music, he was blown away by getting an LP with Phil Ochs. I'm pleased that other generation discover Phil Ochs. Just said that Phil had mental problems and committed suicide when he was in his thirties. You should listen to his "Draft Dodger Rag, and I'm a liberal.

[@lordwilliamstrickler179]

My favourite Phil Ochs song is "The Highwayman." I would highly recommend it.

[@russellkaplan1818]

Saw Phil at The Sanders Theater in Harvard Sq 1972/1973

[@aarongoldstein7614]

Just down the road from me.

[@SirOtter1]

"When I'm Gone" is just as relevant today as it was fifty plus years ago.

[@edprzydatek8398]

I became a teenager in 1960 . I can tell you that you didn't get immediately drafted by that letter that came in the mail. First you got a letter ordering you to report for a physical examination. If you passed you were told that you would be getting inducted into the Army within 30 days. That 30 days gave me the time to join the Navy. I still saw men die, but I didn't have to kill anyone. I have many Phil Ochs albums, myself. I'm glad you finally got around to him. Great reaction.

[@tedcole9936]

Wow, guys, fabulous reaction!!! More Phil Ochs!! My favorite not anti-war, but deeply personal) - - “Changes”

[@nancywengert7301]

This old hippy, Viet Nam War protester loved the protest songs of the era. I knew a lot of friends and relatives who served, some didn't come home alive.

[@user-gt2uf8cq9y]

Phil Ochs "Power and Glory" would be a great national anthem.

[@mikenutter9418]

Another fact of life back then was that we were always about 20 minutes from nuclear destruction. Every school kid, even in the first grade new the difference in the two air raid sirens, one meaning that you had a our 20 minutes and the second that meant you had about two minutes before the blast would happen.

[@Jonni1027]

I sooo appreciate Tim bringing up Phil Ochs’s music! It was a staple of music played on San Francisco radio station KSAN, known way back then as “free form radio” where the DJs played whatever the hell they wanted. So I grew up listening to him, he was an important artist, and it’s a real shame he’s been seemingly forgotten for younger generations❤😢

[@penelopehornswaggle102]

They were still making 18 yr old kids register in 1982. My boyfriend had to register and it scared me. There wasn't a war going on, but we didn't have a crystal ball.

[@bradsullivan2495]

They brought back registration in 1980, when things were getting dicey with the Iran hostage crisis. I know it was 1980 because I had to register at the local post office at age 19.

[@joannerichards1750]

Thanks, Tim. I lived through the draft, the war, the protest. It shaped my every waking moment then, and even today. I didn't serve, I resisted the draft and was re-classified. The late 60s was an era of turmoil and drama. This is a chapter that must be read and understood if we are to make sense of the present.

[@Verlopil]

Mr. Sommer is a great addition to this channel. I love having Jay and Amber being able to talk directly with someone who knows what's behind the songs. It's educating them and all the rest of us who may not have known or consider all the angles behind the music.

[@JustMe-vk4fn]

First time hearing this song and I couldn't agree with it more.

[@aleececollamore6052]

I remember listening to these songs and praying for my friends, brother and husband who fought in Viet Nam. It was a scary and sad time. Thank you for not taking a side. The men who came home had things thrown at them, they were spit on and encountered protestors.

[@mrkrinkle72]

Look up Pete Seeger's song Waist Deep In The Big Muddy. And, the perfect Vietnam Documentary "Dear America, Letters Home From Vietnam".

[@messiahmoose]

Two other songs that hit like are Richie Havens “Handsome Johnny” and Bob Dylan “With God on Our Side.” Love the creators. Keep up the good work!

[@aarongoldstein7614]

"Handsome Johnny", as I'm sure you know, was co-written by the late Lou Gossett, Jr.

[@MrRiverfeverwa]

I turned 18 in my senior year in HS. The war was winding down in 1971 and they draft number was key to being drafted. I remember the cut off was #150 and luckily for me my number was like 750 so I was safe.But yes it was the #1 thing on all our minds.

[@Wasted_Talent007]

I would like to add one final comment to this excellent reaction. When I enlisted, I swore an oath to defend a living document, not a living man. A warning to those that would defile or ignore that document. My oath didn't magically disappear when I received my discharge papers. I will defend that document, the United States Constitution, in every way that I can conceive of. After all, I swore an oath. Remember that when assessing elected representatives or appointed civil servants that have not taken their oath of office seriously or shaped the spirit of its well-intended meaning into something partisan and not inclusive to All citizens.

[@ptournas]

Same here. US Navy, Vietnam era, but stationed in Iceland tracking Russian submarines in the North Atlantic.

[@Wasted_Talent007]

@@ptournas Cool. I was a sonar technician. Back when passive sonar was relatively new. I know precisely what you were doing. We both studied Russian submarines extensively. You don't get the billet unless you do. Have to know what to look for.

[@ptournas]

@@Wasted_Talent007 Nice, I wasn't doing the actual tracking though. I was a Radioman, stationed at NAVFAC Keflavik. You guys used to amaze me when I would go into the sonar room and someone would say, "look at this, they just flushed the toilet" and point to what looked like the lines on an oscilloscope. And yes I was very impressed by the knowledge you all had of the subs you tracked as well as your ability to identify them from your charts. I was group leader for one of the radioman watch team,s and in charge of cryptographic training, and responsible for keeping track of all the classified material and it's destruction. I did enjoy my job a lot. It got pretty hectic when the subs got into those cat and mouse games (for both of us, I'm sure). Had to get a lot of messages encrypted and relayed as fast as humanly possible!

[@Wasted_Talent007]

​@@ptournas Thanks. You want to know what the best part of being a sonar tech was? It was the last "cat and mouse" game. With increasing satellite coverage and more sophisticated surveillance techniques, there is nothing on the earth's surface that can be effectively hidden for an extended period of time. I'm not saying that we know where everything is. I'm just saying that we know where the really important stuff is. All of the time. Except for submarines. Submarines were the last strategic threat where we didn't always know where the important ones were, all of the time. Submarines were the last "cat and mouse" game. Of course we are talking about a half century ago. I have no idea about modern capabilities. There is nothing more satisfying than finding that needle in a haystack and correctly identifying what it is. Then it is just a matter of looking up the capabilities of that given platform. I have a ton of respect for your cryptology skills. There was no greater responsibility in the Navy. It is why you possessed a higher level of clearance than I did.

[@ptournas]

@@Wasted_Talent007 Thanks, I found this an enjoyable and interesting conversation, And thanks for your service as well!

[@aarongoldstein7614]

Harry Chapin paid homage to Phil Ochs in a song called "The Parade's Still Passing By" which makes reference to several Ochs songs including "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore".

[@GratefulZen]

The Kinks song “Some Mother’s Son” is a sad but beautiful little-known anti-war song by them that addresses a mother’s loss of a son to war. BTW, great job having Tim on your show to give some insightful context to the music you feature.

[@tylerhackner9731]

Love this song!

[@sweisbrod6109]

I turned 18 on March 3rd, a Friday, I signed up for the draft on March 6th, Monday. My father and all my uncles served in WWII. How could I say "no". I was never called up to serve....thank you Jesus.

[@richdiana3663]

I was in the first draft lottery in 1970. My number was 320, and they only drafted up to 280. I was free, and my brother was fighting in Nam at the time. He said I didn't need to be there. It was completely insane, which he became a year after he came back. Total schizophrenic breakdown. He passed 6 months ago and deserved better. C'est la vie.

[@rosek2967]

Great interview and video, guys. Tim is very knowledgeable and gives a very clear picture of what those times were like. Phil Ochs was phenomenal and his songs are classic. Notice how respectful the audience was--actually listening to his lyrics. P.S. Many young men (like singer Jesse Winchester) ended up going to Canada to avoid the draft. Interesting times.

[@Cboy2023]

Phil Ochs…Changes

[@WendellBurkhart-g9v]

These kiddos have got it together and I'm so glad I found there channel a long time back and subbed to it because it's absolutely the best reaction channel on KZbin . And I Love his attitude and everything about our Military and everything else . So many people are so quick to say something negative about that time and it's still beyond me why the people treated our military so bad when they came home. Either way I'll stand by my Country and Our Military till the last breath if possible .

[@EmeraldCityVideo]

Phil is the absolute best. I’m sad there aren’t more reactions to his work because I think it would really shock some young folks

[@tnolddawg]

Kudos to y'all for having the presence to find a guide to the 60's from an earlier perspective than your own to add context to the music you're reviewing Well done 😊

[@NewVentureGames]

I was 17 in 1970, and Mr Sommer is right. My dad was an Air Force vet and we got into some mighty heated discussions at the time. Phil Ochs was an inspiration to me, and dad didn't get it. Tough times ... but we got through it.

[@Motbilder]

I've always loved Phil Ochs song about Joe Hill.

[@bernardsalvatore1929]

ROB SQUAD, TIM IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!! I TURNED 18 IN 1975 AND GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL THAT SAME YEAR!! 1971 WAS MY FRESHMAN YEAR!! AND THROUGHOUT ALL MY HIGH SCHOOL YEARS, THAT WAS DEFINITELY A BIG THOUGHT ON ALL OUR MINDS!! I ATTENDED AN ALL BOY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL!! I'D ALWAYS PLANNED ON GOING TO COLLEGE!! BUT WHEN THE DRAFT WAS STILL IN OPERATION, AN 18 YEAR OLD MALE HAD BASICALLY TWO CHOICES, SIGN UP FOR THE DRAFT OR GO TO COLLEGE!! IF YOU WENT TO COLLEGE YOU WERE EXEMPT FROM REGISTERING FOR THE DRAFT IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN!! NOW THERE WAS ACTUALLY A THIRD OPTION AND THAT WOULD BE TO GO TO CANADA AND ESCAPE THE UNITED STATES!! AND MANY MEN TOOK THAT OPTION!! FORTUNATELY FOR ME BY THE TIME I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN 1975, THE VIETNAM WAR WAS OVER AND THEY HAD DONE AWAY WITH THE SELECTIVE SERVICE DRAFT!! BUT TIM'S STATEMENT ABOUT IT WAS ON EVERYONE'S MIND WAS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!!❤❤

[@paulraymond-bf8db]

Good song good reaction I enjoyed it

[@jrox6091]

I am 2 yrs old than Mr Sommers and have no memory of Phil Ochs' music. Im assuming it's because it wasn't routinely played on radio. Maybe too controversial, I don't know. Can't say I like this song (not a hit melody imo) but the story behind it & the comments from those who remember it & his other songs are compelling. Blessings❤

[@4508bluesky]

Awesome… I didn’t know that anyone had reacted to this ❤️ I discovered him in my 20s… love the conviction in his voice..

[@nolalou2]

Another great protest song from the 60s is “Eve of Destruction “ by Barry McGuire.( born in Oklahoma City!)

[@kimberlyjenkins725]

We all need to hear this, again.

[@FUBAR1986]

This is what happens. Those who protested war in the past stay silent uncertain people are running the country…… shame on all of you for ignoring that!!! ☮️❤️🙏🌏🌍🌎🇺🇸❤️☮️

[@GeraldH-ln4dv]

Another great voice steeped in protest to check out is Paul Robeson, who is often overlooked. After getting a scholarship to Rutgers in 1915 and its only black student, Robeson was a consensus All-American football player and also valedictorian at graduation. He went on to get a law degree from Columbia Law School while playing professional football. He then went into acting and singing, famous for his deep bass voice. He also got into politics and socials issues and became very popular as a performer in Europe. But during the McCarthy Era, he refused to play their game and ended up having his passport revoked, making him unable to travel overseas where he was most popular. He was known here and abroad for his performance of "Ol' Man River" in the stage and movie productions of Show Boat.

[@mikephalen3162]

Wow. Phil Ochs. So glad you've done him.

[@russellbrown5065]

Phil's 1969 LP "Rehearsals For Retirement", with its front cover depicting his spiritual tombstone, is a haunting epic that masterfully portrayed the destruction of his own psyche as intertwined with the decrepitude overtaking the morale of his country. If there's a better LP out there, I haven't found it!

[@awzthemusicalreviews]

Phil is my absolute favorite. Would love to see a reaction to either "Celia" or "Power and the Glory"; the former is a very touching song about lovers separated by war, and the latter is imo the most patriotic song ever written about the United States. Would love to see more Phil in general, though. Been watching a lot of your reactions lately, and this made me very happy to see in my recommendations.

[@annjohnson994]

Takes me back. Of course I was young and aware. There was so much great music begging for peace. It's so sad that all those on both sides died, were wounded, and had their lives changed forever. 😢 And of course he was right not to blame the soldiers. The majority of which were poor and minorities. (those drafted) You might want to check out Eve Of Destruction by Barry (?) McGuire. (old, losing memory)

[@eclecticexplorer7828]

This was such a great song, and it got a lot of airplay. Unfortunately, Ochs developed severe mental illness and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 1976, he took his own life.

[@tmrozzer]

In my opinion DONOVAN’S songs, THE UNIVERSAL SOLDIER and THE WAR DRAGS ON are close to he best, if not the best, anti-killing, anti-war songs. I hope you’ll react to them. Especially, THE UNIVERSAL SOLDIER. PEACE☮️

[@ptournas]

Universal Soldier was Donovan's cover of a Buffy St. Marie song. He did it well though. I've always been a big Donovan fan, ever since buying his first album when it came out.

[@primurph]

I think you still have to register with selective service at 18 .

[@pglanville]

Great song.

[@hannejeppesen1809]

Glad you discovering folk music. I know you have reacted to Peter, Paul and Mary. I would love to hear you react to Pete Seeger and the many civil rights song he sang.

[@marcnovellino2028]

Never come home the same ever fear hearing the door close.or a firework

[@butterflymama0838]

I love the way Tim talked about all of that. I was born in Dec. 1969. My Dad was 17 when I was born. If I remember right because they had me and got married Dad wasn't eligible for the draft. I do believe that is what happened with why my Dad didn't serve.

[@JennLynnTarot]

Such a thoughtful reaction ❤❤❤

[@Denkar11]

I got my draft notice to report for duty while I was in boot camp. I timed it just right, and joined the Navy two weeks before I would have been drafted into the Army and sent to Nam.

[@Jude_196]

HEY - TIM'S BACK!!! :) YAY!!! GREAT SEGMENT, TIM - thank you for addressing this - so many things that now our young people don't think about from the 60s.... The main thing I remember of Vietnam, as I was very small, were the nightly news reports that showed such graphic video of the fighting and how my parents watched the news: every night...and, how much I couldn't BEAR seeing the coverage and was horrified by it (I was about 5 yrs old). The impact that had was life-long....and, as an adult: it set my opinion of war; however, as you know: the government has so much impact on these things....and, I'll reserve comment on that, here. All my uncles and my father were at war in Pearl Harbor....and, my appreciation for ANY MAN who would stand up for his country and withstand the horrors of war and, possibly, as MANY did, ended-up giving their LIVES TO US: it is appalling to me how ANYONE cannot RESPECT that. As you said: REGARDLESS of the PURPOSE of ANY WAR: our MEN and WOMEN: OUR CITIZENS are THERE for US and GIVING of THEMSELVES to ALL of us and they should be revered and HONORED - no MATTER WHAT. Thanks for sharing this song! Very impactful!! GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!

[@trapper108642]

I saw Phil Ochs at the Liberty Hall in Houston in 1968

[@kennathstrong9479]

I took a semester off of college in 1970 and lost my college draft exemption. I was lucky that my Dad had a friend on the Draft Board who told us that my draft notice had been mailed. I joined the Air Force and was in basic training when my draft notice arrived at my home. The Air Force had the fewest people in Vietnam.

[@ptournas]

I got my draft notice and immediately went to the post office to see the Air Force recruiter and he said "Sorry kid, we have way too many recruits to process to get you in before that date". So I went down the hall to the Navy recruiter, who was able to get me in. Funny thing is, I was sent to Radioman school, which I didn't think was particularly hard, yet people were failing out left and right. Then one day I mentioned it to another student who said "Didn’t you know? The Marine combat squads in Vietnam are using Navy radiomen". The radioman had the shortest life expectancy in a firefight, as the enemy attempted to immediately stop the ability to call in reinforcements. Scared me, but I couldn't bring myself to purposely fail. Was fortunate to be assigned to a submarine tracking unit in the North Atlantic!

[@EShelby2127]

“War don't ennoble men, it turns 'em into dogs. It poisons the soul.” ― James Jones, The Thin Red Line

[@Songbird-59]

My favorite Phil Ochs song is Small Circle of Friends. You never hear it, but I am sure you can find it. It is great.

[@Code9]

Great show! I was about to get drafted but I sure as heck didn't want to go die in some god-forsaken Jungle for no good reason. But I wanted to do my duty so I hurried on down to the local Naval Air facility, signed on the dotted like and got stationed on an aircraft carrier loaded with fighter jets and choppers. Did two Viet Nam tours from the relative safety of that massive ship. But I gotta tell ya, I hated sending those aircraft into the Jungle because I knew innocent civilian men, women and children were going to be killed in the air strikes. The 60s/70s were simultaneously beautiful and horrendous. Check out Bob Dylan's "Masters of War".

[@reedcoles1215]

Please do more Phil ochs ! Voice still needs to be heard, sad ending too

[@peterochs4541]

thoroughly enjoyed - thank you

[@parkermills3328]

Thanks for this,The Universal Soldier is also incredibly moving (either by Donovon or Buffie St. Marie)

[@Jonni1027]

Actor Sean Penn said he was heavily influenced by Phil Ochs’s music and took part in a 2011 documentary on Phil called There But For Fortune