Tomorrow would have been Phil Ochs' 65th birthday.

It's too bad he's not around: his topical songs from the sixties and early seventies have become as relevant today as they ever were.  Not only that, but the idealism he expressed is sorely missed.

In the days leading up to his birthday, I am posting diaries on a number of sites with introductions to what I think are the best of his songs.  This link will lead you to the others.

Today, especially with George Bush aggressively defending his authorization of spying on people in the United States, Ochs' "Knock on the Door" is increasingly relevant.

On Monday the lamented folk singer Phil Ochs would have been 65 years old.  I'm going to post everywhere I can about him, for he heralded an idealism that we sorely need today.  And I will post about him again here through Monday.

Ochs was part of a tradition whose guiding light was Woody Guthrie, a generation older than Ochs.  By the 1960s, when Ochs did most of his recordings, Guthrie was incapacitated by Huntington's corea.  Ochs, like Bob Dylan, wrote a song for him, showing his appreciation.  That song is "Bound for Glory"

To honor Phil Ochs, I have taken that song and created a new version, one meant to honor Ochs himself: