Phil Ochs and the Renaissance of All-American Communism

How one protest folk icon’s life serves as a warning for today

Phil Ochs may be known today as just another 60s protest folk singer in a sea of other Bob Dylan copycats and would-be activists turned novelty acts. Or, to many, he may not be known at all. In his own day, though, he was a titan of the protest folk movement who directly inspired much of the social change going around. Hits like “Draft Dodger Rag”, “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” and “Love Me, I’m A Liberal” lit fires under 60s activists…