There But for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs

Michael Schumacher, whose past works include biographies on Allen Ginsberg (Dharma Lion: A Critical Biography of Allen Ginsberg) and Eric Clapton (Crossroads: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton), profiles Phil Ochs, the singer, songwriter, and political activist whose genius was widely admired, but whose work was often made famous by other artists. Ochs, who achieved recognition in the early 1960s, could not escape comparison with Bob Dylan, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship. The violence of the 1968 Democratic Convention, where Ochs was a demonstrator, seemed to mark the beginning of the artist's demise and disillusionment. In 1970, he recorded his last album, falling into a depression that ultimately led to his suicide in 1976.