"The Singing Journalist" - Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs 與同輩的 Bob Dylan 自認識以來, 表面上關係良好, 不羈的 Bob 與沉實的 Phil 性格絕然不同。Phil 視 Bob 為偶像, 自稱祗是一名報刊媒界的撰稿人, 更自嘲是個 "The Singing Journalist"。在六十至七十年代中, 在樂壇十二年, 作品達五十多首, 個人專輯唱片共有十一張, 歌曲從未獲過 "Top Hit" 的前四十名。樂壇亦有傳, 多疑和猜忌的 Bob Dylan 曾公開聲稱, 歌曲同樣以時事和政治為主題, 這是 Phil 想成為超級歌手的捷徑而已。
"REHEARSALS FOR RETIREMENT"《退 休 排 演》
六十年代, 在美國發生多宗重大事件, 包括民權領袖馬丁路德金 Martin Luther King, Jr., 總統約翰甘迺迪 J.F. Keneddy 遇弒身亡, Richard Nixon 尼克遜當選總統, 民眾抗議芝加哥警察對示威遊行人士, 過份暴力引致動亂, 這一切令致 Phil Ochs 感失落和沮喪, 在一曲 "Rehearsals For Retirement" 已表逹出來。及後, 他以墓碑作諷喻, 放在一張同名的專輯唱片封套上, 1969年五月面世, 上面寫着:
PHIL OCHS
(AMERICAN)
BORN: EL PASO, TEXAS: 1940
DIED: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: 1968
REHEARSALS FOR RETIREMENT
REHEARSALS FOR RETIREMENT - Phil Ochs 1969
The days grow longer for smaller prizes
I feel a stranger to all surprises
You can have them, I don't want them
I wear a different kind of garment
In my rehearsals for retirement
The lights are cold again, they dance below me
I turn to old friends, they do not know me
All but the beggar, he remembers
I put a penny down for payment
In my rehearsals for retirement
If I'd have known the end would end in laughter
I'd tell my daughter it doesn't matter
The stage is tainted with empty voices
The ladies painted, they have no choices
I take my colors from the stable
They lie in tatters by the tournament
In my rehearsals for retirement
Where are the armies who killed a country
And turned a strong man into a baby?
Now comes the rabble, they are welcome
I wait in anger and amusement
In my rehearsals for retirement
If I'd have known the end would end in laughter
Still I'd tell my daughter that it doesn't matter
Farewell, my own true love, farewell, my fancy
Are you still owin' me love, though you failed me?
But one last gesture for your pleasure
I'll paint your memory on the monument
In my rehearsals for retirement
英 年 早 逝
當年代的抗爭運動, 隨着每天的演變, 複雜和暴力之外, 毒品充斥, 憤世嫉俗的 Phil Ochs 所参予的政治活動和歌曲, 早已成為美國 FBI 聯邦調查局的目標人物之一, 有傳聞他的檔案多達數百頁。
樂迷從六十年代美國的抗爭運動、反戰或人權的歌曲, 自然便想到 Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, John Denver 和 "嬉皮士"Bob Dylan, 而忽略了英年早逝的 Phil Ochs, 這是否他低調的愛情和簡單的家庭生活, 衹留給樂迷短暫和模糊的回憶?
1976年四月九日, Phil Ochs 在紐約市 New York City 姊姊的家中, 被發現上吊自盡, 終年三十六歲。除了姊姊 Sonny 和哥哥 Michael 之外, 遺下妻子 Alice Skinner 和年幼女兒 Meegan。
衹是躲在星河遠處, 一顆仍在閃爍的繁星 !
