Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune (2011) blends Documentary and Music elements. Top cast includes Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, and Jello Biafra. The narrative builds around escalating stakes, urgent decisions, and action-driven momentum.

Actor: Phil Ochs

From civil rights to the anti-war movement to the struggles of workers, folksinger Phil Ochs wrote topical songs that engaged his audiences in the issues of the 1960s and 70s. In this biographical documentary, veteran director Kenneth Bowser shows how Phil's music and his fascinating life story and eventual decline into depression and suicide were intertwined with the history-making events that defined a generation. Even as his contemporaries moved into folk-rock and pop music, Phil followed his own vision, challenging himself and his listeners. Not one to pull punches, Ochs never achieved the commercial success he desperately desired. But his music remains relevant, reaching new audiences in a generation that finds his themes all too familiar.