I don’t remember the first time or the last that I saw a concert at the legendary Cellar Door venue in Washington, D.C.
I remember some of the concerts, from Linda Ronstadt — twice — to being an arm’s length from Rita Coolidge as she sang. I remember some great comedians who were opening acts, including Gabe Kaplan doing his wonderful bit that eventually put him on television in “Welcome Back, Kotter.”
“Epstein was an animal. He was voted Most Likely to Take a Life.”
I saw the late Steve Goodman, the singer of “Sunshine” Jonathan Edwards and the wonderful Buffy Sainte-Marie.
And in May of 1974, I saw Phil Ochs.
He was 33 but looked 60. His voice was all but gone and wasn’t much more than a rasp. But nearly everybody packed into the 163-seat venue loved Ochs and his music. We cheered wildly and demanded encore after encore. Nearly half a century later, I can’t remember one specific song he did, just that it was wonderful to hear him.
At 24, 33 seemed very old. And two years later, Ochs was dead. If there’s one thing the passage of time gives us, it’s perspective. Phil Ochs died at age 35 and seemed very old to me. My son Virgile is 37 now and seems very young.
I didn’t discover Ochs or his music until about 1970. My friend Gary Oleson got me interested in the early protest songs, and I later discovered the wonderful “Pleasures of the Harbor” album. It was one of the only record albums I gave as a gift to someone I was dating.
One song on the album, “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends,” was the closest thing Ochs had to a top 40 hit. It started with the Kitty Genovese case in New York City and talked about situations where people didn’t want to get involved.
Ochs was never considered more than second to Bob Dylan, but second to one of the giants of American music is hardly a shameful position to be in.
He never wrote anything to compare to “Blowin’ in the Wind,” but hey. who did?
He did write several songs that have stayed in my heart all these years later, and “When I’m Gone” was probably the best of them.
“There’s no place in this world where I’ll belong when I’m gone
“And I won’t know the right from the wrong when I’m gone
“And you won’t find me singin’ on this song when I’m gone
“So I guess I’ll have to do it while I’m here.
“And I won’t feel the flowing of the time when I’m gone
“All the pleasures of love will not be mine when I’m gone
“My pen won’t pour a lyric line when I’m gone
“So I guess I’ll have to do it while I’m here.
“And I won’t breathe the bracing air when I’m gone
“And I can’t even worry ’bout my cares when I’m gone
“Won’t be asked to do my share when I’m gone
“So I guess I’ll have to do it while I’m here.
“And I won’t be running from the rain when I’m gone
“And I can’t even suffer from the pain when I’m gone
“Can’t say who’s to praise and who’s to blame when I’m gone
“So I guess I’ll have to do it while I’m here.
“Won’t see the golden of the sun when I’m gone
“And the evenings and the mornings will be one when I’m gone
“Can’t be singing louder than the guns when I’m gone
“So I guess I’ll have to do it while I’m here.
“All my days won’t be dances of delight when I’m gone
“And the sands will be shifting from my sight when I’m gone
“Can’t add my name into the fight when I’m gone
“So I guess I’ll have to do it while I’m here.
“And I won’t be laughing at the lies when I’m gone
“And I can’t question how or when or why when I’m gone
“Can’t live proud enough to die when I’m gone
“So I guess I’ll have to do it while I’m here.”