Utah Phillips: Feb.8,

Friday, February 8, 2008

Feb.8,

Utah has been moved from his room in CCU to a regular private room. He is still receiving treatment for water retention. After a long week in the hospital doctors are still having a difficult time getting his heart to stabilize enough to send him home. Hopefully he will be resting and recuperating at home by the weeks end.
After consulting with a heart transplant team late on Thursday Utah has come to the conclusion not to pursue a transplant, the heart he has , has served him and all of us well and he wants to stick with it .
The doctors are confident with the wright combo of medication he will do well at home. Whatever the outcome he feels he has made the decision that is best for himself and we all agree.

3 comments:

Molly Fisk said...: Duncan - Steve Baker just sent me the link, and I'm really glad you're doing this. Accurate info will help us all a lot, and I'll start referring people who ask me about Bruce to the site.

I wanted to apologize, too, because I thought we'd met and now I realize we haven't, so you must have wondered who the heck I was when I called yesterday! I am terrible with names and was confusing you with Brandon. But I won't any more.

I know there are lots of people in Nevada County ready to help, but if you need anything done here, call on me, too. Joanna has my number, or you can use this e-mail.

much love in this time of deep feeling -
xox Molly; February 8, 2008 at 5:48 PM
Revalani said...: I've missed Utah at Winterfolk in Portland the last couple of years. He was on my mind a lot during last weekend's show. Never met him, just a fan from way back. I wish him and y'all the best.; February 8, 2008 at 9:50 PM
Mike Felten said...: Thanks for the update. As always, wish the old man the best.
I sent him some CD's that are waiting at the post office for him. If listening to them doesn't kill him, he's good for a while yet.
That's my uneducated RX.
He's a part of a lot of our heartbeats.
Best,
Mike Felten; February 9, 2008 at 6:37 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

The Two Bums

This is a poem from George Milburn's book, The Hobo's Hornbook. You can also find it in a lot of old I. W. W. pamphlets and literature. It sums up a great deal of what I feel. It talks about the bum on the rod and the burn on the plush, which is just a simple way of saying that the kind of system we live in now demands that there be a poor people, demands that there be people out of work so that there will always be people willing to work for any wage.
Sure, a lot of railroad burns are parasites, but, like the poem says, they're just fleas who get an occasional bite, and you look at what those parasites at the top are chewing off. I know that there's a lot of talk these days about the welfare Cadillac; middle class people talking about those welfare gobblers down on the bottom who are afraid to do an honest day's work, and they're all driving big Cadillacs. And you hear over and over again, "Nobody ought to get something for nothing. " I've got to agree. You've got to work to eat.
I look at a factory. I see that everybody associated with that factory puts something in and they take something out. The workers put in their sweat and their skill, and they take out wages. The salesmen put in their skill and ability, and they take out commissions. The managers and foremen and people in the offices put in theirs, and take out salaries. But there's one group of people who take out more than they put in, and that more is called profit. I can't think of any other way to define it. That's a bunch of people who are getting something they didn't work for, and it's a whole lot.
If we're really concerned about people getting just what they earn, if we're really concerned about people not getting something that they didn't put in time and sweat for, let's start with the major offenders, and get rid of them. Then we'll gradually work our way down to the petty chiselers. It just makes sense.

The bum on the rod is hunted down
As the enemy of mankind;
The other is driven around to his club
And feted, wined and dined.

And they who curse the bum on the rods
As the essence of all that is bad
Will greet the other with a winning smile
And extend him the hand so glad.

The bum on the rods is a social flea
Who gets an occasional bite;
The bum on the plush is a social leech,
Blood-sucking day and night.

The bum on the rods is a load so light
That his weight we scarcely feel,
But it takes the labor of dozens of men
To furnish the other a meal.

As long as you sanction the bum on the plush,
The other will always be there,
But rid yourself of the bum on the plush
And the other will disappear.

Then make an intelligent, organized kick,
Get rid of the weights that crush;
Don't worry about the bum on the rods,
Get rid of the bum on the plush!

Internet Archive

I have started to develop an internet archive on my web page. It will be a collection of pictures, concert flyers and posters, concert audio and video, in short everything that I have collected during the last few years of traveling with dad. My hope is that it may one day become a central place for the world wide community to have access to an ever growing archive of Utah Phillips. I would like to encourage folks to add to the archive as well. You can either send things via e-mail ( friendsofutah@yahoo.com) or to my home address. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank You
Duncan Phillips
1392 e. 5935 s.
SLC, UT. 84121