Utah Phillips: I'm curious

Thursday, February 14, 2008

I'm curious

Every year when we traveled to Portland for Winterfolk we always stopped for lunch and ice cream at Tully,s in Oakland Or. have any of you ever stopped there?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: Duncan I have about 10 years ago, if it's the same place, an old style diner right downtown?

Mark Ross; February 15, 2008 at 6:49 AM
Greg Bandy said...: I first encountered Utah Phillips via his Loafer's Glory show being broadcast on WMMT out of Whitesburg, KY. I had found the radio station on the internet (I live in Atlanta) right after 9/11. I was weary of all the terrible news and needed a break. Being an old Kentucky boy, I did a search for Kentucky radio stations on the 'net, found WMMT and Appalshop, and the rest is history.

Utah's program quickly became one of my favorites. I loved the humor, the insight, and the wisdom I received. My stepfather, his brother, and their late father are / were all union men (IBEW), so I appreciated the pro-labor, pro-worker messages as well. I was especially reminded of my late step-grandfather's wonderful stories, such as working at Oak Ridge, TN during WWII, and others.

In a world of pre-packaged, lowest common denominator, "beautiful person" entertainment, it's a rare and delightful experience to encounter a truly beautiful soul like Utah Phillips. There are few people that I can say have changed my life, and Utah is one of them. I wish you the best for a speedy recovery, hope you get home soon, and look forward to hearing more from you during the time we all have left on this crazy ride we call life.

Best wishes,
Greg; February 15, 2008 at 7:32 AM
Anonymous said...: Duncan; I judge every town I visit by the way the bars are and the food they sell.Ice cream stands too!!! I don't go to chain restaurants, it is a part of America I would just as soon pass up. Seems like you only run into the class folks at the wrong end of town.I had a friend tell me that I was the only person he knew that when buying a house had the realtor take me to all the restaurants and bars before I looked at the houses. HA Ha But it is the truth. When I was a kid I was amazed by the coat hanger devices that the railroad guys used to heat their sandwiches on the pot belly stoves. No microwave, oh ya they were not invented yet...My point is you don't get that stuff at McD's.. Keep up the good work and please take some of that good food to your dad. I am sure he has had his fill of the hospital variety. Keith Bednar; February 15, 2008 at 8:11 AM
Anonymous said...: Utah, best wishes for a speedy recovery and escape back to the foothills!
I first encountered you through a radio station as well, KUOP - around 1983, when you came to Stockton to do a concert with Kate Wolf. I've been a fan ever since. Take care, hope to hear you on KVMR once again soon!
Jerri Third (Rudd)
aka Tabasco Sal, "Prairie Fires & Paper Moons", KUOP, Stockton CA 1982 - 1999; February 15, 2008 at 12:04 PM

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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