Utah Phillips

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Hello,
This may be late news for some but for rest i must tell you that shortly before midnight, in his sleep wife his loving wife Joanna by his side my father Bruce "Utah "Phillips passed away.

It should be of great comfort that dad was able to spend his last months at home with friends, family and a community that he deeply loved.

There have been no arrangements made as of yet and as i can I will keep you posted.

I feel a deep loss not just for myself and my family but for the global community as a whole.
Dad meant and represented something different to each of us.
Not much more I can say at this point.
Thank You All
Duncan

12 comments:

Chrishwy61 said...: Duncan, your father and his music meant so much to me. There are those moments in life when you hear a song sung, or a poem read, and the answers you been seeking are there. I had that with your dad's music and stories. Thank you. My thoughts are with your family.; May 24, 2008 at 9:31 PM
Anonymous said...: Duncan,
My father(Skip Jones) was a friend of your Dad's.

Utah drifted in and out of my childhood, whenever he toured through the area he'd stop to visit my folks... I've always had very vivid memories of his visits, the roar of his laughter in my parent's living room , how he always took time to play and be goofy with my brother and I , and the music that he and my father would play late into the nights, overheard from my bedroom while I was supposed to be sleeping.

Most importantly though, I remember the positive feelings he brought with him - he always treated me, not as a four or five of six year old child, but simply as a person - a gesture that always left me in awe.
It's a feeling I've brought with me throughout my life, and continue to go revisit over and over. There aren't words big enough to describe the way that simple act of respect inspired my life.

I am honored to have known such a remarkable soul.

I am deeply sorry for your family's(and the world's) loss, my heart goes out to you all.; May 24, 2008 at 9:38 PM
Revalani said...: My condolences, Duncan and the rest of your family.

Just a longtime fan.; May 24, 2008 at 10:10 PM
Mike McCallister said...: Duncan, I am so sorry for your loss. The world is a better place because of your dad, though perhaps not as good as either of us would like.

I was honored to have met him a few times in his travels; as you know, he was great company.

We'll miss him a lot.; May 24, 2008 at 10:15 PM
cs said...: Duncan,

Sorry to hear about your Pops.

I met him at a CW conference in Des Moines and we yapped for a minute or two. Very gracious and kind and he mentioned he wanted to come to Kansas City to visit Bob and Diana.

I hope you and your family have some peace.

It's still a sad day. Sorry.; May 25, 2008 at 4:55 AM
Diane Smith said...: Duncan, family and friends:

My sincere condolences on the loss of a great American.

This is a huge loss for you and your family, and a great loss for the country.

May his voice continue to live on for the benefit of us all.

Diane Smith
Missoula, Montana; May 25, 2008 at 8:26 AM
Anonymous said...: duncan - your father touched my heart. i wish i'd discovered him early enough to see him on the road, but alas i did not.

thank you for keeping everyone posted. thank you to your dad for his amazing gift to us all.

he will be missed.

-a. in texas; May 25, 2008 at 8:46 AM
Anonymous said...: Dear Duncan,

It's hard to wrap my arms around the truth of living in the world without Bruce in it. He sure loved Sisters Of The Road! My spirit knows he will always be close; his songs, his teachings, his jokes will keep us on the path of non-violence and gentle personalism; but still my heart is breaking.

You, Joanna, Brendan, Morrigan, your entire family and all the beloved community Bruce created are in my and Sisters' thoughts and prayers. I hope you can all feel the light from our hearts shining on yours.

Please don't hesitate to ask for what you need, we are here.

All my love and respect,
Genny; May 25, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Anonymous said...: I am so very, very sorry. I didn't know Utah personally - but through his words and songs I felt like I had a friend; like you could plop right down next to him on the couch and just start talking; like the person you meet that you feel you might have known in another lifetime. His stories brought so much warmth to peoples hearts and brought people back down to Earth, and it is my hope that they will continue to do so. I wish you and your family all the best.; May 25, 2008 at 4:57 PM
Kristie said...: I am so very sorry. Utah Phillips was an inspiration to me, and many others.; May 26, 2008 at 11:38 AM
nash said...: I regret never seeing your dad perform (I lived for some time in Austin, TX and certainly had the chance at the old Cactus Cafe), but I wanted to say that I heard his interview on Democracy Now! today, and at a time when I really needed his example, his hope, his humor, his spirit. Please know that he's still making a difference! Best wishes to all of you who were lucky enough to have this man in your life, and I hope that the grieving process goes...as well as such things can.

Sincerely,

--nashtbrutusandshort
Categorical Aperitif; May 27, 2008 at 7:53 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi, Duncan!
My name is Denis, from far away Croatia...
I became familiar with the musings of your dad through the albums he did with Ani DiFranco, mixing the best of the memories with grains of salt...
Through the years I followed his work (and never thought of it as work), laughed and cried along side it.
Only today I learned of his passing and it really hit me, because the simple truth was this: in my life I respected and loved very few people whom I did not meet in person and spent considerable time with. I don't care about presidents, politicians, movie stars... But your dad, he was a league of his own, with his huge heart and his level-headed approach to pain, loss, victory and everything in our lives that is important and precious. And that I respected the hell out of.
I'm not sure how much it will help those he left behind, but I can honestly tell you he made my life that much richer and fuller.
Be well, all the best.
Denis; March 26, 2009 at 5:51 AM

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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