Utah Phillips

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

I'm headed to Nevada City for the weekend and hang out with Joanna and Morrigan. I don't like the idea of shelling out two days pay for the gas but it shore will be nice to them. I will post from the little green house over the weekend. There is a lot of stuff in the works and plenty to catch up on. Mark and Jenny sent some nice pictures from the Rose Tattoo Rendezvous last month that I will pass along.
Duncan

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: Great stuff Duncan!!!!! Keith Bednar; July 5, 2008 at 2:39 AM
Anonymous said...: How are you doing, Duncan? I think about Utah and you. Hope things are looking up a little.

Olympia's a good place. I went to Evergreen.

Take it easy.; July 5, 2008 at 7:16 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Duncan,

I searched for the proper place to post a comment about your dad and here I am.

His music was introduced to me in the early 90's by a college professor who knew I was interested in railroad folklore,hoboes and freight trains.

From the very first notes and lyrics, it seemed I had found an old friend. I listened to everything I could get my hands on (regretably,I did not know about "Loafer's Glory" until after it's run was over.) His knowledge about trains, hobo way of life, pacifism, unions, politics and so much else just blew me away.

I saw him in concert in Philadelphia and here in Portland,OR. He stopped by "Sisters of the Road" when he was in town, even played a couple of tunes the day I was bartering there.

I wrote him a brief letter when I heard he was having heart problems several years ago. He and Joanna were kind enough to drop me a note in return.
I think he was a great man, has influnced my life and worldview and I will certainly miss him very much.

I would hope that someone will (perhaps it's already in the works) write an extensive biography about this great citizen of the earth. If not, I'll certainly volunteer to do it.

Thank you for your time. My best regards to the whole family.

Mark Ashe.; September 27, 2008 at 12:11 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