Lorcan, I never thought that Och's suicide was a result of a decline in his career. Many of Phil's peers were going through the same thing, but they are still with us. What Phil Ochs had was an illness and even if he was at the top of the charts, the results could have been just as tragic. There have been tremendous advances in the years since Phil left us, and I do think he could have been helped if this had happened today.

As for the "public voice", I feel the same pinches that you talk about. The audience for folk music is getting older. The lack of folk clubs and general lack of a "scene" makes it harder for people to stay interested in the music. It is a niche, and it always has been. Aside from a 7 year accident when the folk scare hit, this type of music has always been a favorite of a selective audience.

Artists can no longer rely on record companies or venues. Even open mics tend to be filled with musicians.   It is very tough to be heard.   I receive at least a dozen CD's each week, and maybe 2 or 3 receive airplay.   The show that I share with Bill Hahn is on for 3 hours each week.   Do the math and you will see that if I play an artist more than once a month, they are receiving "heavy" airplay. There is a website - www.folkradio.org where folk-dj's from around the globe post their playlists. One dj compiles a monthly list. When you see that Eliza Gilkyson is #1 on that chart, and her song was played 30 times IN TOTAL, you see how difficult it is to be heard.

Phil Ochs was not a commercial artist. He never had a top 40 hit, and it would be rare to hear him on commercial radio AT HIS PEAK. I remember reading that his albums sold MAYBE 40,000 copies. I could be wrong on the exact number, but he certainly wasn't selling in huge numbers. His music was carried by his fans, and it always will be. Music today is going to be the same.   An artist might get lucky and have a major star record one of their songs, but that is as close to the big time as they can get.    It will take a major change in our culture for this type of music to once again reach the heights it did in the 1960's, and I don't think it would be worth losing the integrity of the style.