UPDATE: Utah Phillips died Friday night, May 23, at his home. He was a genuine folk hero, and like so many others, he left before his work was all done. Now it's up to the rest of us.Obit and some remembrances here and here. Amy Goodman pays tribute at DemocracyNow. Labor Beat has a video tribute. (Thanks to Majikthise for the last set of links.)
Original post:
I just got back from a benefit concert for Utah Phillips, a folk singer, organizer, historian, humorist, raconteur and agitator who's been a personal hero of mine for a number of years now. Utah has had congestive heart failure for some time, but it took a turn for the worse in February, and he can no longer leave his home in Nevada City, California, to perform and earn a living.
A lot of folks have organized similar benefits across the country. If there's one in your area, go. You'll likely hear some good music and meet some fine folks.
The one here in Austin was organized by Veterans for Peace and my ability to , which appears to be a good group of people. Utah, himself, is a veteran of the Korean War, and his experience there was enough to turn him off of violence forever. Quoth he: "I will never again, in my life, abdicate my right and my ability to decide who the enemy is."
Utah recently said, via the Utah Phillips blog maintained by his son: "My body is weak but my will is strong, and I keep my disposition as sunny and humorous as I’m able. It’s hard enough being disabled without being cranky as well."
Donations can also be sent directly to Utah at P.O. Box 1235, Nevada City, CA 95959.
The photo above was taken from Utah's Web site, linked above. Photographer not named. The site itself is © 2000-2008 by Christopher Dunn.
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