Phil Ochs; 'Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune' by Kenneth Bowser

I often wish I was a baby boomer child. In the last two years I have lost myself in the sixties, mostly in film and in great part music.

I first heard Phil Ochs mentioned in the TV program American Dreams. A short lived, good mannered show set in Philadelphia in the sixties. The record store geek in the show suggested to the American Bandstand star to listen to him. I remember jotting the name down in excitement on two different occasions, penning down "Phil Oaks." It wasn't until today that I found a movie exploring Ochs' life - Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune, directed by a director from New York called Kenneth Bowser.

The article's focus talks about Phil Ochs' connection with Toronto. The main aid for this connection is the film's producer Michael Cohl. Cohl is a Canadian concert promoter, theatrical producer and staged concert impresario. He is also the former Chairman of Live Nation, the largest entertainment company in the world. He also was the brains behind SARS Stock many years ago. He's chummy with Mick Jagger and Bono needs him to coordinate his live gigs. Apparently, Cohl worked at a coffee shop in Toronto that Ochs use to play at.

Can't wait to see this film. It's playing the Bloor Cinema. Great reviews.

Additionally, when reading about Michael Cohl, I stumbled upon this gem on Eye Weekly's article on the power players in Toronto. Very interesting.