get rid of the bum on the plush! May 28, 2008

Utah Phillips - singer, songwriter, activist, raconteur and unionist

Aidin Vaziri, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

sfgate_get_fprefs(); Bruce “U. Utah” Phillips, the Grammy-nominated folk singer known for his bushy white beard, tireless tour schedule and equally tireless work for social justice, died of congestive heart failure Friday at his home in Nevada City. He was 73 and had been having health problems in recent years. Mr. Phillips rose to prominence on the folk scene with the single “Moose Turd Pie,” a song from his 1973 debut album “Good Though!” That song was about serving moose feces to fellow laborers during the time Mr. Phillips worked as a cook in a railroad gang. With a career that lasted four decades, the songwriter most recently collaborated with Ani DiFranco on the 1999 album “Fellow Workers.” The two were nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for best contemporary folk album. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 15, 1935, Mr. Phillips ran away from home as a teenager. He took the name U. Utah Phillips in tribute to musician T. Texas Tyler, and spent several years living as a stowaway on trains, an experience he documented in many of his songs. He settled in Nevada City 21 years ago. Family spokesman Jordan Fisher Smith told the Associated Press that Mr. Phillips had been suffering from chronic heart disease since 2004. His health forced him to cut back on roadwork after nearly 40 years of extensive touring. But the singer stayed close to his fans through a folk music radio show, podcasts and blog posts by his son, Duncan. While an irrepressible comedian onstage, Mr. Phillips took his social commitments seriously. A brief stint in the Army that included a tour of Korea in 1956 inspired his work with the peace movement. For a while, Mr. Phillips was a railroad tramp, drinking heavily and ending up in a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City operated by an anarchist. The son of labor organizers, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate from Utah on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket in 1968. He also made a run for the presidency in 1976. Later, he founded the Peace and Justice Center in Nevada City and helped start the Hospitality House, a local homeless shelter. “He was a man who was amazingly funny,” Smith said. “And what I saw in the last two years of his life was a human being even more beautiful than he was in performance.” Mr. Phillips is survived by his wife, Joanna Robinson, three children of his own and two stepsons. Funeral arrangements will be announced. Chronicle wire services contributed to this report. E-mail Aidin Vaziri at avaziri@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle

charlton heston, resurrected at 83 April 6, 2008

charlton heston was a real son-of-a-bitch, and probably one of the finest comedic actors of all time. having such an extraordinary presence in hollywood, with side-splitters like “the ten commandments” and “ben hur”, it often became difficult to differentiate the man from his super-human abilities, on screen and off. at many times, even impossible to attribute him with any mortal qualities at all. a compassionate, conservative, god-fearing master of the soliloquy, or a musket-toting, militia-oriented, venom spitting gun freak serpent? one thing is most certain; he was most definitely a little bit queer.

in celebration of mr. heston’s epic career, i’ve decided not to indulge in “planet of the apes”.. again, but rather, revisit his riveting and inspirational documentation of the holy word in:

i first discovered most of this vhs box set in the dollar bin at my old job. and what a goldmine it is. i can’t possibly begin to remember how many days and nights i sat in that pink living room in echo park, bong in hand, captivated by the scripture. with no costume change, or angle cut, heston glides from one character into the next, sometimes playing christ and all 12 disciples at once, his enunciation and breath control slice through the dry jeruselum air, often from the exact locations of where these historical events probably never took place.

i would like to imagine that mr. heston is giving his performance of a lifetime at this very moment. and hopefully, for his sake, st. peter is somewhat moved.