I just got this from Chris Chandler (who got it from Anne Feeney,
who got it from Jim Page):

> In the night of May 23, 2008, Bruce Duncan Phillips died in great peace,
> asleep in his bed in Nevada City, California, with his wife Joanna by
> his side.
>
> Amazingly, at the very same instant that the scholar Bruce Phillips
> finally discovered his angle of repose, U. Utah Phillips flagged a
> westbound freight train. Yes, a mighty fast rattler, on a long
> west-bound track. He needed no ticket, he was welcomed on board.
>
> The immediate family and neighbors of Bruce Phillips, along with any
> Wobblies who happen to be passing through, are gathering in Nevada City
> to do all the things that must be done. Please give them the quiet
> respect they so need right now.
>
> But you can wave "So Long!" to Utah when that train moves west. Hey,
> hear the whistle? He's passing by right now!

==== j a c k  at  c a m p i n . m e . u k  ===  <http://www.campin.me.uk> ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff:  Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

In article ,
Jack Campin - bogus address   wrote:
>I just got this from Chris Chandler (who got it from Anne Feeney,
>who got it from Jim Page):
>
>> In the night of May 23, 2008, Bruce Duncan Phillips died in great peace,
>> asleep in his bed in Nevada City, California, with his wife Joanna by
>> his side.
>>
>> Amazingly, at the very same instant that the scholar Bruce Phillips
>> finally discovered his angle of repose, U. Utah Phillips flagged a
>> westbound freight train. Yes, a mighty fast rattler, on a long
>> west-bound track. He needed no ticket, he was welcomed on board.
>>
>> The immediate family and neighbors of Bruce Phillips, along with any
>> Wobblies who happen to be passing through, are gathering in Nevada City
>> to do all the things that must be done. Please give them the quiet
>> respect they so need right now.
>>
>> But you can wave "So Long!" to Utah when that train moves west. Hey,
>> hear the whistle? He's passing by right now!



Thank you. I saw him once, maybe 15 years ago and it was a joy.  I
recently accumulated this list of YouTube because I was always
explaining to people who it was that I would rant about.  



U. Utah Phillips 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wsFmcFMeME&feature=related

U. Utah Phillips - 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd4yNMo5r14&feature=related

U. Utah Phillips - 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D07S-m7h9Q

U. Utah Phillips - 4 - Funniest Story Ever!?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7867916537162194204

U. Utah Phillips - 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cQMvkDU558&feature=related

U. Utah Phillips - 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9C93WLtpYc&feature=related

U. Utah Phillips - 7 Get rid of the bum on the plush!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOscaTfHLFs

U. Utah Phillips - 8 - Finale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZtJdNIUcC4&feature=related


U. Utah Phillips - Voting with your...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4rS35ekP9U&feature=related

Utah Phillips at Club Passim, Boston 3/7/07
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9l4VvNJDAI&feature=related





-- 
Al Dykes
 News is something someone wants to suppress, everything else is advertising.
    - Lord Northcliffe, publisher of the Daily Mail

Nice thread on mudcat.   What a life he led.  What a character.

On Mon, 26 May 2008 03:43:01 -0700 (PDT), elf 
wrote:

>Nice thread on mudcat.   What a life he led.  What a character.

Oh yes.

Perhaps his radio shows will be re-reaired.  That would be good.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---
	       I am Abby Sale - in Raleigh, North Carolina

	                    Skate free or die!
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---

On Sat, 24 May 2008, Al Dykes wrote:

> Thank you. I saw him once, maybe 15 years ago and it was a joy.  I
> recently accumulated this list of YouTube because I was always
> explaining to people who it was that I would rant about.
>
I saw him twice, the second time being around that time (ie shortly
before he "gave up touring").

The funny thing about that time was he hardly did any music.  It
was only afterwards that I realized "wait a minute, he spent most
of the time telling stories".  The stories were good so while it
was happening, I didn't even notice.

    Michael

* The "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest": Legendary Folk Musician,
Activist Utah Phillips, 1935-2008 *

Utah Phillips, the legendary folk musician and peace and labor
activist, has
died at the age of seventy-three. Over the span of nearly four
decades, Utah
Phillips worked in what he referred to as "the Trade," performing
tirelessly
throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. The son of labor
organizers, Phillips was a lifelong member of the Industrial Workers
of the
World, known as the Wobblies. As a teenager, he ran away from home and
started living as a hobo who rode the rails and wrote songs about his
experiences. In 1956, he joined the Army and served in the Korean War,
an
experience he would later refer to as the turning point of his life.
In
1968, he ran for the US Senate on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket.
For
the past twenty-one years he lived in Nevada City, where he started a
nationally syndicated folk music radio show. He also helped found the
Hospitality House homeless shelter and the Peace and Justice Center.
We
spend the hour with an interview with Phillips from January 2004.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/27/utah_phillips_1935_2008_legendary

In article 
,
 "porchgreg@aol.com"  wrote:

> In 1956, he joined the Army and served in the Korean War,

This would have been difficult, even for a man of his remarkable 
talents, as that war ended some years earlier.

-- 
Gerry Myerson (gerry@maths.mq.edi.ai) (i -> u for email)

On Wed, 28 May 2008, Gerry Myerson wrote:

> In article
> ,
> "porchgreg@aol.com"  wrote:
>
>> In 1956, he joined the Army and served in the Korean War,
>
> This would have been difficult, even for a man of his remarkable
> talents, as that war ended some years earlier.
>
I noticed the same thing, and either I saw the same article in more
than one place, or the error has been duplicated.

Clearly it means he served in Korea, but either earlier and in
the war, or in 1956 in some actual peacekeeping role.

One quick search says it's the latter, ie he served in 1956 for
three years in post-war Korea, but saw what the war had done.

   Michael

On 2008-05-29 04:52:57 +0100, Michael Black  said:

> On Wed, 28 May 2008, Gerry Myerson wrote:
> 
>> In article
>> ,
>> "porchgreg@aol.com"  wrote:
>> 
>>> In 1956, he joined the Army and served in the Korean War,
>> 
>> This would have been difficult, even for a man of his remarkable
>> talents, as that war ended some years earlier.
>> 
> I noticed the same thing, and either I saw the same article in more
> than one place, or the error has been duplicated.
> 
> Clearly it means he served in Korea, but either earlier and in
> the war, or in 1956 in some actual peacekeeping role.
> 
> One quick search says it's the latter, ie he served in 1956 for
> three years in post-war Korea, but saw what the war had done.
> 
>    Michael

Don't want to be too picky, but I'm just old enought to remember that 
what happened in 1952-3 was a series of negotiations which led to an 
armistice. There never has been -- to date -- a formal peace treaty. As 
late as last September 7th, Pres Bush was reported as saying a peace 
treaty would be possible only when North Korea gave up its nukes. Even 
the second Korean Summit last October went no further than asking for 
further talks towards signing a formal peace treaty. Jaw-jaw rather 
than war-war.

Technically, then, I reckon a state of war still exists. Which reminds 
me to wonder if Berwick-on-Tweed has sorted its small difficulty with 
the Czar of Russia yet.

I expect flak back saying: "Who cares, anyway? This is a folk-music 
site. We've got Utah's recordings to keep a memory alive. The rest 
belongs on a history site."

In message <2008052911150316807-rat@tatat>, Pertuis  writes

----

>
>Technically, then, I reckon a state of war still exists. Which reminds 
>me to wonder if Berwick-on-Tweed has sorted its small difficulty with 
>the Czar of Russia yet.


Well, do you remember what happened to him? Don't mess with Berwick.



-- 
Peter Thomas

On Thu, 29 May 2008 11:15:03 +0100, Pertuis  wrote:

> formal peace treaty. Jaw-jaw rather 
>than war-war.
>
>Technically, then, I reckon a state of war still exists. Which reminds 
>me to wonder if Berwick-on-Tweed has sorted its small difficulty with 
>the Czar of Russia yet.
>
>I expect flak back saying: "Who cares, anyway? This is a folk-music 
>site. We've got Utah's recordings to keep a memory alive. The rest 
>belongs on a history site."

Well, there's two things.

I'm not sure there _could_ be a peace treaty since we never declared war.
Truman was adamant about that and we've followed the same policy in Vietnam
& Iraq.  Gets Congress off the hook (sorta) since only they can formally
declare war.  It was termed a "police action."  Iraq is Counterinsurgence
even though there are not really any insurgents.

So we're not still at war with Korea - we never were.

OTOH, Korea is _very_ important to folk music.  I haven't actually raised
the question with Prof. Lydia Fish, who would know, but my limited
experience gives our & UK Korean, post-war service folks (male & female) as
still singing & passing on considerable amounts of oral material.  Mostly
song, mostly Air Force, largely through those who are also involved in the
Hash.

But I've seen/heard quite a few of these songs and many have been in
tradition since WW I and at least one Air Force song continuously back to
about 1845.  (Yeah, yeah.)  Many are bawdy, some filthy.

It's folklorically vital since few, besides rugby folk, pass on or record
this material and it is a living tradition.  I'm not aware of any other US
service-related oral tradition.  Not even Doo-op.
--

Hmm.  We lived in Duns, Berwichshire for a while & did our shoipping in
Berwick-on-Tweed.  Never noticed it was on a war footing at all.


-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---
	       I am Abby Sale - in Raleigh, North Carolina

	                    Skate free or die!
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---

> Technically, then, I reckon a state of war still exists. Which reminds 
> me to wonder if Berwick-on-Tweed has sorted its small difficulty with 
> the Czar of Russia yet.

The Soviet Ambassador visited the place and formally signed a treaty
some time in the late 1970s.

==== j a c k  at  c a m p i n . m e . u k  ===  <http://www.campin.me.uk> ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff:  Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

In article ,
 Abby Sale  wrote:

> OTOH, Korea is _very_ important to folk music.  I haven't actually raised
> the question with Prof. Lydia Fish, who would know, but my limited
> experience gives our & UK Korean, post-war service folks (male & female) as
> still singing & passing on considerable amounts of oral material.  Mostly
> song, mostly Air Force, largely through those who are also involved in the
> Hash.

This prompted me to websearch a little rhyme I learned many, many 
years ago, and found (to my surprise) that there was a Shel Silverstein 
connection to the rhyme. This, found at 
http://members.tripod.com/~ShelSilverstein/Books/GYS.html
is from the introduction Silverstein wrote to his 1956 collection 
of cartoons, Grab Your Socks!: 
*****************************
Korea is different again. There was a Christmas card that many of the 
guys were sending home. . . It showed a drawing of a steaming honey 
bucket sitting in the mud and the verse was:

          "Merry Christmas from Korea,"
          Land of lice and diarrhea.
          From these lands that we half-mastered,
          Merry Christmas, you lucky bastard!"
*****************************************
As kids, we sang this to the same tune as "Lincoln, Lincoln, 
I've been thinkin,'" if you know that one.

-- 
Gerry Myerson (gerry@maths.mq.edi.ai) (i -> u for email)

> Clearly it means he served in Korea, but either earlier and in
> the war, or in 1956 in some actual peacekeeping role.
>

While the article state he severed in the Korean war, if you watch the
acual interview at the link Utah makes it clear he was there after the
cease fire.

In article , 
bogus@purr.demon.co.uk (Jack Campin - bogus address) wrote:
> 
> I just got this from Chris Chandler (who got it from Anne Feeney,
> who got it from Jim Page):
> 
> > In the night of May 23, 2008, Bruce Duncan Phillips died in great 
> > peace,
> > asleep in his bed in Nevada City, California, with his wife 
> > Joanna by
> > his side.


Sad for a lot of us; I think I first saw Phillips in about 1973 when he 
played at Cornell. One of those people that once you've seen him seems to 
become part of you.

wg

On Thu, 29 May 2008 22:53:34 GMT, Gerry Myerson
<gerry@maths.mq.edi.ai.i2u4email> wrote:

>
>This prompted me to websearch a little rhyme I learned many, many 
>years ago, and found (to my surprise) that there was a Shel Silverstein 
>connection to the rhyme. This, found at 
>http://members.tripod.com/~ShelSilverstein/Books/GYS.html
>is from the introduction Silverstein wrote to his 1956 collection 
>of cartoons, Grab Your Socks!: 
>*****************************
>Korea is different again. There was a Christmas card that many of the 
>guys were sending home. . . It showed a drawing of a steaming honey 
>bucket sitting in the mud and the verse was:
>
>          "Merry Christmas from Korea,"
>          Land of lice and diarrhea.
>          From these lands that we half-mastered,
>          Merry Christmas, you lucky bastard!"
>*****************************************
>As kids, we sang this to the same tune as "Lincoln, Lincoln, 
>I've been thinkin,'" if you know that one.

Since you've searched the Web, I had a look at John's vast
Drinkingsongs.net.  Lots & lots of Korea stuff.  Vietnam, too...
There are endless parodies & travesties or pop, show & traditional songs
and quite a few that involve Christmas.  But not the one you mention.

Here's a ditty from his OCR of "Melodies from VMS 251 K-6 Korea."

RESERVES LAMENT (Mr. & Mrs Sippi)

I can't forget Korea, I can't forget ol' Guam
For Syngman Rhee and Joe Stalin have made me feel at home.
I f ew across the bomb line and got a hole or two
But all I get is a bunch of shit from you & you & U.

Chorus:
Oh I was born to risk my ass and save the UN too,
But all I get is a bunch of shit from you & you & U.
The AA was terrif c, the small arms were intense
While the f y-boys bombed the front lines
The Division did the rest.

While the regulars hold their desk jobs
The Reserves were called en masse.
For the UN knew the Marine Reserves were the
ones to save their ass.

Chorus:

I love you dear old USA with all my aching heart
If I hadn't joined the damned Reserves we'd never have to part.
But we won't cry and we won't squawk for we are not alone.
And one of these days the regulars will come and we can all go home.

Chorus:

Now we don't mind the hardships, we've faced them in the past.
But we wonder if our Congressmen have 40's up their ass.
We have to f ght to save the peace, that's what the bastard said
But when it comes to casualties, you'll f nd no Senators dead.

Chorus:

I hope to raise a family when this damned war is through.
I hope to have a bouncing boy to tell my stories to.
But some day when he grows up, if he joins the damned Reserves.
I'll kick his ass from down to dusk, for that's what he'll deserve.
================================

Uncorrected raw OCR from "The Australian Folklore Society Journal" No.26,
Oct. 1994
541

(tune: We're looking Over A Four Leaf Clover)

No use complaining about remaining
We'll fight as we fought before
Korea, Korea,
(and Diarrhoea)
To make the rice grow some more.
I'm looking over a much fought-over
Korea we all abhor.
once for the money
Two's for the show
MacArthur says stay
But we think we ought to go
Anzac Cove

=====================

An excerpt from 
"Personal Reflections on the Songs of Army Aviators in the Vietnam War"
LtC Martin Heuer, Ret.

None of the 2.6 million troops of all services who served in Vietnam went
there to sing. Army flight crew members went to fly helicopters in combat,
day and night, in good and bad weather. Of all the aviator singers who
participated in the song contests, only CWO Gene Easely of the 282nd died
as a result of combat. He was shot in the neck while flying a gunship in
northern South Vietnam two months before he was due to return to the
states. When General Seneff heard the news, he issued an order that all
contest participants should not be permitted to fly combat missions as they
were too valuable to unit morale. Needless to say, it was an order issued
out of frustration and sorrow, so it was never really implemented. As a
participant and now a collector of the songs of Army Aviation in Vietnam,
it is clear to me there was a need for the relaxation and therapy provided
by the music.

There were a few pilots and crew members who, for their own personal
reasons, did not participate in sing-a-longs or other entertainment but the
vast majority did. Many who couldn't carry a tune sang along anyway. Since
returning from two tours in Vietnam I have spoken to hundreds of aviation
personnel of all services. All of them recall the music with fond memories
and are quick to add that without the singing and the good times, their
tours would have seemed endless. Music can soothe the soul.

I salute all of the officers and enlisted men who gave so much of their own
free time to create the songs way back then and who have contributed so
much to the history and traditions of Army Aviation. It was an honor to
have served with them.

Copyright by Martin Heuer 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---
	       I am Abby Sale - in Raleigh, North Carolina

	                    Skate free or die!
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---