Talkin’ Cuban Crisis (Phil Ochs)
After a sombre warning of tyrannical control we need a light-hearted interlude; what better than a little skit about a nuclear holocaust?
This is a standard talking blues a la Woody Guthrie. The guitars strike out a cheerful pace with Danny embellishing Phil’s strumming with picked runs to create a light and breezy feel. Phil sings over the top in a chirpy manner, oozing with cheer. After all it’s only the end of civilisation.
This is a classic example of how to take the most serious situation, such as a potential nuclear exchange and the start of World War 3, and turn it into a jolly, comical skit while making a series of profound observations.
In October 1962, during the height of the Cold War, the USA and Russia went to the very brink. Surveillance showed that Cuba had been building sites for nuclear missiles that could destroy the USA. The Russians were about to bring their missiles. The threat was obvious. The Republicans wanted to blow Cuba to bits, invade and drive the communists out, thus removing the threat. Kennedy chose to blockade Cuba and prevent the Russians bring their missiles. The Russian fleet, bringing the missiles, were warned that if they crossed the blockade it would be an act of war and they would be sunk. The Russians declared that the blockade was an act of war and that the US had missiles in Turkey on the Russian border. There was no difference.
I remember being in school with our transistor radios on. We really thought that we would not return home and that the world would be destroyed in a nuclear conflict. The tension rose as the Russian ships continued to steam towards Cuba and looked as if they would not heed the warning. In the even the hotline between Russia and America must have nearly melted and a last minute deal was reached. The Cuban missile bases would be taken down and the US would remove its missiles from Turkey. The Russian ships turned back. We started breathing again.
The song is full of hilarious observations, the advert for pepsodent toothpaste in the middle of a crisis being one; a knock at the shallowness of culture and the greed that underpins it. It highlighted the long-standing differing attitudes between the Republicans and Democrats. The Republicans take a tough frontiers-like no nonsense stance; if something offends – blow it up! The Democrats take a more nuanced view and are not so gung-ho. The end line with Kruschev saying: ‘better red than dead’ was a reversal of the US attitude to communism of; ‘better dead than red.’
Phil Ochs On Track: Every Album, Every Song: Amazon.co.uk: Opher Goodwin: 9781789523263: Books