Writing the Phil Ochs book.
In order to want to write about anyone you have to have a love and great affinity for them. You are going to spend a couple of thousand hours of your life deeply immersed in them and their lives. You have to enjoy the experience.
Right from the sixties I have been a fan. Those early albums played a huge role in my development. His words inspired me. Phil was a hero of mine. Spending hundreds of hours in his company was going to be a pleasure.
Having twisted the arm of a reluctant publisher who did not even know about Phil Ochs and had to be persuaded that he was an important person worthy of a book, with sufficient ardent fans to make a book viable, I secured a contract.
That was the start.
Setting up
The first thing, before a word is put on a page, is to set up. To gather together your source material. I had most things. Over the years I had accumulated nearly everything Phil had done or had been written about Phil. I had all the books, every single album and a mass of bootlegs. I was a huge fan and had gathered everything. I had to check to see if there was anything missing; anything I needed to hunt down.
Starting The Process
It’s one thing having things for pleasure and quite another studying them to write about them. I began reading and making notes.
The Structure
Fortunately, the structure for the book is more or less dictated by the format of the series. The aim was to write about every album and every single song Phil Ochs had released. I had to write an introduction. Write about each album giving the background and details and then write about each and every song shedding insight into its content, meaning and importance. Easy. Well, actually not quite so easy. Some songs were not quite as simple to interpret as might appear, particularly the later ones. I had my own feelings and understanding but was that the same as Phil’s intention? Or other peoples’ opinion? I could only listen, delve, think and express my views.
Starting
I started reading the biographies and listening to all the albums. I had to get in tune, gather my wits, open my ears and allow the spirit of Phil to take over. I knew that it was a responsibility. The major songs were not a problem. The rarer ones were the most important. There were some that I’d glossed over. We all had our preferences. I had to give them equal weight and listen to everything.
Pen To Paper
Or at least finger to keyboard. I’m a one-finger typist but I can go quite fast.
Task number one was to do the layout. I put the headings in. The introduction, the albums, all the songs. I had a skeleton. I now had to apply the flesh.
I then wrote the introduction. It came spilling out.
The Albums
One by one I worked my way though, album by album. I sought the details of studios, producers, labels, personnel. I wrote about the times, the creation of the album and as much detail as I could muster. The internet was invaluable. I could check out different facts, chase things up and fill in the blanks. At times I felt like I was a detective on the case at others that I was piecing together a jigsaw.
The Songs
I then played the songs, one by one, analysing the lyric, thinking about the meanings, how it was written and why. Finding words to describe what Phil was trying to say and how the song was put together. Not always easy to find words. Phil was a master of lyrics. How was I supposed to shed light on his creations? They were too important to mess up. I could only give my views and interpretations. At least others could use them as a sounding board. They might disagree. That’s fine. The most Phil’s songs are talked about the better.
The First Draft
At times the process was hard. Working up to eight hours a day, concentrating, trying to find words that were right, sapped the energy. There were days where I was tired and could not be bothered, days when I was fired up and ready to go. Fatigue sets in. Writing is a lonely task. Friends get bored with you going on about minute details. You spent hours at your desk tapping away. Hours with headphones listening, relistening, studying, scribbling.
Finally you have done the last song, completed the bibliography and it is complete.
Rewriting
Of course, it isn’t anywhere near finished. What you have is a first draft. It was put together in pieces. There is the little task of rereading it and changing the disparate parts into a coherent entity. The facts are there but does it flow? Is there annoying repetition? Does the style change? Is it coherent?
Getting that right takes a good rewrite.
Editing
Once you have the second draft the nit-picking begins – the grammar and punctuation, sentence structure and spellos. It’s amazing how they annoyingly proliferate. No matter how many times you reread they still pop up.
The Publisher
When you’ve done all you can you send it off. There’s always a fear. Will they like it? Will they reject it?
Last Edit
Having a professional objective eye run over the writing always turns up a few things that require addressing, the odd repetition or section that requires a rewrite.
The Wait
That’s it! You wait!
Finally, months later, a package arrives containing your ten copies and you hold the finished product in your hands. You have your book.
The book is up there on line on the Amazon site and Publishers site. It’s out for order in book stores. The publisher does a little marketing. You sit and anxiously wait for the reviews. What do people think? Have you done justice to Phil?
I hope so. I really hope so.