# In 1970, folk singer Phil Ochs traded protest songs for a gold lamé suit. Six years later, he took his own life

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1970-folk-singer-phil-ochs-traded-protest-songs-for-a-gold-lame-suit-six-years-later-he-took-his-own-life/
- Published: 2026-10-28T19:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T19:15:41+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/phil-ochs-traded-protest-songs-for-gold-lame-suit/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Ochs wore a gold suit at Carnegie Hall in 1970.
- He was trying to break beyond his protest-folk image.
- His music remains influential after his death in 1976.

## Summary

Phil Ochs, known for protest songs about war and civil rights, appeared at Carnegie Hall in 1970 wearing a gold lamé suit, signalling his wish to move beyond the folk-singer image audiences expected. The performance marked both the height of his protest-singing career and the start of a period of worsening personal difficulties.

Ochs had already begun experimenting with orchestration and more ambitious arrangements, seeking to combine political fervour with rock-star showmanship. In the years that followed, he struggled with bipolar disorder and heavy drinking; an attack in Tanzania and the 1973 coup in Chile, in which his friend Víctor Jara was killed, added to his distress. He later developed the paranoid alter ego John Butler Train, became homeless, and died by suicide at his sister’s home in April 1976. His songs, including ‘I Ain’t Marching Anymore’, remain part of his legacy.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.