Thursday, January 1, 2009        Utah Phillips, the legendary
folk musician and peace and labor activist, died earlier this
year 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 intervie