bob dylan

"Phil was always a little ahead of the curve," says Ken Bowser, the director of a new documentary on 1960s protest singer Phil Ochs. Ochs wrote and performed folk music in its heyday, weighing in on major political issues of his time and connecting with other singer-activists around the world, from Bob Dylan to Chilean singer Victor Jara. Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune talks to people, from Sean Penn to Christopher Hitchens, who were touched by Ochs's music and who knew the singer, who took his own life in 1976 at age 35. Bowser joins Laura in studio for a conversation about Ochs and the film, the place of art and music in protest and activism, and why Ochs has faded from the public's consciousness. Half a century after Dr. King, the civil rights struggle continues and one group still pushing even to be understood, let alone included in what President Obama would call the circle of our concern are transgender people, people who feel their gender and their physical bodies don't match. The group for Parents Familes and Friends of Lesbians and Gays has produced a film, "Faces and Facets of TransGender Experience," a story less of tragedy than triumph. You can get copies to play in your community or school through PFLAG and they benefit from every sale. And finally, GRITtv contributor John Fugelsang has a few Bible lessons for Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. Distributed by Tubemogul. Distributed by Tubemogul.

"Phil was always a little ahead of the curve," says Ken Bowser, the director of a new documentary on 1960s protest singer Phil Ochs. Ochs wrote and performed folk music in its heyday, weighing in on major political issues of his time and connecting with other singer-activists around the world, from Bob Dylan to Chilean singer Victor Jara. Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune talks to people, from Sean Penn to Christopher Hitchens, who were touched by Ochs's music and who knew the singer, who took his own life in 1976 at age 35. Bowser joins Laura in studio for a conversation about Ochs and the film, the place of art and music in protest and activism, and why Ochs has faded from the public's consciousness. Half a century after Dr. King, the civil rights struggle continues and one group still pushing even to be understood, let alone included in what President Obama would call the circle of our concern are transgender people, people who feel their gender and their physical bodies don't match. The group for Parents Familes and Friends of Lesbians and Gays has produced a film, "Faces and Facets of TransGender Experience," a story less of tragedy than triumph. You can get copies to play in your community or school through PFLAG and they benefit from every sale. And finally, GRITtv contributor John Fugelsang has a few Bible lessons for Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. Distributed by Tubemogul.

Bob Dylan releasing a Christmas album might have thrown some longtime fans, but even with this album Dylan is showing his social consciousness: all artist's royalties from sales of the record go to Feeding America. Hope you like his version of "Little Drummer Boy."

In "A Heartbeat and a Guitar: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears," author Antonino D'Ambrosio connects Cash to the tradition of folk and political music in America from Woody Guthrie to Pete Seeger to Bob Dylan and the 60s folk-music scene. At the peak of his fame, just after "Ring of Fire," Cash cut a record of songs about the Native American experience, many written by the now-forgotten songwriter Peter La Farge. D'Ambrosio joined us in the GRITtv studio to talk about the history of protest music, the myth of Johnny Cash and why music is one of the best ways to carry a progressive message. Then, in a special performance, he was joined by Anthony Roman and David Milone of the band Radio 4 to perform Cash's song "Apache Tears" live.