Info: Leonard Cohen

Subject: Leonard Cohen
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 26 May 08 - 02:21 PM

He is on BBC Radio 4 now, giving a rare interview.

G

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: scouse
Date: 26 May 08 - 02:26 PM

I know I'm listening. As Aye,
Phil

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 26 May 08 - 02:34 PM

Thanks for that. Missed the start but listening now.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: fat B****rd
Date: 26 May 08 - 02:48 PM

Yes. Thankyou, Giok.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 26 May 08 - 03:05 PM

Wish I had known -- would have loved to have heard it. I think Leonard Cohen is amazing....

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 26 May 08 - 03:07 PM

It will be available here Deborah.

G

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: gnu
Date: 26 May 08 - 03:09 PM

Another thanks, G.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: M.Ted
Date: 26 May 08 - 03:23 PM

Probably worth mentioning the 2005 concert/tribute/documentary "I'm Your Man", for those that missed it--

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Suffet
Date: 26 May 08 - 05:31 PM

THE PARENTS OF LEONARD
Words: Stephen L. Suffet © 2001
Music: The Sisters of Mercy by Leonard Cohen

Oh, the parents of Leonard are wondering where they went wrong,
Their Yiddishe boychik writes such meshuggenah songs,
And clearing out engrams was something that they never did,
For they raised little Leonard to be a Montreal Yid.

Oh, at his bar mitzvah he sang his haftorah like a mensch,
And Leonard's been singing that very same way ever since,
If you're wondering where he first learned that style of his,
He heard it from the moyl all the way back at his bris.

Oh, the parents of Leonard, they sent him off to McGill,
A big macher to be, and all of their dreams to fulfill,
Instead of singing of harlots and L. Ronnie Hubbard's strange ways.
Oh, what have we done that our Leonard should treat us this way?

Oh, the parents of Leonard are wondering where they went wrong,
Their Yiddishe boychik writes such meshuggenah songs,
And clearing out engrams was something that they never did,
For they raised little Leonard to be a Montreal Yid.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 26 May 08 - 05:49 PM

The I'm your Man DVD documentary tribute is fabulous.......highly recommended

Thanks Giok - I will listen later........much appreciated..

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: JHW
Date: 26 May 08 - 05:56 PM

Great interview. Had me playing Suzanne and the Stranger Song.
1966, when you went to a Contemporary folk club and did Leonard Cohen or Al Stewart or a Traditional one and did Bruton Town or Cruel Mother and woe betide singing the wrong stuff in the wrong place.
But I didn't like the rock band style on 'Death of a Ladies Man' and never bought another LC album.
Any recommendations on what I've missed!?

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Leadfingers
Date: 26 May 08 - 06:12 PM

I havent sung any Laughing Len for a while ! Time to revive a few ??

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 26 May 08 - 06:14 PM

Sung 'Suzanne' at Folk Clubs many times in the 70's...loved it!

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 26 May 08 - 06:19 PM

Yup I was guilty of singing Suzanne in those days too
G

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: GUEST,cStu
Date: 26 May 08 - 06:39 PM

JHW
I thought and still think that Various Positions is a great album. Dance Me To The End Of Love, The Law, Hallelujah, Coming Back To You, If It Be Your Will

Great songs.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: DannyC
Date: 26 May 08 - 06:48 PM

I loved listening in.
I laffed, I cried, I'm ready to buy the tee-shurt.
Thanks for posting the notice, Giok.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: GUEST,robomatic
Date: 26 May 08 - 07:55 PM

ARTIST: Austin Lounge Lizards
TITLE: Leonard Cohen's Day Job
Lyrics and Chords


You drive your car in, pull it up on the rack
You promise me faithlessly that you'll be back
I wait in the pit, it's the fate I have earned
For believing some day you'll return

/ C - G - / D - G - / A - D - / A G D - /

To the streets of New York from my tower of song
I come down to work where the common folk throng
In my famous blue shirt with its patch that says Len
Then I go back to write songs again

Leonard Cohen is working a day job they say
For bizarre inspiration and hourly pay
And I swear by the grease in the crease of my hand
If you need speedy lubin', I'll prove
I'm your man

/ C - Am - / Em - - - / A - C - / D C D - / Em - - - /

I'll beg if I must, 'cause I'm aching to hear
Your story, as I check your brakes front and rear
Can you play a sad waltz on your cheap violin
Did you have a good time in Berlin

If Saint Joan should pull in, in her Charger of white
And ask if it all could be finished tonight
I'd say, "Let me take a look under your hood
All that smoke doesn't look very good"
I'm on fire

Leonard Cohen is working a day job they say
It's part of the price every artist must pay
And I swear by the crud and the blood on my hands
If you need a tune this afternoon
I'm your man

And I swear by the monkey wrench clenched in my hand
If you lack something basic in black
I'm your man

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Grab
Date: 27 May 08 - 05:31 AM

Damn, missed the interview. Hope it's on "listen again"!

Nothing too wrong with the more rock stuff. But cheap Casio drum machines and cheesy keyboard sounds - bad move, Mr Cohen. :-( "First we take Manhattan", some of it works and some of it doesn't. "10 new songs", none of it worked for me. The really sad bit was that there was still some interesting writing underneath it, but the arrangements were so appalling that it was almost impossible to look past them to find the writing.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: quokka
Date: 27 May 08 - 07:53 AM

We had an afternoon of Leonard Cohen at the Fairbridge Folk Festival with various performers singers LC songs. Famous Blue Raincoat was a highlight...mind you it's my fave LC song
Cheers,
Quokka

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: GUEST,albert
Date: 28 May 08 - 06:40 AM

Try THE FUTURE by Leonard Cohen.It is wonderful!
albert

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Mr Happy
Date: 28 May 08 - 06:43 AM

Hallelluiah!!

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: quokka
Date: 28 May 08 - 11:26 AM

I second that Mr Happy!!
But my 12 yo daughter insists on tea and oranges for breakfast
Cheers,
Quokka

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Peace
Date: 28 May 08 - 11:35 AM

But do they come all the way from China?

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 28 May 08 - 11:47 AM

Was at Ramblin' Conrads, Bob Zentz club in Norfolk, Virginia and a fellow, I know not who, sang Suzanne. Went record shopping and found Judy Collins singing Suzanne. I later bought many of her records. Then finally found a Leonard Cohen record and I was hooked. Continued to buy Cohen records, found his novel Beautiful Losers, and introduced him to both my kids. Also have Jennifer Warnes CD of Cohen songs thanks to a good friend. Am still listening to Cohen after all these years. Giok and others thanks for the 'heads up'.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: frogprince
Date: 28 May 08 - 11:53 AM

I was just on You tube, watching videos of Saint Utah. On one of them he mentioned mentioned some of the alternative medical suggestions he'd been getting. One was sensory deprivation, which he described as being submerged in cold water, in total darkness. Utah said that if he wanted that experience, all he had to do was listen to Leonard Cohen records. : )

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: fat B****rd
Date: 28 May 08 - 11:55 AM

The Guests is one of my possible Desert Island Discs.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 28 May 08 - 11:21 PM

Giok - you were GUILTY of playing Suzanne -- I pronounce you INNOCENT. I agree that I think The Future is one of his best -- Democracy is a classic also..........as of course many of them are. I wonder when we reach the point that just because he/she is popular they can't be good anymore......... I think LC is good!

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: meself
Date: 28 May 08 - 11:57 PM

I always want to sing:

she brings you tea and oranges,
that come all the way from Steinbergs

(the latter being a central-Canadian grocery chain). Somehow I doubt I'm the first one who's thought that thought.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: DannyC
Date: 30 May 08 - 06:54 PM

Listened in again...

LC's the world's most humorous sad man.

such as
who had a worm
and who had a rock
and who had you thru the mail

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Ed T
Date: 31 May 08 - 04:46 PM

I submit that the man has a very poor singing voice. His music was also dull.

Yes, he had a couple of OK songs. Mostly other folks made them popular (for example dird on a wire).

But, beyond that, I feel he is very over-rated for what he contributed to music.

I am a Canadian, but I just don't get Leonard Cohen.

Far too much sheep blood on doors in his lyrics for me, (or is it goats blood). And what's the deal with the dreary jew's harp, (jaw harp, mouth harp). in the background?

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Ed T
Date: 31 May 08 - 04:48 PM

dird=bird:)

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: bobad
Date: 31 May 08 - 05:23 PM

It's an age thing, also a romantic thing for some.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 31 May 08 - 07:21 PM

Got my ticket to see him live (for the first time for me , tho' a long-time fan) in Edinburgh in July. Watch this sapce for review!

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 31 May 08 - 07:45 PM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/frontrow_mon

Thanks for link above: found it quite hard to locate so hope this is more direct,
TB

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Little Hawk
Date: 31 May 08 - 08:12 PM

"The Future" and "I'm Your Man" are superb albums among his more recent ones. I think his early stuff was great, his middle stuff was great, and his later stuff was even greater. The man just kept getting better. Superb lyrics, great music, a "dark" singing style that suited his stuff perfectly, great backup from the likes of Jennifer Warnes...what more could you ask?

If ya don't get it, well...okay...but I think it's all wonderful.

I would proudly sing Suzanne any time. It was a great song then, and it's great now. The only reason people diss it is they heard it too many times in their youth by too many different singers, most of whom were relative amateurs. That's just another example of familiarity breeding contempt, that's all. It's a beautiful song.

The most beautiful song in the world can suffer badly from overexposure, which is what happens when something becomes too popular for awhile. People then go against it just to show they aren't "part of the crowd" (they're too smart for that), and to let everyone know it. Then they start believing their own sarcastic putdowns of whatever they're going against, but they'd never have noticed it in the beginning if it hadn't been so popular, and it got that way because it deserved to be.

I've seen that happen more times than I could be bothered to enumerate.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 31 May 08 - 10:36 PM

Ya Littlehawk.............you are so right.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: open mike
Date: 01 Jun 08 - 08:18 PM

Bird on a Wire

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: mattkeen
Date: 02 Jun 08 - 08:22 AM

"The Future" and "I'm Your Man" are superb albums among his more recent ones."

Absolutely agree Little Hawk
These are mega works IMO

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 06 Jun 08 - 12:06 AM

Juat relistened - rewatched 'I'm your man' -- what an awesome video.........

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: BK Lick
Date: 22 Jun 08 - 02:07 AM

The link given by Tattie Bogle above now leads to an account of LC's recent Dublin concert -- at 12 minutes, 20 seconds into the broadcast.
The original 28 minute interview from 5/26/2008 is archived here.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Big Tim
Date: 22 Jun 08 - 04:24 AM

We once went on an excursion to Hydra but the locals clammed up when we asked where Leonard's old apartment was!

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Mrrzy
Date: 22 Oct 16 - 01:39 AM

There are a ton of threads on this guy so I picked this one to refresh with this great interview, previously aired, but which I heard today.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 22 Oct 16 - 02:33 AM

One of my favourite songwriters. he is now 82 and just released a new album, You Want It Darker, great album, beautiful lyrics.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: GUEST,CJB
Date: 22 Oct 16 - 05:25 AM

Was in the Sounds of the 60s programmme on BBC 4 last night, introduced by a very young Julie Felix. The prog. may be watched on iPlayer.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 22 Oct 16 - 06:57 PM

I never got back about the Edinburgh concert in 2008: on the Castle Esplanade, while the Tattoo seats are still set up. It was simply tremendous! 10-piece brilliant backing band and himself on very good form.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: GUEST, Paul Slade
Date: 23 Oct 16 - 06:47 AM

There's an excellent October 2016 New Yorker article on Cohen here. It's built round the journalist's visits to Cohen's home, and includes some lengthy quotes about the great man's songwriting from his Bobness. Dylan almost never deigns to get involved in press articles, so it's a measure of the esteem he has for Cohen that he's commented so fulsomely here.

Subject: RE: Leonard Cohen
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 23 Oct 16 - 08:03 AM

That is a very good article on Cohen. Thank you for posting the link.

Subject: RE: Info: Leonard Cohen
From: Andrez
Date: 24 Oct 16 - 02:08 AM

A great article, I agree. Many thanks for the posting too.

Cheers,

Andrez