RIP Leonard Cohen

[Bindi]

Leonard Cohen, the hugely influential singer and songwriter whose work spanned five decades, died at the age of 82.

 

 

In October 2016, a New Yorker article revealed that he was in very poor health. "I am ready to die," he said. "I hope it's not too uncomfortable. That's about it for me." The singer-songwriter later clarified that he was ‘exaggerating.’ "I’ve always been into self-dramatization,” Cohen said, “I intend to live forever.”

 

Edited November 11, 2016 by Bindi

[Bindi]

[Brian]

[Marblehead]

Yes, a sad passing.  But I think he did well with his life.  Remember the good times.

[Bindi]

[ralis]

We were at his concert at the Paolo Soleri here in Santa Fe over twenty years ago. Will never forget that night! He was soulful and a real poet. He will be missed!

 

He was a student of a Zen Master in Jemez Springs NM which is about 30 miles West of Los Alamos. Just found that out about ten years ago.

Edited November 11, 2016 by ralis

[Brian]

We were at his concert at the Paolo Soleri here in Santa Fe over twenty years ago. Will never forget that night! He will be missed!

 

He was a student of a Zen Master in Jemez Springs NM which is about 30 miles West of Los Alamos. Just found that out about ten years ago.

Very interesting! I didn't know that but it fits.

 

Here's a Leonard Cohen cover I posted a few weeks ago:

 

 

 

 

[Taomeow]

  It's Closing Time....  Twenty years ago, I was positively obsessed with this song.

 

[blue eyed snake]

His was a great soul, a gift to all of us

 

[Taoist Texts]

Cohen explained himself in a backstage interview:^[1] "I think it means exactly what it says. It is a terrorist song. I think it's a response to terrorism. There's something about terrorism that I've always admired. The fact that there are no alibis or no compromises. That position is always very attractive. I don't like it when it's manifested on the physical plane - I don't really enjoy the terrorist activities – but Psychic Terrorism. I remember there was a great poem by Irving Layton that I once read, I'll give you a paraphrase of it. It was 'well, you guys blow up an occasional airline and kill a few children here and there', he says. 'But our terrorists, Jesus, Freud, Marx, Einstein. The whole world is still quaking.'"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_We_Take_Manhattan

[Geof Nanto]

Leonard Cohen - a great man whose life and works continue to inspire me. News of his death saddened me for sure, but somehow it also felt whole - like he had fulfilled his mission here on Earth to an outstanding degree. And to me it felt like his presence was still with us in more subtle form. So alongside my palpable sadness was a gentle feeling of contentment.

 

I was holding off buying his latest album and only bought it after I heard of his death. Truly, it's a great album - one of his best! There's a Japanese tradition of writing a brief poem when at death's door. I bought a book of these poems expecting deep revelations as many are by Zen monks - but I was disappointed as most feel contrived to me. However, that's certainly not the case with Cohen's You Want it Darker. The whole album is excellent and contains the best death songs / poems I've ever heard. Totally authentic emotion from a master communicator - a magical weaving of darkness and light; of embodied humanness with its worldly desires interplaying with profound spiritual longing. But perhaps only deeply meaningful for few. I suspect he's too honest for most, for the many who seem to like their spirituality sugar coated.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Yueya

[Geof Nanto]

Leonard Cohen died a year ago in his sleep in his house in Los Angeles. His son, Adam Cohen, crafted this poignant video collage as a memorial to his death.

 

 

 

Leonard Cohen on the making of his superb final album, You Want it Darker………

 

“I want to acknowledge, with deep gratitude, the role my son Adam Cohen played in the making of You Want it Darker. Without his contribution there would be no record. At a certain point, after over a year of intense labor, both Pat Leonard and I, coincidentally, broke down with severe back injuries, and other disagreeable visitations. In my case, the situation was bleak, the discomfort acute, and the project was abandoned. Adam sensed that my recovery, if not my survival, depended on my getting back to work. He took over the project, established me in a medical chair to sing, and brought these unfinished songs to completion, preserving of course, many of Pat’s haunting musical themes. It is because of my son’s loving encouragement and skillful administration, that these songs exist in their present form. I cannot thank him enough.”