A Tribute to Leonard Cohen and His Words

...You are playing to people who have experienced a catastrophe.
This should make you very quiet.
Speak the words, convey the data, step aside.
Everyone knows you are in pain.
You cannot tell the audience everything you know about love
in every line of love you speak.
Step aside and they will know what you know
because they know it already.
You have nothing to teach them...
                                                          How to Speak Poetry
                                                              Death of a Lady's Man
                                                       & Stranger Music

So come, my friends, be not afraid.
We are so lightly here.
It is in love that we are made;
In love we disappear.
Though all the maps of blood and flesh
Are posted on the door,
There's no one who has told us yet
What Boogie Street is for.

                                                      Boogie Street
                                                   Ten New Songs

Portrait of Leonard Cohen by Montreal Photographer Marko Kulik -
All rights reserved.

Read the story behind the photo.

Live In London Sony Music Entertainment/Columbia Records is proud to announce the release of Leonard Cohen's Live In London, a musical chronicle of the legendary singer-songwriter-musician-painter-poet's historic 2008 concert -- available as either a DVD or 2 CD set now.

Live at the Isle of Wight Witness the historical concert festival that 600,000 experienced in awe nearly 35 years ago as the Canadian folksinger-songwriter-poet-novelist quietly tamed the crowd. Experience the energy, drama and magic through the songs, musings and poetry of a true legend – Leonard Cohen.

	LATEST UPDATES
	Photo © 2008 Caroline. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Reviews from Spring/Summer 2008 Fall 2008 Winter 2009 The Beacon 2009 Spring 2009 Summer 2009 Tours Poor Fans' YouTube "DVD" A collection of youtube concert songs from Spring/Summer 2008 Fall 2008 Winter 2009 tours Fall 2009 Schedule
	Reviews of Leonard's Concerts World Tour Fall 2009 October 17    Ft. Lauderdale, Florida    Bank Atlantic Center "[T]he poet, musical philosopher and perpetual enigma enthralled an audience... miraculously turning the cold commercial cavern of the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise into a magical, transformative place." - The Miami Herald "[A] remarkable performance lasting more than three hours." - South Florida Sun-Sentinel "Better Than: Any singer you've ever heard before." - Miami New Times "Forget the notion of singing one song that people would remember. Instead, think of the men whose musical catalogues people will remember long after those stage lights go dim. Leonard Cohen is one of those men." - SPIN October 19    Tampa, Florida    Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center "[Cohen] held the audience mesmerized." - Creative Loafing October 20    Atlanta, Georgia    Fox Theatre "More than I can remember at a concert, I hung on every lyric, and the spoken-word pieces were as good as the songs... The whole band was phenomenal." - Paste Magazine "Dark, humble, irreverent, playful, and outrageously beautiful... He was our man." - Creative Loafing October 22    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania    Tower Theater October 23    New York City, New York    Madison Square Garden "[T]he crowd couldn't help being captivated... Cohen's always been regarded as a master poet and storyteller, and... even in his later career, Cohen's words and delivery is still as engrossing as his four-decade-old songs." - Spinner "[Cohen's] voice today — deeper, wiser, more gravelly even than in his deep, wise, gravelly youth — imparts something to those songs that they were always meant to have." - Entertainment Weekly October 25    Cleveland, Ohio    Allen Theatre "It was times like this that you appreciate when Cohen performs these songs, these songs so often covered, beautifully I might add, by others. But rarely if ever do they come out like they did last night... No kidding — three hours might sound like a long time, but the crowd would have stayed for five." - The Cleveland Scene October 27    Columbus, Ohio    Palace Theatre "'Bird On A Wire,'...included two of the greatest guitar and sax solos heard this year... The audience, which had given [Cohen] a standing ovation the moment he walked out, was his congregation, and I was just another member of his flock of loving sheep. Baa." - The Other Paper October 29    Chicago, Illinois    Rosemont Theatre November 1    Asheville, North Carolina    Thomas Wolfe Auditorium November 3    Durham, North Carolina    Durham Performing Arts Center "Cohen has assembled a crack nine-piece band littered with virtuosos... But of course, there was no upstaging The Voice. When he reached down to the lower reaches of his range to intone "the wisdom of oooooold" during "In My Secret Life," he sounded like a true force of nature..." - The News & Observer November 5    Nashville, Tennessee    Tennessee Performing Arts Center Andrew Jackson Hall
	Reviews of Live In London Updated May 16.
	Ottawa Jewish Bulletin (Canada) "The concert is mesmerising."
	Guelph Mercury (Guelph, Ontario, Canada) "Live in London is more than a document of Cohen's comeback; it may well be...the finest recording of his 40-year career."
	The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) "At 74 years of age, Cohen is still at the top of his game, still able to give the listener goose bumps. God bless him."
	Monsters and Critics (Germany) "Cohens Wärme, sein Gespür für das Publikum, die außergewöhnliche Bühnenpräsenz und natürlich seine Songs schaffen eine magische Atmosphäre." "Cohen's warmth, his sense for the audience, his extraordinary stage presence, and of course his songs create a magical atmosphere."
	Fast Forward Weekly (Calgary) "[P]ure magic."
	The Observer (South Bend, Indiana) "Cohen has surpassed the goal of finding music that is enjoyable and found music that matters."
	Billboard "Cohen delivers a peak musical and emotional experience."
	The Guardian (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada) "Leonard Cohen: Live In London is a remarkable recording. But it’s much more than that. It’s a milestone, one that bears witness to the significance of Cohen’s contribution to popular music over four decades. Only a handful of songwriters out there can lay claim to a body of work that has been so universally acclaimed. This is a recording to be listened to over and over and over again."
	Telegraph.co.uk "Marvelous."
	Quietus "Every song is a gem. There is no second of filler... Revisiting these old nuggets is pure joy... and it is pure joy that just flows from this performance."
	BlogCritics Magazine "Live In London is a triumphant return for Leonard Cohen. It shows him to be not only a master of his craft but affirms just how joyful and affecting music can be when performed by the right person."
	Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden) "[J]u lysande med alla hitsen." "[B]rilliant with all the hits."
	Il Secolo XIX (Italy) "[M]usicale di uno dei cantautori più importanti del nostro tempo." "[T]he musical portrait of one of the most important songwriters of our time."
	CHARTattack "Live [In] London manages to show that Cohen's poetry, music and the man himself are still relevant... he's a man who seems to not only have defied age, but every single rule as well. He's as timeless as his music."
	Artist Direct "He's one of the great lyricists of the last century, and given that the Live In London setlist draws heavily from his best work, the timeless lines seem to fall one after the other."
	The Salt Lake Tribune "Grade: A-"
	Uncut "The older [Cohen] becomes, the better he inhabits many of these uncannily graceful and profound songs."
	Blogcritics "[B]oth the audio and visual presentations make for outstanding live documents."
	The Sun (UK) "[B]reathtakingly brilliant performances..."
	New Haven Register (CT) "The disc is a not-so-gentle reminder of the sheer greatness of Cohen..."
	All Music "[T]his album eloquently demonstrates how much Cohen still has to offer, and how clearly his music still speaks to him (and us)."
	The Montreal Gazette "[T]he touching and memorable moments that made Cohen’s almost flawlessly constructed shows so essential can be found here." Rating: 5 out of 5
	Times Colonist (British Columbia) "The players pack a lot of punch during Live in London, but it is the grand master who delivers the knockout blow. Hallelujah, indeed."
	Edmonton Journal "[Cohen] seems dedicated to delivering the right kind emotion into every syllable, putting the right mood into every song. The effect is quite spiritual and natural."
	The Star (Toronto) "Live in London presents Cohen at the very pinnacle of his artistic power."
	PopMatters "[O]ne of the finest live albums to come our way in a long while."
	Huffington Post "[S]ensational live album..."
	The Sunday Times (UK) "Cohen’s great achievement on his world tour was to shrink and personalise such venues, an achievement this wonderful double album captures faithfully and movingly." Rating: 4 stars out of 5
	The Independent (UK) "But what becomes immediately apparent listening to this wonderful double-album is that Cohen is possessed of a rare and remarkable ability to make colossal venues like the Royal Albert Hall and even the O2 Dome shrink to about the size of a police-box – or, more appropriately, a suburban boudoir. Blessed with the most sensual basso profundo since Barry White, he makes the act of singing for thousands seem like pillow-talk for one's ears alone." Rating: 5 stars out of 5
	Entertainment Weekly "Live in London is a reminder that Cohen is as gifted a performer as he is a songwriter." Grade: A
	Road Warrior: St. Louis native Joseph Carenza graduates from punk-club denizen to road manager for Leonard Cohen by Annie Zaleski, Riverfront Times (St. Louis, MO), November 03, 2009 Added November 4.
	"'The real difference is just Leonard's attention to detail and Leonard's commitment to whatever it takes to make a show just absolutely amazing every single night. When this band has a bad night, they still have an 'A' show,' Carenza says, laughing..." Riverfront Times (St. Louis, MO)
	Leonard Cohen talks women, age and Hallelujah by Jian Ghomeshi, The National Post, March 20, 2009 Leonard Cohen's victory march: but please, no more Hallelujahs Canwest News Service, April 10, 2009, an excerpt from interview by Ghomeshi Field Notes by Lani Selick, Producer of "Leonard Cohen in Three Acts" CBC, April 14, 2009 "Leonard Cohen in Three Acts" Q TV - CBC, April 15, 2009, video interview with Jian Ghomeshi Updated April 18.
	"Leonard Cohen is an eternal paradox, which is to say that he is paradoxically eternal... To spend time with him is to realize that he is reassuringly human. To spend time with him asking questions is also to be reminded that he is enigmatic. He has made a career of contradiction. So at this stage, it follows that his prospective swan song also feels like a new beginning..." The National Post
	"Q: But this was a brand new career for you that you were starting in your 30s. How fearful were you of starting a second career at that point? "A:Well I've been generally fearful about everything, so this just fits in with the general sense of anxiety that I always experienced in my early life... When you say I had a career as a writer or a poet, that hardly begins to describe the modesty of the enterprise in Canada at that time. You know, we often printed our books we often mimeographed our books. An edition of 200 was considered a bestseller in poems." Canwest News Service
	CBC Radio Presents "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen"
	The National Film Board of Canada, in partnership with CBC Radio 2, present the classic Leonard Cohen documentary, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen," online. The documentary offers a unique glimpse into the early years of the artist, both onstage and off. Director Donald Brittain (King of the Hill, Bethune) crafted the film on Cohen which premiered on the CBC on February 16, 1966. It later won the 1966 Etrog (precursor to the Genie Awards) for Best TV Information program and the 1966 First Prize for Literature at the American Film Awards in New York.
	Building Leonard Cohen's Backing Band by Elliott Johnston, Dallas Observer, April 01, 2009 Added April 1.
	"It started when Beck was 24, and his Austin group, Passenger, got a call to play on Cohen's 1979 LP, Recent Songs, an album that marked a return to the Old World folk that gave Cohen's early records their intoxicating, moody elegance. Subsequently, Beck joined Cohen on his world tours in the '80s..."
	Playing with Cohen by Brad Buchholz, Austin American-Statesman, March 31, 2009 Added April 1.
	"Leonard Cohen: Poet, singer, seeker, scholar, artist. Leonard Cohen: devout Jew, ordained Buddhist monk. Leonard Cohen: Man of elegance, man of melancholy. Leonard Cohen: Master of economy. Leonard Cohen: The voice of fire in 'Joan of Arc,' the cry of renunciation in 'Story of Isaac,' the ghost of Lorca in 'Take this Waltz.' "Leonard Cohen: A man who knows how to use a suitcase."
	Leonard Cohen, Down from the Mountain by Neil Strauss, Rolling Stone, March 19, 2009 Added March 22.
	"'I got that song on my little laptop,' Leonard Cohen says... He scampers out of the room and returns moments later with a black MacBook, opens iTunes and plays a slow dirge... "'Through a net of lies, I'll come to you,' his raspy voice intones through a plug-in speaker. 'When the dead arise, I will wait there too / If your heart is torn, who can wonder why? / If the night is long, here's my lullabye.' As the song ends, he sits enveloped in a stillness that he carries with him like a prayer stick..."
	Sharon Robinson - Leonard Cohen Tour Photo Diary March 7, 2009 Added March 7.
	"An impressionistic montage of the European tour with many great photos of Sharon and Leonard Cohen and the band."
	Coffee and candour with Cohen in The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Simon Houpt, February 27, 2009 Added February 28.
	"Twelve hours after his masterful return to the U.S. stage, the low baritone that belongs only to Leonard Cohen rises again – this time, to reflect on what he learned when his own life hit the ropes."
	Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" Wins Musicnotes.com 2008 Song of the Year Award February 24, 2009 Added February 28.
	"Musicnotes, Inc., the market leader in downloadable sheet music, announced today that songwriter Leonard Cohen, and music publisher Sony/ATV Music Publishing, are the recipients of the seventh annual Musicnotes Song of the Year Award for the song, 'Hallelujah.'"
	Leonard Cohen reborn in the U.S.A. in Los Angeles Times by Geoff Boucher, March 1, 2009 Added February 27.
	"The 74-year-old songwriter is touring America for the first time in 15 years. Why now? He felt the flicker."
	Cohen’s Book of Longing comes alive through Philip Glass in Claremont Courier by Sandy Fasano and Tom Fasano, February 25, 2009 Added February 27.
	"In the 1990s Bob Faggen, professor of literature at Claremont McKenna College was shopping at Wolfe’s Market. As he stood in the deli section asking for a one-quarter pound of roast beef, he noticed a gentleman with a distinctive deep voice, contemplating whether to buy the red potato salad or the German potato salad. Mr. Faggen looked at him with a feeling of recognition, and then suggested the German potato salad. "'Are you Leonard Cohen?' Mr. Faggen asked. "'Yeah, man,' the gentleman replied."
	On the Road, for Reasons Practical and Spiritual in The New York Times by Larry Rohter, February 25, 2009 Added February 25.
	"The day after his first American concert in more than 15 years, Leonard Cohen sat in a Manhattan hotel suite warily submitting to an interviewer’s questions, including one about the music in his laptop’s iTunes."
	"A Street" in The New Yorker, March 2, 2009 Added February 25.
	A poem by Leonard Cohen

Archives Visit the ARCHIVES to find articles posted in previous weeks and an Index of all articles by Date, Type, Journal, and Author. Search Website From Speaking Cohen's Spoken Word Playlist Speaking Cohen maintains a Channel on YouTube and attempts to organize the many wonderful youtubes uploaded by folks who love Leonard. Thanks to all of you. Check out our Playlists. Leonard's latest book is now in stores Book of Longing expresses Leonard's uncompromising vision and deepest introspection through his poems, lyrics and musings and personal drawings and sketches. Visit the Book of Longing website for more details. Blue Alert represents a collaboration between Anjani and her mentor Leonard Cohen and is co-written and produced by Cohen. Leonard calls Anjani's music "exotic, dreamy and hypnotic... She was always a great singer, but now she's a world class singer, in full command of an unforgettable voice." Visit Anjani's website and the Blue Alert website. Blue Alert will be released in Europe in February 2007 and re-released in the US on April 24, 2007. Trapped in a Frame? LIBERATE YOURSELF! Join the mailing list to receive updates of what's new on this site. Simply email Megan2C2B@aol.com and say "subscribe". Listen to interviews Leonard has given over the past 30+ years. To ENTER you must know the magic words: USERID: leonard PASSWORD: cohen

	Road Stops for Information

This site was created and is maintained by Marie Mazur.
The sole purpose of this site is to provide Cohen fans
everywhere an opportunity to gain further insights and pleasure
from The Man and his words.
I hope that the writers and photographers who's work
is featured in these pages, as well as the magazines which
published those works, will forgive the insatiable desire
of fans to lay their hands upon anything
concerning the work and words of Leonard Cohen.

I wish to thank Jarkko Arjatsalo and Dick Straub
for their encouragement and kindness and
Patrice Clos for knowing my heart.
And there are not enough ways to say thank you
to Leonard Cohen for the joy and comfort
his work has provided me.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
Email Marie at Megan2C2B@aol.com

Rebecca

Billboard

Stina's Interview