Hello, I'm new to this forum... (introducing yourselves)

[kwills]

Welcome to the forum humbled and don't worry ,not everyone is as strange looking as me,though some may be weirder!

I think you are right when you say you either love Cohen or not and as we all love him here I'm sure you'll fit right in.

[TineDoes]

Hi everybody,
I'm not quite new to the forum. Been visting on and off since febr. 2009. It is a great place. I absolutely love the discussions on the LC's songs thread and like 'humbled' I am "astounded by the many ingenious interpretations" of the lyrics and the dept of the discussions.
I was introduced to Leonard Cohen in Ireland some 40 years ago, with of course, 'Songs of Leonard Cohen'. I have a vivid memory of sitting at the foot of a ruined castle in the middle of the night looking out over the Atlantic ocean with my then friends who could sing a number of the songs.
When I met my now partner many years later he had 4 LC LP's!!! which we wore to a thread. The children grew up with the sound of Leonard Cohen's voice. But I had never seen or heard Leonard perform in Concert untill 2008 in Rotterdam. Had not read anything about the tour so I didn't know what to expect. But it was absolutely unbeleivable. The whole show was perfect. But what struck me most, and why my love of his songs turned to adoration of the man, was the way he addressed and commanded the audience in this quiet, respectful, heartfelt, unhurried manner. His wonderful and sustained timing. How he waited for the audience to calm down and only then spoke in his wonderful deep voice of which every word was clear. His humor. How everybody clung to his lips! And then, then hearing him sing the songs that I had been listening to for years.. mesmerising.
After this experience I needed to understand the lyrics and so learn more about Leonard Cohen. One method is translating them into Dutch which is an ongoing thing version after version.
Well that's my story..

[MaryB]

Hello humbled and TineDoes,

I have just finished reading you introductions. But because I work my way throught the new posts for the bottom to the top, I first read both of your interpretations of some of his music. I can't help but think how much I enjoyed your views and how well you both fit right in. Hope to hear more from you both. Welcome to the forum!

Best regards,
Mary

[TineDoes]

Hi MaryB

Thank you for your warm welcome to the forum. I'm honored to be named in the same sentence as 'humbled'. I find his posts very good to read. Finding this forum and its members is like boring into a well full of information and thoughts about Leonard Cohen and his work. Good for quenching a thirst.
All the best.

Tineke

[humbled]

Hello kwills -- MaryB -- TienDoes,

Thanks all so very much for the welcome. Thanks especially for all the kind words. I wish even 10% of the forums on the web were of the quality and intelligence of the posts I’ve read so far rumbling in this site. They have given me so much to think about already. I have a lot of questions. I am trying to put them into words so that I can start a new thread or two but I’m a bit intimidated. I want to be certain they are worthy of this site.

To be or not to be…no…When in the course of human events…uh uh…In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida…yes that’s more my speed

[lizzytysh]

Dear humbled and TienDoes ~

Welcome from me, too. I'm happy to join Mary in saying Hi [though I've already done that elsewhere with you, humbled]. Please don't hesitate to initiate threads, humbled.

Such wonderful stories you've both brought here on how you became acquainted with Leonard's songs and music. I love how you nailed him as a poet back then, humbled. It had to have seemed quite out of character for you, with the way you've described it. And the setting for your introduction, TienDoes. Could it possibly have been any more perfect!?! How his voice must have filled that space in the night . Awesome.

Great to have you both here . Welcome .


~ Lizzy

[Elainduel]

Hi everyone~~

Just noticed you had a topic like this in here... I've been following your discussions, news and especially song interpretations for a while already, and recently decided to join. Can't wait to read more and get to know you guys more!

About me. I'm one of the new generation Cohenites; I'm turning 19 this year, so excuse my lack of expierence f.e. in the Cohen events of 60's and my occasional naivety Cohen has been part of my life about four years now; my dad's old vinyl copy of The Best of Leonard Cohen of -75 was what first draw me into his luminious dimensions. And, well, what more there is to be told; once you're in there, you really can't get out. Cohen literally made me the woman I am, having grown up with his music and poetry. Leonard Cohen's Unified Heart Tour Concert in Helsinki 2008 was without a doubt one of the finest moments of my life. I enjoy Cohen's poetry and lyrics above all, and I can happily spend hours discussing and arguing about the interpretations with my friends in the coffeeshops. Also great admirer of the man's character in general... and clothing style, god he's great...

I'm also the proud "owner" of the Twitter account @cohenquote (http://twitter.com/cohenquote, where I have for almost a year already posted daily quotes/lyrics/ohter stuff about Cohen, this forum being more than once one of my sources; so thank you!

[TheSpice-BoxOfEarth]

My warmest welcome to the forum, Elainduel! It`s always heart-warming to get here some peer-cohenites.

Leonard Cohen's Unified Heart Tour Concert in Helsinki 2008 was without a doubt one of the finest moments of my life.

Does that mean we share the homeland?

Let`s fly the fan flag of our generation high,
Viivi

[Elainduel]

Does that mean we share the homeland?

Hahha, yes we do, Viivi! And we're even both from the pääkaupunkiseutu! Thank you, and you can easily trust me to fly the fan flag the HIGHEST!

[lizzytysh]

It's really wonderful to see you here, Elainduel, and to see your high level of activity for some time now. I'm glad you've officially joined and will be carrying the Leonard Cohen flag long after some of us are gone... literally . We need you, we need you, we need you !!!


~ Lizzy

[Jokapaikanapina]

I just discovered this thread, so I'm gonna copy most of an earlier message I posted elsewhere.

I'm a 17-year-old Finnish-Canadian Leonard Cohen fan. I found this site and forum while looking for info about the 2010 tour. It's really mind-boggling how many other Cohen fans are out there and how many how found this forum, wonderful!

My first memory of Leonard Cohen is hearing my mum listening to Hallelujah and later on me watching the Hallelujah music video (?) on Youtube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccGz-li_rgM ). Probably about a year later I listened to Various Positions and I recognized most of the songs, thanks to Mum. Every now and then I'd listen to that album. Is was probably 14 at the time and having started from The Beatles and progressing into hard rock I really hadn't come across many intelligent lyrics (well, John Lennon and Macca somewhat) and I was pretty impressed of Leonard complex lyrics and the sincerity of his delivery.

Zoom ahead a year again and I ripped Songs of Leonard Cohen and Various Positions onto my computer and that was when yet another Leonard Cohen fan was born. I made my way through The Future and Ten New Songs and was hungry for more. Even though Various Positions has a pretty "cheesy" 80's production, it was close to my heart because it was my first Leonard CD. But it took me really long to get into I'm Your Man (I actually still don't really enjoy the studio version of the song itself). I remember Mum singing Everybody Knows and being disappointed of the version on the album, though nowadays it's one of my favourite songs of his and the lyrics definately are my favourite ones. Mum still had Songs of Love, New Skin For The Old Seremony and Hate and Dear Heather (another tough one to get into) and Live At London as a DVD. Mum also had the Book Of Longing and in my opinion it's the best poetry ever. It really opened my eyes to lots of things and what poetry really is about and who Leonard is apart from a musician.

We got tickets to the 2010 Helsinki concert and it's gonna happen in about three weeks, I'm so excited. After that I'm going to get the three remaining studio albums and then I've got to move onto the other live albums.

I'm just so excited to have found this forum, there aren't that many Cohen fans that I know personally. Already I've discovered heaps of cool stuff here and you won't be getting rid of me any time soon

[bridger15]

@ all the new (say, less than 100 posts) Forum friends: All your stories are delightful. Keep up the good work. And enjoy! I am on only one forum, this one, so I have no comparions. However, I can't see any other forum topping this one anyway.
---Arlene

[lizzytysh]

You would have been much safer getting between a mother grizzly and her cubs than getting between me and that CD.
. . .
It was the most memorable night of music in my life that didn’t involve being at a concert. I’m still having flashbacks 30 years later. I owe her a great debt for that evening.

I didn't have time to comment on these two aspects of your posting, humbled. So funny, so true, on the first. So touching, so true, on the latter.

Welcome, Jokapaikanapina. I loved the honesty and balance of your posting. In time, you will come to love just as much the ones that are lesser to you right now... especially after you've had the pleasure of experiencing Leonard for yourself. It will be indelible. Is your Mum going with you? I sure hope to hear that she is.


~ Lizzy

[Jokapaikanapina]

Thank you, Lizzy!

Yes, I'm going with Mum. Apart from the experience of seeing Leonard and the band live, it will also be a really memorable night together with my mother.

And thanks to everybody for the warmest welcome I've ever had to a forum!

[Kai75]

Hi!

Nice to have found a forum full of people that appreciate Mr Cohen as a fantastic artist and a great human being so much.

I am 34. Living in Graz, Austria. I have discovered LC some 21, 22 years ago and he is an important part of "the soundtrack of my life" since then.

Been able to see him for the first time live on the 28th of July, last Wednesday, here in my hometown. What an amazing night!!!