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

[Cinnte]

Hi everyone,

I'm in my early twenties and I'm from Ireland. I was introduced to LC's music a few years ago when I was in college by my aunt and quickly became slightly mesmorised by it. I eventually bought many of his albums and exhausted them in my car. Alot of my friends joke how I should be listening to more current music but no artist is a patch on LC. I got to see him for the first time last year in Kilmainham and he absolutely blew me away. I was never at a concert like it before in my life (and probably never will be again!) I'm delighted he's returning this September and plan on seeing him on both nights in the o2 in Dublin. I've been a reader of the forums for a while but only registered and posted this week.

Cheers,
Cinnte

[lizzytysh]

Welcome to the Forum, Cinnte ~ I LOVE your enthusiasm . Seeing Leonard Live certainly does take it all to a new level. I'm so glad that so many who may never have been able had his life continued on its current course some years back, are now able to see him... something that many of us never thought would happen!

You just stick with your excellent taste! Your performer and song choices will stand the test of time.
Delighted that you will be seeing Leonard again this year. Perhaps, you can take one of your disbelieving friends with you .


~ Lizzy

[SeventhSon]

I’ve been writing in this forum for quite a while now, but I realize that I never introduced myself.

I’m from Luxembourg, the second smallest country in the European Union and just like Cinnte, I’m in my early twenties (and already feeling old ). I was introduced to Leonard Cohen four years ago when I was driving in the car with my older brother and he played me this song called “Democracy” that he had on his ipod.
He thought that I would like it, knowing that I love Donovan’s Atlantis, which is also a “more spoken than sung song”. I was totally blown away by the song and as soon as I got home I listened to a best of CD that my mother gave me. It was then that I realized that Leonard was the man singing all the songs I remembered from my early childhood; for years they were always playing in my mother’s car. And after all these years, I still knew Take This Waltz almost by heart, although when I heart it as a kid, I didn’t understand a single word of English.

Soon after that, I discovered more and more of his songs, became a huge fan and saw him live for the first time in 2010 in Strasbourg, France. I remember just sitting there (and later in the show standing) for more than three hours, totally amazed and speechless by what I was just witnessing. It was on that evening that I discovered the true power and meaning of words and music.

Now, years later, I live as a student in the town where I first heard Leonard live. Although one might not think so, being a student is a fulltime job and since I don’t have time for anything but studying during the year, I save a lot of money which I can spend during the summer holidays on Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen concerts (my other musical love ). What a chance it is, that both were touring in Europe last summer and this one!

And in less than two weeks I will see both, Bruce and Leonard again in concert. Life couldn’t be any better at the moment!

I also would like to use the opportunity for once more thanking Jarkko and all the people in this forum involved, without whom I would never ever have gotten tickets at face value for some of Leonard’s concerts. Thank you! Your work is deeply appreciated.

Kind regards,
Felix

[MaryB]

Felix,

Thank you for introducing yourself to us (better late....). It is always a joy to hear how people have discovered LC. A belated 'welcome to the forum'!

Best regards,
Mary

[lizzytysh]

Hi Felix ~ !

Welcome to the Forum from me, too!
YES ~ MANY thanks to Jarkko and Marie for all they do for us to get those tickets without having to take out a second mortgage on our houses just to attend ONE concert!
Luxembourg with your beautiful royalty, right? Beatrix? Didn't she step down, though?

Ha. I wonder what happened to those years where you all but knew his catalog by heart, but didn't know whose catalog it was, after the fact !

I, too, LOVE Bruce Springsteen. Seeing him perform live is awe inspiring with his own, over-the-top energy that just carries right through the end of the show. And such a good heart.

THIS:

I remember just sitting there (and later in the show standing) for more than three hours, totally amazed and speechless by what I was just witnessing. It was on that evening that I discovered the true power and meaning of words and music.

... and, especially, your second sentence, brought burning tears to my eyes. I re-read it, and got the same physiological response. It's a beautiful sentence that encapsulates so much, yet so simply.

When I see them walk onstage, I feel like I'm, again, in the presence of beloved family.

Thank you so much for introducing yourself. A blessed childhood you had, indeed. A very wise mother.


~ Lizzy

[MarthaG]

Hello all,
I'm new here, too- or almost new, I'm reading here for a while and registered a few weeks ago.
I am from Linz, Austria, 42 years old, married and mother of a daughter, 9, and a son, 7.
I am a leonard Cohen Fan since I am 19, and for a Long Time, nobody else of all my friends even knew the music.
In 2010, I was lucky to go to my first LC Concert in Bratislava,and then my husband was "infected", too. For me, it was a Dream coming true, and since that it is not difficult any more to persuade my husband to go to another Concert. We were in Verona last september, which I will remember all my life.
Right now, I'm counting days to our next Concert in Lucca, and we will go to Vienna, too.

[SeventhSon]

Thank you for the warm welcome Mary and Lizzy. This is really such a nice community.

Lizzy, you are actually confusing Luxembourg with the Netherlands. But don't worry you are not the first one. Luxembourg is a small country on its own, with a population of around 500.000. We also have our own language (Luxembourgish) and we are (unfortunately in my eyes ) a constitutional monarchy with a Grand Duke as leader of the state.

The best thing however is our geographical position because major European cities, such as Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Frankfurt and so on are accessible by car in less than 4 hours, which makes it easy and quite cheap to travel to concerts.

And hello to you Martha.

It must have been great to go to a concert and "infect" your husand. I am taking a very good friend of mine, who has never been to one of Leonard's shows, to a concert this year and I bet that it'll also infect him.

Enjoy your upcoming shows!

[MarthaG]

It must have been great to go to a concert and "infect" your husand.

YES!
The Bratislava Concert was the last One in Europe and I have missed all the earlier dates. I think, he just came with me to do me a favour, but I think, it was just the other way around.


By the way, is your Luxemburgish Dialect a kind of German?

[lizzytysh]

You are so right that I was, SeventhSon ! Thanks for that information about your small, well-situated country . I've always felt wistful about the many advantages all of you have in Europe. And there you are even closer yet! And, yes, this is an amazingly great community.

And, welcome from me, too, MarthaG. My husband infected me many years ago, and only with the first round courses on the track of a needle... as the infection was full-blown with just the first few lines of Suzanne I heard on Leonard's album in 1970. Like a familiar voice from out of another lifetime, instantly recognized, and grateful for the reunification. A different kind of needle, yet an acute and chronic infection that is life-giving vs. life-taking. Can only imagine how beautiful and fulfilling it had to have been for you watching and seeing your husband get infected as he sat there "drinking from cup."

And just seeing your added entry... indeed, you were the one who did the favour . Surprize, surprize for him .

[SeventhSon]

By the way, is your Luxemburgish Dialect a kind of German?

Well it is a mix of German and French but classified as an official language, not a dialect. But since only a minority is speaking it, German and French are also our official administrative languages.

I wonder how great it must have been to have known Leonard for nearly your entire lifes and finally seeing the great man live after so many years.

[bluesaint]

Hello everyone,

I joined the forum yesterday, have no excuse for not doing so before but better late than never I suppose. I first saw Leonard way back in the mid seventies at the Apollo theatre in Glasgow (sadly no longer in existence) having been introduced to his wonderful music by a friend who had me listen to "Joan of Arc" in a booth in a record shop (only older members will remember them) and I have been "hooked" ever since. Saw him at Edinburgh Castle, what a superb setting and experience about four years ago with my wife who from that day on has become as big a fan as me, both of us then travelling to Birmingham and Liverpool for concerts we both enjoyed immensely. We have also gone to a couple of the sublime Webb sisters concerts and would certainly recommend anyone to see them perform their own gigs if you haven't already done so. We are both looking forward immensely to the Leeds concert on 7th September and would hope to catch at least one more of the British concerts this time around.


Peace and good fortune everyone.

[VICTORIADIANA]

I'm writing a paper on the life and work of L.Cohen and there is one thing that I can't seem to find out: what caused the death of Cohen's father?
Can anyone help?

[Zimmy66]

Welcome to the Forum Bluesaint, although I am a realtive newbie here myself. (although was an interested voyer for years previously) I too have fond memories of the dearly departed Apollo, and saw Leonard there a couple of times during the 70's. (my first LC gig was the IoW 1970) Have you been on the Apollo fans' website? It is a work of dedication. (same goes for any other Forum members reading this) All of LC concerts from the 70s on there including set lists, and scanned tickets.

http://www.glasgowapollo.com/

Enjoy your upcoming gig. I'm not going now due to the deabcle of date change.

Robert

[Jonnie Falafel]

I've been haunting the forum for ten years now. This is my story.

Back in the 70s, when I was a boy, my older sister had a penfriend that she was quite keen on. In those days people had penfriends in the same country and advertised in teen magazines. He had that classic hippy look. Droopy moustache and Afghan coat. He sent her a tape of Leonard Cohen whom he had a great enthusiasm for. For a girl into The Bay City Rollers and David Cassidy, this killed any romantic notions she may have had about the letter writer. However, I was enthralled.... LC seemed to fit straight into my dark ironic world and thus began my love of his stuff..... I passed this on to my younger sister & when in 2008 we had the good fortune to serendipitously meet the man, I let her do all the talking.

[lizzytysh]

Great Story, Jonnie!
So much colour and pizazz!
Your love of him shows... and it was so VERY kind to let your younger sister do all of the talking.
Your older sister lost out .

Didn't you mean to say you've been gracing the forum for ten years now?
Well, no, I guess you wouldn't do that.
That's for us to say
Good to formally, finally 'meet' you