With regards to Lightening, how many people when they are kids think of record labels it`s the artist and the sound especially if you are into something a bit different.
how did you get into leonard cohen?
Lizzy, sorry got the title wrong.... Songs of LC it should be, met hubby when I was 14, now I am 51. Feeling a lot older just had some small surgery and still not right with the bowel prob...Sorry to anyone not in the know.
With regards to Lightening, how many people when they are kids think of record labels it`s the artist and the sound especially if you are into something a bit different.
With regards to Lightening, how many people when they are kids think of record labels it`s the artist and the sound especially if you are into something a bit different.
Life is love so treasure every day.........
maybe it's strange for me to write here as i'm only 21... anyway leonard has accompanied me my whole life...
when my mom was pregnant with me, my dad used to sing his songs to her womb (especially suzanne), that was my first touch with his music. since then i listened to it and my father explained his lyrics to me.
now i play some of his songs on guitar and my dad and i have very special moments when we sing them together. i guess these are the moments i am the closest to my father and i know he's proud of me loving leonard's songs as much as he does.
unfortunately not many young people (at least in austria) know leonard cohen but i'm doing my best to play his music to many people
when my mom was pregnant with me, my dad used to sing his songs to her womb (especially suzanne), that was my first touch with his music. since then i listened to it and my father explained his lyrics to me.
now i play some of his songs on guitar and my dad and i have very special moments when we sing them together. i guess these are the moments i am the closest to my father and i know he's proud of me loving leonard's songs as much as he does.
unfortunately not many young people (at least in austria) know leonard cohen but i'm doing my best to play his music to many people
Dear Lightning ~
You're so right. Word of mouth is powerful. In those days, we weren't all hanging out on the Internet, either, and weren't so blasted by MTV and other forms of mass media making a point of the labels and inundating us with all forms of advertising. Much the better ~ particularly in one's discovery of Leonard; yet, my personal taste dominates that comment. It doesn't matter how you find him, as long as you do. The respite awaits you.
Dear St. Theresa ~
Yours is a deeply textured connection with Leonard and his music. Some of its funny in a poignant way, yet it's clear what a refuge you found in his words. Your appreciation of Leonard has to be profound. Thanks for sharing these details. They paint a picture that I would think Leonard would not just understand but feel heartened that he could have played such a role in bringing some peace and understanding into the lives of the young people in these situations. Yes, you're right that true life is stranger than fiction. Thanks, again, for sharing.
Dear Smile ~
That's okay on the title... both are exceedingly fine. That's great that your hubby was in the picture, even then. The best one prevailed, and the other gave you the music.
I'm sorry to hear that your most recent surgery hasn't left you feeling the way I know you had hoped and that it should. I'm glad you're still coming here to share with us about it, as well as to participate. Will they be doing anything 'corrective'?
Dear Evelyne ~
Not strange at all... and glad to see you here sharing. You are the future of Leonard's music, as we who have known his music longer will be gone in not that many years. I'm glad you're doing what you can to spread your appreciation of him.
I can imagine how proud of you your Dad must be. What a beautiful pregnancy and birth process you came into this world through... an obviously tender and loving Mom and Dad. Carpe diem [seize the day] with those moments with him, singing Leonard's songs together. They will grow even more precious with the years. What a lovely scenario, imagining the two of you singing together, knowing for how long he has sung these songs to you.
Have you and/or he considered coming to Berlin for the Event? That would be an awesome thing for the two of you to share and remember.
Love,
Lizzy
You're so right. Word of mouth is powerful. In those days, we weren't all hanging out on the Internet, either, and weren't so blasted by MTV and other forms of mass media making a point of the labels and inundating us with all forms of advertising. Much the better ~ particularly in one's discovery of Leonard; yet, my personal taste dominates that comment. It doesn't matter how you find him, as long as you do. The respite awaits you.
Dear St. Theresa ~
Yours is a deeply textured connection with Leonard and his music. Some of its funny in a poignant way, yet it's clear what a refuge you found in his words. Your appreciation of Leonard has to be profound. Thanks for sharing these details. They paint a picture that I would think Leonard would not just understand but feel heartened that he could have played such a role in bringing some peace and understanding into the lives of the young people in these situations. Yes, you're right that true life is stranger than fiction. Thanks, again, for sharing.
Dear Smile ~
That's okay on the title... both are exceedingly fine. That's great that your hubby was in the picture, even then. The best one prevailed, and the other gave you the music.
I'm sorry to hear that your most recent surgery hasn't left you feeling the way I know you had hoped and that it should. I'm glad you're still coming here to share with us about it, as well as to participate. Will they be doing anything 'corrective'?
Dear Evelyne ~
Not strange at all... and glad to see you here sharing. You are the future of Leonard's music, as we who have known his music longer will be gone in not that many years. I'm glad you're doing what you can to spread your appreciation of him.
I can imagine how proud of you your Dad must be. What a beautiful pregnancy and birth process you came into this world through... an obviously tender and loving Mom and Dad. Carpe diem [seize the day] with those moments with him, singing Leonard's songs together. They will grow even more precious with the years. What a lovely scenario, imagining the two of you singing together, knowing for how long he has sung these songs to you.
Have you and/or he considered coming to Berlin for the Event? That would be an awesome thing for the two of you to share and remember.
Love,
Lizzy
-
MonkOverBook
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2003 11:56 am
- Location: Munich, Bavaria
Yes indeed, Lizzy and lightning: "In the beginning was the Word..." It was a revelation to me learning that Hebrew "davar" means both word and deed. That's an awareness of the power of spoken word I also find in Leonards lyrics very often.
St. Theresa: Life is truly stranger than fiction. The first time I came across LC was when they played "The partisan" on the radio some evening in the late 70s. Then, I thought that was Bob Dylan singing, until one day in Summer 1979 I came to the place of my aunt and her family. She was deadly ill with skin cancer (died in July that year), and my parents went to hospital to support her husband in looking after her. I was alone at their place, then. I was looking for something to do, when "LC Greatest Hits" came into my sight. It was not so much the joy to have found a recording (and the real singer!) of the p., but the excellent music and strange words of "Who By Fire" that impressed me - however hard I tried, I could not guess what that song was supposed to mean. It was only today that I read a comment in the forum telling me that it refers to the book of life ritual in the Jewish great holidays. Only now, by your question, philo, I remember the connection to that moment in my aunt's house, just a few weeks before her death. Strange coincidence, very strange.
Yes, Lizzy, carpe diem! is a good motto. There's treasures hidden in each and every day, and it sometimes takes us 27 years to realize them... So keep your eyes open, Ev', and do come to Berlin!
By the way, Lizzy, did I ever respond to your kind offer to record the Rumi tapes for me? I'm a bit embarrassed that I might have forgotten... sorry.
Smile, all good wishes from Munich!
Regards to all of you,
Monk
St. Theresa: Life is truly stranger than fiction. The first time I came across LC was when they played "The partisan" on the radio some evening in the late 70s. Then, I thought that was Bob Dylan singing, until one day in Summer 1979 I came to the place of my aunt and her family. She was deadly ill with skin cancer (died in July that year), and my parents went to hospital to support her husband in looking after her. I was alone at their place, then. I was looking for something to do, when "LC Greatest Hits" came into my sight. It was not so much the joy to have found a recording (and the real singer!) of the p., but the excellent music and strange words of "Who By Fire" that impressed me - however hard I tried, I could not guess what that song was supposed to mean. It was only today that I read a comment in the forum telling me that it refers to the book of life ritual in the Jewish great holidays. Only now, by your question, philo, I remember the connection to that moment in my aunt's house, just a few weeks before her death. Strange coincidence, very strange.
Yes, Lizzy, carpe diem! is a good motto. There's treasures hidden in each and every day, and it sometimes takes us 27 years to realize them... So keep your eyes open, Ev', and do come to Berlin!
By the way, Lizzy, did I ever respond to your kind offer to record the Rumi tapes for me? I'm a bit embarrassed that I might have forgotten... sorry.
Smile, all good wishes from Munich!
Regards to all of you,
Monk
Das Wort ist bloß ein Anfang,
bis es auf das Ohr trifft, das es auf-fängt,
und auf den Mund, der ihm ant-wortet.
- Franz Rosenzweig
bis es auf das Ohr trifft, das es auf-fängt,
und auf den Mund, der ihm ant-wortet.
- Franz Rosenzweig
Late 1969. I'm an earnest 13 year-old male, just back in the UK after a mind-expanding year or so in India (poverty, Jesuit day school, not hallucinogens!), wanting desperately to catch up on what I'd missed, apart from Elvis's comeback and the Beatles' unravelling.
The New Musical Express does a supplement on the new talent. Intriguing paragraph or two on Leonard. Very taken by the idea of a living poet writing about sex and love (VERY important topics then, as ever, but then I don't have to tell any of you that). Nice photo too: that profile one, wearing a ribbed polo-neck sweater, used on the Fill Your Head with Rock sampler and elsewhere since.
Ordered the first LP with my pocketmoney. Totally mesmerised from the first bars of Suzanne. Soon after, heard a review on Radio 1 of Beautiful Losers, just out in the UK in hardback. Somehow managed to get the family to give it to me as my next birthday present, i.e. I chose, they gave! Knocked out. My introduction to anything resembling literary modernism. The wit, the romance, the stylistic daring, the 4-letter words, the sex!
First 'serious' romance a couple of years later after reading All There Is To Know About Adolph Eichmann and a few other poems, incl Adrian Henry's The Entrance of Christ into Liverpool, at a school assembly. She was a year above me and studying Art, Music and English at A level, as I remember it (!). (Thank you, Leonard. Thank you.)
The reference early on in Beautiful Losers to F. using his anthropological credentials to have sex with the four surviving female members of the tribe no doubt subliminally influencing my later decision to spend a good part of my life studying that subject! (Also, the beginning of a lifelong obsession with dark, moody, European women, I suspect!)
Missed several opportunities to see Leonard live over the following years, but finally caught up with him in Milan in 1993. Loved the seriousness with which he accepted a single longstem rose from a young woman who walked up to the stage. There seemed to be a shared understanding there which the rest of us can only wonder at.
Enough. Time for my medication, I think.
The New Musical Express does a supplement on the new talent. Intriguing paragraph or two on Leonard. Very taken by the idea of a living poet writing about sex and love (VERY important topics then, as ever, but then I don't have to tell any of you that). Nice photo too: that profile one, wearing a ribbed polo-neck sweater, used on the Fill Your Head with Rock sampler and elsewhere since.
Ordered the first LP with my pocketmoney. Totally mesmerised from the first bars of Suzanne. Soon after, heard a review on Radio 1 of Beautiful Losers, just out in the UK in hardback. Somehow managed to get the family to give it to me as my next birthday present, i.e. I chose, they gave! Knocked out. My introduction to anything resembling literary modernism. The wit, the romance, the stylistic daring, the 4-letter words, the sex!
First 'serious' romance a couple of years later after reading All There Is To Know About Adolph Eichmann and a few other poems, incl Adrian Henry's The Entrance of Christ into Liverpool, at a school assembly. She was a year above me and studying Art, Music and English at A level, as I remember it (!). (Thank you, Leonard. Thank you.)
The reference early on in Beautiful Losers to F. using his anthropological credentials to have sex with the four surviving female members of the tribe no doubt subliminally influencing my later decision to spend a good part of my life studying that subject! (Also, the beginning of a lifelong obsession with dark, moody, European women, I suspect!)
Missed several opportunities to see Leonard live over the following years, but finally caught up with him in Milan in 1993. Loved the seriousness with which he accepted a single longstem rose from a young woman who walked up to the stage. There seemed to be a shared understanding there which the rest of us can only wonder at.
Enough. Time for my medication, I think.
Last edited by Bhasi on Wed Mar 15, 2006 4:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dear MonkOverBook ~
Yours is a very poignant beginning with Leonard's music. Your aunt must have been an interesting woman. "Who By Fire" was a fated song for you to be listening to during that time. I remember my surprize, too, when I learned of its origins. "Hebrew 'davar' means both word and deed" is also a wonderful revelation and makes such good sense in that context. The spoken word is, indeed, very powerful.
I don't believe you did respond regarding Rumi, Monk... however, I'll take your still, non-commital question on it as a "Yes ~ I'd love to have some copies." [I was thrilled with what I thought to be my progress... which brings me to a techno question if you or someone else has the answer. It's always baffled me. One side of the tape deck says it's continuous play. When I record, it seems I get one side recorded onto both sides of the receiving tape. So, even though one side continuously plays, the other side doesn't make the switch. Am I imagining this? Or, is it picking up somewhere later? After proclaiming to Steven that I was finally getting it done, I got very disheartened when I came back home and seemed to have the same thing on both sides. I haven't had a chance to play it all to figure it out for real, but it seems I need to sit there and listen for when the one side ends, so I can turn over the receiving tape at the same time. I am non-techno, so am not pleased to have this story problem to try to figure out. It stopped me in my tracks in the recording process, as I have 3 tapes to record for each person. As I recall, a few years ago, I had to go through this same dilemma and resolution.]
~ Lizzy
Yours is a very poignant beginning with Leonard's music. Your aunt must have been an interesting woman. "Who By Fire" was a fated song for you to be listening to during that time. I remember my surprize, too, when I learned of its origins. "Hebrew 'davar' means both word and deed" is also a wonderful revelation and makes such good sense in that context. The spoken word is, indeed, very powerful.
I don't believe you did respond regarding Rumi, Monk... however, I'll take your still, non-commital question on it as a "Yes ~ I'd love to have some copies." [I was thrilled with what I thought to be my progress... which brings me to a techno question if you or someone else has the answer. It's always baffled me. One side of the tape deck says it's continuous play. When I record, it seems I get one side recorded onto both sides of the receiving tape. So, even though one side continuously plays, the other side doesn't make the switch. Am I imagining this? Or, is it picking up somewhere later? After proclaiming to Steven that I was finally getting it done, I got very disheartened when I came back home and seemed to have the same thing on both sides. I haven't had a chance to play it all to figure it out for real, but it seems I need to sit there and listen for when the one side ends, so I can turn over the receiving tape at the same time. I am non-techno, so am not pleased to have this story problem to try to figure out. It stopped me in my tracks in the recording process, as I have 3 tapes to record for each person. As I recall, a few years ago, I had to go through this same dilemma and resolution.]
~ Lizzy
I bought a complilation album called "The Rock Machine Turns You On" it featured Leonard on it. It was in the 60's and I spent ages trying to get an album of his work. But as we all know record shops only stocked what was in the charts or "popular" so I had the man in the record shop scouring his books to order me a purely Cohen album. It was well worth it!
I have no idea how I missed your story, Bhasi. Well, I guess I do, now that I look at our times. I was writing while you were, and you posted a bit sooner.
WoW. A very interesting account! You've made very good use of Leonard's music and words, haven't you ? Ideal timing to have just returned from India, as you had, to be greeted by the discovery of Leonard's work. He has impacted your entire life, by the way your account reads. Are you now with one of those dark, moody, European women ?
I can so easily imagine the long-stemmed rose interaction. One has to wonder whether they knew each other, as it seems they did.
~ Lizzy
WoW. A very interesting account! You've made very good use of Leonard's music and words, haven't you
? Ideal timing to have just returned from India, as you had, to be greeted by the discovery of Leonard's work. He has impacted your entire life, by the way your account reads. Are you now with one of those dark, moody, European women ?I can so easily imagine the long-stemmed rose interaction. One has to wonder whether they knew each other, as it seems they did.
~ Lizzy
Hi Lizzy
Thanks for responding to my ramblings. As I hurtle towards the end of my fifth decade, I think I've lightened up a bit over the years: I re-read the novels only once a decade now, compared with annually in my teens! Something to do with the intensity, I suppose.
(Since you're kind enough to ask, on the subject of dark, moody European women: the answer is yes, and have been for 15+ years. But enough of this smugness - I'll probably be out on my ear next week!)
Bhasi
Thanks for responding to my ramblings. As I hurtle towards the end of my fifth decade, I think I've lightened up a bit over the years: I re-read the novels only once a decade now, compared with annually in my teens! Something to do with the intensity, I suppose.
(Since you're kind enough to ask, on the subject of dark, moody European women: the answer is yes, and have been for 15+ years. But enough of this smugness - I'll probably be out on my ear next week!)
Bhasi
Didn't take you long to get here, either, did it, SyntaxJust today, actually. I heard his songs in a used book shop.
? A VERY good sign 
!Welcome to the quintessential site on Leonard Cohen... followed closely by Marie Mazur's... and Tom Sakic and some others here have sites for non-native, English speakers ~ all accessible through the main page of the Files.
Check out this site and Marie's and you'll be amazed about Leonard. His paramour, Anjani, also has a site that is sublime... well worth the visit and she's well worth your listening. Leonard has assisted her in her about-to-be-released album, Blue Alert. [That's it for my Public Service Announcements
.] How wonderful that you've just now discovered Leonard... a used bookstore with excellent taste.~ Lizzy
Hi Bhasi ~
Fifteen years!?! WoW. That's excellent! An implicit recommendation of dark, moody European women , perhaps ... or, of you, of course . Given the phrasing of your comment about your smugness and being tossed out on your ear, it appears you're also very happy. What an accomplishment in today's world of relationships.
You've maintained an amazing reading record with Leonard's books. I know you've got to be looking forward to his new release of poetry in Book of Longing ~ and look at that cover art !
~ Lizzy
Fifteen years!?! WoW. That's excellent! An implicit recommendation of dark, moody European women
, perhaps ... or, of you, of course . Given the phrasing of your comment about your smugness and being tossed out on your ear, it appears you're also very happy. What an accomplishment in today's world of relationships. You've maintained an amazing reading record with Leonard's books. I know you've got to be looking forward to his new release of poetry in Book of Longing ~ and look at that cover art
! ~ Lizzy
"I haven't been this happy
since the end of World War II."*
Okay, I exaggerate (slightly, given that I wasn't around then!), but it's really great to be on the brink of a new book. Apart from Stranger Music, which had some nice surprises at the end, it's been more than twenty years since we had a new book of poems.
Another tiny reminiscence: I'd been living in Cairo for a couple of years and was back in the UK for a hectic week. On my last day in London I decided I'd need some reading material to keep me going for a while longer. And what should I stumble upon, discreetly shelved - in the fiction section - in a shop in the Charing Cross Road, but The Book of Mercy, which had just come out?! A marvellous surprise, long before we had Jarkko's website and this forum to keep us abreast of all the news.
*'Waiting for the Miracle', copyright LC, all rights reserved I dare say
since the end of World War II."*
Okay, I exaggerate (slightly, given that I wasn't around then!), but it's really great to be on the brink of a new book. Apart from Stranger Music, which had some nice surprises at the end, it's been more than twenty years since we had a new book of poems.
Another tiny reminiscence: I'd been living in Cairo for a couple of years and was back in the UK for a hectic week. On my last day in London I decided I'd need some reading material to keep me going for a while longer. And what should I stumble upon, discreetly shelved - in the fiction section - in a shop in the Charing Cross Road, but The Book of Mercy, which had just come out?! A marvellous surprise, long before we had Jarkko's website and this forum to keep us abreast of all the news.
*'Waiting for the Miracle', copyright LC, all rights reserved I dare say
in the fiction section
~ That's an interesting placement.It looks like timing has been all yours with Leonard's work... your last day in London, before returning to Cairo, and here appears The Book of Mercy? What a discovery! It's as though the book lit up, surrounded by white or golden light, especially for you
. A definite connection.~ Lizzy