Leonard Cohen and Bob Geldof

[johnnyquadrio]

Greetings, fellow Leonard fans!

In the summer of 2009, I was fortunate enough to get tickets for Leonard Cohen's open air gig at Brooklands in Surrey. The traffic leading to the arena was awful and a storm gathered as we took our seats - but the rain and thunder only served to add to the drama of the set. Halfway through, a bedraggled figure pushed his way along the row and sat down next to me. "Has he played 'Famous Blue Raincoat' yet?", he asked in an unmistakable Irish lilt. "No, but it's coming," I replied and turned to face Bob Geldof. "Cool," he said, and sank back into his seat.

Coincidentally, it was actually Bob Geldof who first introduced me to Leonard Cohen's music when he was a DJ on XFM in London. I remember driving through heavy rain and hearing Suzanne for the very first time. Needless to say, nothing was the same after that.

Anyway, he sat through the next few songs with what I can only describe as mild indifference - detached and seemingly elsewhere. And then, as the opening bars of Famous Blue Raincoat began, he began to glow. Clearly, the song has a very deep and personal resonance for dear old Bob, which is understandable given the similarities of his troubled love life. And I suddenly felt desperately sorry for this man.

As soon as the song was over, he stood up and disappeared towards the exit.

That chance encounter has always stayed with me and I've now managed to immortalise it in song. If you want to hear it, you can do so here:
http://www.soundcloud.com/johnnyquadrio/geldof

I hope you like it.

Love and peace,

Johnny Quadrio