Leonard Cohen

nekokate · Post by **nekokate** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:41 pm

What's with George and the cheap-shots at the greatest living poet?

As an indescribably devoted fan of Leonard Cohen's work I couldn't believe some of the shite he was coming out with. Sometimes he can't see the forest for the trees - just like with his opinions on violent video games. He hears one negative thing, forms a snap opinion, and uses his skill as a debater to defend it to the death no matter what contrary opinions arise.

He played Suzanne (or rather Left-wing Laurie did) and George faded it down and said the lyrics were jibberish. I can't find anything jibberish about them. They're about a wonderful and scatty peacenik poet that Leonard met when he was younger who would take him out for picnics with tea and fruit. It's a song celebrating beauty and spiritual philosophy.

And perhaps more pertinently: so what even if the words were jibberish? Since when has that been a valid put-down in musical art? By the same false rationalle one could cite "I see a little silhouetto of a man // Scaramousche, scaramousche, will you do the fandango?" to declare that Freddy Mercury was crap. But one would be laughed down by those who know better that Queen was one of the best rock bands ever to exist.

I wish I'd been listening to the show as it went out live, because I'd have emailed in and corrected him on something else, too. He read out an email or text from someone who said that Cohen once shared a brandy with Ariel Sharon. Of course, GG wasted no time in quipping "I always thought there was something dark about him."

What he is completely ignorant of is the fact that whilst Leonard certainly did play some acoustic sets for the Israeli armed forces during Yom Kippur, he was very torn on whether to do it or not. He is neither pro-Zionist nor specifically pro-Palestine. He has even written about his experiences after meeting Sharon (a meeting he did not ask for, by the way - Sharon was a fan and insisted) and how he was incredibly disheartened by the treatment he witnessed by the IDF of Arab captives and he has also written of his hope for an end to the conflict.

After his return from Israel in the 70s he wrote a song that dealt in part about the plight of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Zionist state called "Lover, Lover, Lover" in which he writes (of his Judaism):

I asked my father
I said "Father, change my name"
The one I'm using now is covered up
With filth and fear and cowardice and shame

"Let me start again" I cried
"Please let me start again
I want a face that's fair this time
I want a spirit that is calm"

In September of 2001, Cohen said in a political interview:

Considering the present administration and its policies, Israel is somewhat of a priority on my mind. Last week I was reading the Quran and it speaks of reconciliation, of peace, of compassion. I have hope that there will be a solution, although I don't know what that would be. I know that it is tragic; that the Palestinians need to have a place to live, as do the Jews. The problem is their belief that God has commanded them both to live on the same site.

To my ears those are not the words of some rabid Zionist. Certainly, as a French Canadian Jew, he's bound to have stronger feelings about Israel than most people who frequent this forum (that's faith indoctrination that anyone of any religion gets) - and I'd love to hear him challenged on them - but I find him a very progressive, kind and thoughtful representative of a Jewish viewpoint.

Also, politics aside, I don't find his music, his novels or his poems to be depressing. They are life affirming and full of honesty and love.

As Nick Cave has pointed out in one of his lectures, only fools and hacks write love songs without also addressing the melancholy. Otherwise the attempt is self-delusionary and an exercise in twee tokenism.

Post by **faceless** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:03 pm

An excellent read there Kate. I had a pal a few years back who was a big fan of Cohen too, but at the time I couldn't appreciate him as I was into far more upbeat and intense music. Since then I've realised just how talented he is though, so when I heard Galloway taking all those digs at him I was pretty pissed off too.

I agree with your point about the comparison with GG's opinion on certain games that he hasn't played. I doubt he's listened to much Cohen, but I actually think he'd like it if he tried.

nekokate · Post by **nekokate** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:26 pm

If you'll forgive me for quoting myself:

Beneath my hands
your small breasts
are the upturned bellies
of breathing fallen sparrows.

Wherever you move
I hear the sounds of closing wings
of falling wings.

I am speechless
because you have fallen beside me
because your eyelashes
are the spines of tiny fragile animals.

I dread the time
when your mouth
begins to call me hunter.

When you call me close
to tell me
your body is not beautiful
I want to summon
the eyes and hidden mouths
of stone and light and water
to testify against you.

I want them
to surrender before you
the trembling rhyme of your face
from their deep caskets.

When you call me close
to tell me
your body is not beautiful
I want my body and my hands
to be pools
for your looking and laughing.

- Leonard Cohen, from The Spice-Box of Earth

luke · Post by **luke** » Mon May 11, 2009 7:12 am

Anti-Israel activists urge Leonard Cohen to nix T.A. show

Anti-Israel activists are stepping up efforts to dissuade Leonard Cohen from performing in Israel in September.

The activists urge supporters to "apply pressure during his tour by local groups along his path," in their most recent appeal, which was circulated on Monday in various pro-Palestinian mailing lists.

They added that letters "and various actions" might prove "instrumental in helping him take the decision to cancel his last concert." This, they explain, is because "it is obvious the situation in Palestine and Israel is quite clear to Leonard Cohen, to judge by his song entitled Questions for Shomrim.

The poem begins with the words "And will my people build a new Dachau
and call it love, security, Jewish culture." It also reads: "You were our singing heroes in '48, do you dare ask yourselves what you are now" and: "now my son must die for he's an Arab."

The anti-Israel activists called on supporters to write to Cohen's manager and leave messages on his official online forum. They published a list of destinations on Cohen's tour, ending with Israel "if we are not successful."

In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Leonard Cohen flew to Israel to perform before reserves and regular soldiers fighting in the Sinai desert.

Two main letters of protest against the concert have been circulated so far. The most recent one was co-signed by a hundred Israelis and Palestinians, who wrote that Israel's "ruthless, criminal bashing of the Palestinians has met with little international criticism."

Addressing Cohen and urging him to cancel, the Israelis said: "We cannot envision you cooperating with continued Israeli defiance of justice and morality; we cannot envision you playing a part in the Israeli charade of self-righteousness." They included the poem Questions for Shomrim in their appeal.

The first letter of protest was published last month by Pro-Palestinian professors from the U.K. from the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine, who warned Cohen that he would be performing "for a public that by a very large majority had no qualms about its military forces' onslaught" in Gaza.

The scholars - Haim Bresheeth, Mike Cushman, Hilary Rose and Jonathan Rosenhead, added: "You will perform in a state whose propaganda services will extract every ounce of mileage from your presence. They will use it to whitewash their war crimes."

The authors of the letter explained that Cohen needs to cancel the show in Ramat Gan lest it be attended by Arab-killing Israeli soldiers who are "drinking beer" and "playing backgammon with their mates and going to discotheques."

from https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084665.html

luke · Post by **luke** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:20 am

Post by **faceless** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:26 pm

that was excellent - here's hoping it works, and not just for Cohen. Of course, Alexei is now the target of the extreme right-wingers for betraying Israel by being a decent human being. None of them will see the horrible irony in that at all though.

modern · Post by **modern** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:35 pm

They couldn't convince 'Macca' - who isn't even Jewish. I suppose money is more important than principles to some people.

You know who Lennon would have been fighting for...

George should definitely listen to Cohen's earlier works, he would be pleasantly surprised as it's quite Dylanesque.