Lenny
I’m just having a listen to some Leonard Cohen as I write. Splendid stuff. I’ll admit that I’m a relative latecomer to Lenny, having only cottoned on in the last four or five years (all of the ‘real’ fans are scoffing so hard that they’ve probably hurt their throats now - fuck ‘em).
Anyway, I’m having a listen to remind myself that I’ll soon be popping along to see him. In June, thanks to some dodgy dealings leaving him stony broke, I’ll be sitting down to see him do his thing. Hurrah for dodgy dealings as I’d never have gotten to see him otherwise.
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Did any of that matter? Really, though? I have to stop posting when I’m full of beer. I’m not my usual engrossing and erudite self. I also delude myself into believing that I’m normally engrossing and erudite.
Sorry everyone. Normal captivating and learned levels of posting will be resumed shortly.
I’ve been frightened to go near Cohen’s stuff for fear of it triggering any bi-polar tendencies that I may have lurking in my mind.
Comment by Istvanski — Sunday March 30, 2008 @ 20:17
Nah, try it out. Good shit. Well, much of it anyway. Go on, you know you should.
Comment by Trousers — Monday March 31, 2008 @ 9:26
Istvanski, Cohen can be very cathartic for the bipolarly-tended. It’s an expunging sort of music. Cohen’s a great expunger. Perhaps the very best. Who can say for sure?
It’s all great stuff apart from the Phil Spector-over-produced “wall-of-sound” blip that was the Death of A Ladies’ Man album, and that’s not as awful as it’s made out to be either, although it is slightly awful.
Comment by Sam, Problemchildbride — Tuesday April 1, 2008 @ 19:59
I don’t ‘get’ him. I used to work with someone who loved him dearly & helpfully provided me with CD’s to listen to so it’s not like I didn’t give him a go. Just didn’t work for me. Mind you, it’s only about the last six months that I’ve come round to thinking maybe there’s a point to Tom Waits - so perhaps it will happen in good time?
Comment by beth — Wednesday April 2, 2008 @ 6:31
Sam: Nicely critiqued. Thank you. There’s not enough expunging these days.
Beth: While I’d have stood by for quite a bit of Cohen-bad-mouthing, I will defend Tom Waits to the death. Tom has been very good to me over the years. From his first few albums, full of mellow, jazzy goodness, through the scary, shoutiness of The Black Rider to the somewhere-in-the-middle brilliance of his last half dozen or so. Tom can do very little wrong.
Whatever about Lenny, get more Tom in your life (you should get Lenny too though). Go on. You owe me one for The National (or do I owe you?).
Comment by Trousers — Wednesday April 2, 2008 @ 7:52