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Leonard Cohen Comes Down from the Mountaintop
Recent Buddhist disciple entertains, pays some bills
Leonard Cohen on stage at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland, July 2008 (Photo: jonl1973/Flickr)
It wasn’t just Bernie Madoff robbing his fellow man these last few money-grubbing years. Ask legendary singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen what his manager did with his money while he was cloistered on a California mountaintop practicing the art of Zen. Let’s put it this way: it was probably hard to meditate when he found out.
So, yes, he has returned to the stage and it wouldn’t be a reach to imply that earning some of that lost income back was part of the motivation for the tour. But then again, it’s hard to believe he would do anything merely for the money. This guy makes Tom Waits and Bob Dylan seem commercial. Although he has kept a relatively low profile, Cohen has a devoted fan base that he seems to embrace.
The former Chelsea Hotel resident and Columbia University student is a legendary Jewish poet and musician, and in many ways a total mystery. Since arriving on the scene with 1967’s Songs of Leonard Cohen, his compositions have been covered by many other music legends, including “Hallelujah,” which has been redone by everybody. There is a Leonard Cohen tribute album called I’m Your Man, with covers by the likes of The Pixies, R.E.M and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Lou Reed gave Leonard Cohen’s induction intro speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 2008, and described Cohen as being in the “highest and most influential echelon of songwriters.” His popularity surged with a younger generation of listener in 1992 with his inclusion on the soundtrack to Natural Born Killers and his studio album The Future. But instead of aggressively courting a new demographic of follower, Cohen went off to nature to be a follower himself, of sorts. He has now reemerged with a new DVD and album, Live in London, a performance that betrays no lack of enthusiasm or vigor from the septuagenarian.
New York City will be hosting the once famously brooding and melancholic Canadian for two shows at Radio City Music Hall. You can see for yourself if he’s back for the money or to teach us all what he learned up on that California mountaintop.