My Afternoon with Leonard

As a teenager, I enjoyed ironing. Not loved it, but, really, kind of enjoyed it. As an adult, not so much. Not at all. I couldn't figure out why this was so until today. Of course, I haven't spent much---any---time trying to figure it out, since I have pretty much successfully learned how to avoid most ironing: put whatever needs ironing in an out-of-the-way closet and forget that I own it.

The ladies at Rants from MommyLand are looking for music to put on their new iPod playlist and I wanted to add my two cents. I thought: These ladies are young. I bet they've never heard of Leonard Cohen, so why not pass him along? I'm olderish, and I hadn't heard of him till a year or so ago.

So while I was ironing, I took my laptop into the room and played Leonard Cohen's music in order to decide which piece I should recommend. I was having a lovely, relaxing time ironing, and suddenly I remembered that when I was young, I ironed with music on.

Bingo! That's the secret! Today I was even disappointed when I realized that I was running out of things to iron---I KNOW! That is SICK! But now I can't decide on a recommendation: Tower of Song, I'm Your Man, Dance Me to the End of Love, A Thousand Kisses Deep, So Long Marianne?

I'll just have to listen some more, ironing or no ironing.

Yep.

My third post about Leonard Cohen. And until a few months ago, I hadn’t even heard of him, but the audience at the sold-out performance the week before last at the Fox Theatre sure had. Mr. Cohen walked on to the stage and everyone stood up, applauding and whistling and shouting. What a welcome…

He was great. His back up singers and his musicians were all great too, and we know this because Mr. Cohen is a generous performer. Each of his singers and musicians was given his own chance to shine. Mr. Cohen’s show itself was three and one half hours long, with one hour of that comprising three or four encores; I lost count.

His show was wonderful; I’d go see him again in a heartbeat, but he said that he didn’t know if they would be this way again. He is kind of older-ish, and looks even older than his age. But he promised they would give their all, and they did.

Three and a half hours of MUSIC!

(photo from Fox Theatre website)

My Friend's Fault

I was just talking with a friend (Hi K!) and she mentioned how much she loves Leonard Cohen (we had both discovered him on PBS lately) and I agreed and then I got my Ipod out and was listening to him and then I remembered that he was supposed to come to Atlanta and then I went online to see if he had already been here and he hadn't so I bought two tickets for his show at the Fabulous Fox Theatre on October 20th and dh may croak since he might not like him at all but it's all my friend's fault. So if dh doesn't want to go, I'll offer his ticket to my friend, since it's her fault and all.

The end.

Leonard Cohen

Has anyone heard of this man? I hadn’t until I came across a concert that my local PBS station was playing during a pledge drive, or begavision, as it’s known to some (me). I had expected a different show to be on, but then when I heard this man sing, I stopped dead in my tracks.

It turns out that he is very famous – duh, where have I been - and is a poet, songwriter, singer, artist, and Buddhist monk. He has been all of these things for decades (he is 74) but apparently I’ve been clueless.

I’ve listened to a lot of his songs now, and I enjoy his gravely, deep voice. I feel as if I should be in a dimly lit, smoky bar, drinking a glass of wine, or, better yet, a really, really smooth scotch straight up, when his music is playing.

An odd thing about his music is that the words don’t always make any sense (to me) but they do generally rhyme. I don’t know if rhyming is his main goal in writing and I’m not sure that coherence and meaning should be sacrificed for rhyme, but then I’m no poet:

And just when I was sure
That his teachings were pure

he drowned himself in the pool

His body is gone,

but back here on the lawn

his spirit continues to drool

(from "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong"

Anyone? Anyone?

Yes, I know - it’s out of context - but believe me, context doesn’t help here.

What surprised me, in addition to Mr. Cohen’s existence, was that the local station was selling a membership for $1,000.00 and that the membership also included two tickets in the front rows of the Fox Theatre for a performance by Leonard Cohen. They sold quickly. Then the station offered the same deal, but with the seats farther back, for $800.00 and they sold. Then for $600.00 and they sold right away. I have never seen anything offered by our local station for these amounts of money, so I guess Mr. Cohen has a lot of fans.

I'm still not sure if he is:

a. talented or

b. a case of the emperor has no clothes.

I guess I will have to listen some more... Where's the scotch?