Interesting, Jeff, I may check it out.
Even more interesting, is that you first heard him in 1996. When I was growing up in Montreal, Canada, he was well known, and I always loved his first couple of albums with songs like Suzanne, So Long Marianne ...definitely in the folk style; soft and beautiful music and lyrics. I haven't listened to him in ages. He was well established as a Poet and Author before those albums came out, although he was always on the music scene, and had a rockabilly band in the late 50's in Montreal, I think called the Buckskin Boys, or something like that.
When I took some English courses at McGill University (where he was a professor for some time), you'd always hear "Lenny" stories; for example how someone had spotted him. He would sometimes hang out in the Student Union, bring out a guitar for a singalong, and usually try to pick up women..even after he was well known. I think he was Poet Laureate of Canada in the mid or late 1960's. Over the years, he has returned to Montreal to live sometimes, although I think he lives in Los Angeles now. Actually, I have heard from very reliable sources, that he divides his time between sojourns at a monastery (?Buddhist) near LA, and then goes back to the city, where, as a friend of mine has stated, he "tries to drink all the scotch in Los Angeles".
If you are interested in checking out some of his earlier poetry, I would suggest "Selected Poems", by Leonard Cohen 1956-1968, published originally by McClelland and Stewart Limited in Canada, although I'm sure by now it has been reprinted in the US and can probably be found on Amazon etc..This volume includes excerpts from his Poetry texts of that era, including Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956), The Spice-Box of Earth (1961), Flowers for Hitler (1964), and Parasites of Heaven (1966). He had published 2 books at that time as well, and I would recommend both highly; The Favorite Game (1963), and Beautiful Losers (1966). He really captured the tensions in Quebec at the time, and the clash/blend of English/French culture, as well as what it was like to grow up as a Jew in that environment, from what I can recall. Very colorful, and great sense of humor.
But it looks like I've got some catching up to do, because he has done a lot of musical projects since then; I also don't know what he has written since. I never liked his voice though, and I find that even if a songwriter is great, and there are good tunes and lyrics (like someone else I know..don't worry I won't go there..we've had enough of that, several threads back..) I tend to avoid following their music. But enough wind out of me..I'll give a listen based on your recommendation.
Thanks for your post,
Gene
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Eugene
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Interesting, Jeff, I may check it out.
Even more interesting, is that you first heard him in 1996. When I was growing up in Montreal, Canada, he was well known, and I always loved his first couple of albums with songs like Suzanne, So Long Marianne ...definitely in the folk style; soft and beautiful music and lyrics. I haven't listened to him in ages. He was well established as a Poet and Author before those albums came out, although he was always on the music scene, and had a rockabilly band in the late 50's in Montreal, I think called the Buckskin Boys, or something like that.
When I took some English courses at McGill University (where he was a professor for some time), you'd always hear "Lenny" stories; for example how someone had spotted him. He would sometimes hang out in the Student Union, bring out a guitar for a singalong, and usually try to pick up women..even after he was well known. I think he was Poet Laureate of Canada in the mid or late 1960's. Over the years, he has returned to Montreal to live sometimes, although I think he lives in Los Angeles now. Actually, I have heard from very reliable sources, that he divides his time between sojourns at a monastery (?Buddhist) near LA, and then goes back to the city, where, as a friend of mine has stated, he "tries to drink all the scotch in Los Angeles".
If you are interested in checking out some of his earlier poetry, I would suggest "Selected Poems", by Leonard Cohen 1956-1968, published originally by McClelland and Stewart Limited in Canada, although I'm sure by now it has been reprinted in the US and can probably be found on Amazon etc..This volume includes excerpts from his Poetry texts of that era, including Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956), The Spice-Box of Earth (1961), Flowers for Hitler (1964), and Parasites of Heaven (1966). He had published 2 books at that time as well, and I would recommend both highly; The Favorite Game (1963), and Beautiful Losers (1966). He really captured the tensions in Quebec at the time, and the clash/blend of English/French culture, as well as what it was like to grow up as a Jew in that environment, from what I can recall. Very colorful, and great sense of humor.
But it looks like I've got some catching up to do, because he has done a lot of musical projects since then; I also don't know what he has written since. I never liked his voice though, and I find that even if a songwriter is great, and there are good tunes and lyrics (like someone else I know..don't worry I won't go there..we've had enough of that, several threads back..) I tend to avoid following their music. But enough wind out of me..I'll give a listen based on your recommendation.
Thanks for your post,
Gene
Even more interesting, is that you first heard him in 1996. When I was growing up in Montreal, Canada, he was well known, and I always loved his first couple of albums with songs like Suzanne, So Long Marianne ...definitely in the folk style; soft and beautiful music and lyrics. I haven't listened to him in ages. He was well established as a Poet and Author before those albums came out, although he was always on the music scene, and had a rockabilly band in the late 50's in Montreal, I think called the Buckskin Boys, or something like that.
When I took some English courses at McGill University (where he was a professor for some time), you'd always hear "Lenny" stories; for example how someone had spotted him. He would sometimes hang out in the Student Union, bring out a guitar for a singalong, and usually try to pick up women..even after he was well known. I think he was Poet Laureate of Canada in the mid or late 1960's. Over the years, he has returned to Montreal to live sometimes, although I think he lives in Los Angeles now. Actually, I have heard from very reliable sources, that he divides his time between sojourns at a monastery (?Buddhist) near LA, and then goes back to the city, where, as a friend of mine has stated, he "tries to drink all the scotch in Los Angeles".
If you are interested in checking out some of his earlier poetry, I would suggest "Selected Poems", by Leonard Cohen 1956-1968, published originally by McClelland and Stewart Limited in Canada, although I'm sure by now it has been reprinted in the US and can probably be found on Amazon etc..This volume includes excerpts from his Poetry texts of that era, including Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956), The Spice-Box of Earth (1961), Flowers for Hitler (1964), and Parasites of Heaven (1966). He had published 2 books at that time as well, and I would recommend both highly; The Favorite Game (1963), and Beautiful Losers (1966). He really captured the tensions in Quebec at the time, and the clash/blend of English/French culture, as well as what it was like to grow up as a Jew in that environment, from what I can recall. Very colorful, and great sense of humor.
But it looks like I've got some catching up to do, because he has done a lot of musical projects since then; I also don't know what he has written since. I never liked his voice though, and I find that even if a songwriter is great, and there are good tunes and lyrics (like someone else I know..don't worry I won't go there..we've had enough of that, several threads back..) I tend to avoid following their music. But enough wind out of me..I'll give a listen based on your recommendation.
Thanks for your post,
Gene
