Blackening pages

[rike]

Does anyone know (or can anyone make an educated guess) whether LC still does his initial work on ideas and problems (old and new) in notebooks or on the computer?

[Mkevenson]

Rike, no idea, but, a bigger question to me in the same vein is " is LC working on new songs at all, and will there be a new album in the next couple of years?
I am new here but am doing a lot of reading about LC. It seems that his latest round of albums and concerts were done to recoup lost funds. If Mr. Cohen has in fact saved enough money, will he still have a desire to entertain the fans with either new songs or live shows?
From what I have read it seems that the writting and performing were rather hard for LC in days past and if the same is true now perhaps there is no burning desire on his part to go through the process again.
All speculation of course, but just wondering?

Mark

[holydove]

Hi Mark,

Leonard gave alot more concerts than were necessary to recoup lost funds; (in fact, Leonard has said that when the tour of 2008 began, it wasn't really financially necessary to do the tour at all); & the subsequent albums were definitely not necessary at all for that purpose - he had already recovered more than enough funds from the tour. So it seems clear that money was not, & is not, the driving force in terms of performance or writing.

[B4real]

Hi all, to answer all questions with one sentence, except holydove's correct answer

An erudite reply is that Leonard uses a notebook (it's difficult to break the habits of a lifetime ) as well as a computer or smart phone and he is in all probability utilizing all at the moment to work on a new album available sometime in the future.

I'm really wanting the last part of that sentence to become a fact sooner rather than later....actually thinking that it will!!

btw.... speaking of this thread's subject, LC's last entry in the Blackening Pages Section at http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/ was this year 2015 for his life long friend Morton Rosengarten called HOMAGE TO ROSENGARTEN. Mark, if you haven't already seen them, there are other entries there you might like to look at.

[rike]

Thank you all for your answers -- and the hopeful anticipation expressed, which matches mine.
I cannot imagine LC not writing -- whether for a book or an album--songs, prose, poetry. One way or another we will hear from him. I am sure of that.
Good guess about his using a variety of ways to put down his thoughts, but am still wondering which method he finds most effective.

[Mkevenson]

holydove , thank you for those facts. I am only up to about 2004 in I'M YOUR MAN, by Sylvie Simmons.
Much ground yet to cover. I am sure that most of you have far more understanding and knowledgeable of these matters. I enjoy the journey and the music.

Mark

[cohenadmirer]

I hope leonard is still creating .i've no idea how he records his ideas , but i like to think by using an old fountain pen and a notebook rather than something more hi- tech.
He doesn't need any more money - has more than enough but the touring was clearly nourishing in other ways...... that included feeling the love of the audience .

[rike]

Based on Mistigry's translation of LC's October 2016 interview in Les inRockuptibles (You want it darker--reviews and interviews thread), there's an answer (or at least part of one since LC probably creates the way we breathe):

" You always had the réputation of liking the good life. Nowadays, what are your pleasures ?

LC : Drinking coffee on the terrace of my apartment, the cat sitting at my feet, with a few biscuits. And a notebook close to hand. And nobody to disturb me."