CBC Radio Interview

[Nightstalker]

TY so much for posting those links. What an interview! Just the other day I was watching one done about 35 years ago and the difference is astounding. Mr Cohen has mellowed so much and so well that we may finally know some things about him that fill out his charactor and make him and his work even more meaningful. His readings of his poetry, his soft sincere thanks for any honors, his insights about how he writes and why, his remembrances of others including Irving Layton, and his outlook on this world and the lives that move briefly over it were just perfect. To just discover that he seemingly equates hearing a young person singing one of his songs with his induction into the Hall as near equal in importance and to learn that he 'has a perfectly good religion' indicate how settled and in touch with reality he is and always has been. I dare hope that the next decades will see him given even higher awards.

[dar]

Thanks so much from me too Greg. I was thrilled that my computer cooperated and I got to hear both parts of the interview. I don't want to "push it" but is there any chance or anywhere I could hear the songs that the interviewer refers to as "coming up next"?

Dar

And apologizing in advance if the performances by k.d.lang, Willie Nelson are linked somewhere else in the forum.

[jarkko]

Yesterday's interview with Leonard is now in the CBC archive at
http://www.cbc.ca/soundslikecanada/

(Thanks, Marie!)

[lizzytysh]

I've just finished listening to Shelagh's interview of Leonard. Such a rich brocade of deeply-textured detail, openness, and depth .

Along with everything everyone else has said, I found particular delight in the fact that the beautiful drawing of the bird that graces the cover of Book of Longing was actually discarded by Leonard... I love the way he extended the lesson to include how we should never give up on anyone.

His comments on form in regard to poetry are motivating toward my, once again, wanting to take a poetry class and learn the rules of it properly. In regard to rhyme, I feel compelled to make the editorial comment that his gifts come to him through more than merely rhyme . < * he's so funny B* >

I love, also, how he comments that "There is no hall of fame ~ it's just the heart."

It was wonderful to hear significant portions of Suzanne and Bird On The Wire vs. the usual, brief sound clips that occur in interviews. It creates the opportunity for people, unfamiliar with Leonard, but who are listening to this interview, to get the full impact and true sense of the songs and, whether or not they can/do listen to the whole of the interview, to be motivated to pursue his work. It also took me back to many summer days with fresh air, warm breezes, and sunshine, basking in the sounds of his voice, words, and music.

As to what this nature of award means to him as a songwriter, I liked hearing him say, "It's the mark... "

When he commented on his 'relationship' with Suzanne, his words were to the effect of " . . . there were many legitimate and worthwhile obstacles to our meeting in that way," I didn't really find this to be in contradiction to what Suzanne says. He's not really given an opposite interpretation to that time in their life. The "legitimate and worthwhile obstacles" would include her being married and her not wanting to spoil what they did have . . . [that's something I recall opting for several times in my life, in that very way], and could easily be things they openly talked about, and what he says doesn't suggest that he's the one who introduced the decision to not cross that boundary. It definitely allows for her being the one, or even its being a mutual choice. The point he makes is that her/his/their reasons for not 'going there' were legitimate and worthwhile.

I need to listen again to find where he may have suggested that he used his music for the seduction of women. I didn't hear it the first time... of course, there are so many interviews appearing now, that maybe I'm listening to the wrong one for it .

Now, have I missed or forgotten something, or am I understanding it correctly that it occurred to him to read "Four Penny Opera" at Irving's funeral, but he didn't actually do it. Right? I'm wondering when he became aware of Irving's wish, and if it was after Irving's funeral, what happened to what Irving had expressly asked for... or did Leonard just choose to bypass that, in lieu of feeling it even more important that something written by Irving be read. I know he stressed the importance of that at the time.

Well, I'm going to check with our computer guru here and see if there's some way to download these two sections... thank you, so much, again, Greg !!

~ Lizzy

[Kevin W.M.LastYearsMan]

From what I understood, Irving wanted Leonard to read that poem and had told one of his wives or his caregiver about it (I don't remember which) and Leonard didn't find out until after. But, like he said, he wanted to read something of Irving's anyway.
Kevin

[lizzytysh]

That's the way I understood it, too, Kevin. Thanks for your take on it. If so, that leaves me to question why Irving's former wife didn't make whoever was responsible for his funeral arrangements aware of it. If that's really the case, I'm certain no one would have objected to Leonard's reading two poems ~ one which Irving himself had requested, and the other one that Irving himself wrote regarding death.

So, even though I feel, perhaps, a little clearer in one aspect, I remain confused.

~ Lizzy

[jarkko]

The audio file of the interview has been moved to the following page:
http://www.cbc.ca/soundslikecanada/interviews.html

and here is a link directly to the sound file (this will not change in the future): http://www.cbc.ca/soundslikecanada/medi ... 8cohen.ram

[Tim]

why am I away from home the one week that there's so much leonard activity on the airwaves? Looking forward to catching up with it all when I get back!

Tim
(out of the loop in Manchester)

[Kevin W.M.LastYearsMan]

Who knows, Lizzy. Maybe it was, in fact, an ex-wife and she neglected to tell Leonard out of spite. Or maybe it was just forgotten in the midst of getting the funeral ready. BUT, since Leonard DID show up you would think that would be a detail that someone would remember to tell him when they saw him there. Well, at least he was able to read it on the radio and tell the story of how he was supposed to read it at the reception. That's a dedication all it's own.
I liked his line about the Hall of Fame too. There is a line in "Love Calls You By Your Name", I think....
"You climb the halls of fame."
The whole induction event made me think of that line, and that whole song, actually. Pretty obvious but I hadn't seen anyone else mention it.
Kevin

[lizzytysh]

Thanks for your feedback, Kevin... that's how it seemed to me, too, regarding its possibly having been oversighted. By that, I mean that it doesn't seem like it could have been. However, since Irving's ex-wife was the one who initiated her departure, I don't really suspect spite, but rather oversight, which brings me back to, "In being face-to-face with Leonard, how could you forget such a major 'detail'?"

Even just the title of the song, regardless of its lyrics, holds true, doesn't it ?

~ Lizzy

[Anne-Marie]

Wow, they called him a "prophet"