I had no idea Bugis St was so renowned - I always smile when I hear Leonard sing that line, remembering US and Australian sailors telling me all about it in the Eighties. (The subject arose as light relief between more serious discussions on Nuclear Physics and world politics.)

Destiny

PS: does anyone use Leonard Cohen tracks in performance?

FYI

http://www.netflix.com/DVDPurchaseItem?useditemid=635&
lnkctr=pv_lst&movieid=70041151&trkid=190817

Cut and paste the whole URL, not just the yellow line.

One of the most haunting songs I've ever heard is Antony's version of 'If It Be Your Will' from the I'm Your Man DVD.

I'd thought of using this as spoken word while performing some effect:

"God is alive. Magic is afoot. God is alive. Magic is afoot. God is afoot. Magic is alive. Alive is afoot. Magic never died. God never sickened. Many poor men lied. Many sick men lied. Magic never weakened. Magic never hid. Magic always ruled."
(Excerpt from his poem God is Alive, Magic is Afoot)

Todsky,

Have you heard the Buffy St Maree recording?

Her wailing vocsls are a great fit for Leonards words.

I use about 20 seconds of it in my show - absolutely beautiful.

Destiny

The camera pans--
the stand-in stuntman--
Dress Rehearsal Rag

Which Buffy St Marie recording?

I bumped into Leonard here in his home town a couple of years ago. I was walking along Mount Royal boulevard with a friend who is also a big Cohen fan, and we were talking about Leonard because it was his 70th birthday that day, and then an older well-dressed man with a thick beard passes by us. "That guy looks just like Leonard Cohen!" my friend said. "That WAS Leonard Cohen!" I said. First and only time I'd ever seen Cohen with a beard. He was with his daughter Lorca. We stopped to talk to him, and to give him our thanks for his music and his poetry. He was his humble self, asking us about ourselves, introducing us to his daughter. A kind man, he is.

http://loralee.imeem.com/music/WrgA5hym/......s_afoot/

There's a documentary from 1965 on TV right now, just started watching it.

Right now he's talking about how he thinks there should be hair museums/asylums for old ladies mustaches, college beards abandoned for careers, etc. and that someone should be able to go into one of these asylums and track their life. No one cares about unwanted hair.

It was pretty amusing when he was saying it, had the whole audience laughing.

Also, apparently he was in Havana during the Bay of Pigs invasion, because he choose to be, so that he could see what it would be like....

He also wrote Caveat Emptor during a scene in the film, while they were filming him bathing, as his way of warning the audience that the film, which "purports to be a in-depth look at (his) life" in his words, was not "entirely devoid of the con."

It was an interesting film.

I have recently seen Don Theo use Famous Blue Raincoat in performance. I know he paid a handsome amount to use it but I would say he got his money's worth out of it.

Zoran

Well, the godfather of gloom just finished his "world" tour,
anyone get to any of the concerts? The reports of the last few
including the "Big Chill" in the UK say he was outstandingly brilliant.

I was reminded of LC this week as the "Everybody Knows" track is being used
in a fairly confrontational anti smoking TV campaign down here at the moment.

Finally for the fans, this is a great list of LC facts & trivia from a few years back.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2004/sep/17/2

I spoke too soon on the "finishing of the World Tour".

Tickets went on sale 30 minutes ago for his first Sydney concert in 24 years

just managed to get two

hallelujah

FaMoUs BlUe RaInCoAt!

I was fortunate enough to be in one of the audiences of Leonard Cohen's most recent concert tour in Canada... It was sublime. I dragged my daughter (she's 15, going on 16) for the major life experience and although she was certainly the youngest in the audience, she was captivated. WOW!!!!

I'm pleased to report that I quote LC in my new book for reasons that everyone reading this thread will fully appreciate...

Warm regards,

James

I just watched the Dance Me video and had a serious flashback.

Something about Leonard's music truly hits the spinal cord.

I bet he doesn't even know about his special underground Mentalist following.

D

My new favorite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d-8hxLMOcg

Timothy Hyde,

Thank You - I had not heard about that concert, but thanks to you I've now bought a ticket.

This is going to keep me smiling - life can't get any better surely.

Destiny

You guys may like Chris Rea.

Some pretty prophetic stuff, and a great blues guitar player too!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oWHGqXY5jCk