Various Positions (43 page)

Various Positions
. Passport,
PCC
90728, 1984.

I’m Your Man
. Columbia,
FC
44191, 1988.

The Future
. Columbia-SONY,
CK
53226, 1992.

Cohen Live
. Columbia-SONY,
CK
80188, 1994.

More Best of Leonard Cohen
. Columbia
CK
68636, 1997.

Ten New Songs
.
SONY
Music Entertainment.
CK
85983, 2001.

Field Commander Cohen – Tour of 1979
.
SONY
Music Entertainment.
CK
66210, 2001.

The Essential Leonard Cohen
. 2
CD
’s.
SONY
Music Entertainment TV2K 86884, 2002.

MOJO Presents … An Introduction to Leonard Cohen
. Columbia (UK), 2003.

Dear Heather
.
SONY BMG
Music Entertainment
CK
92891, 2004.

Blue Alert
. Songs by Leonard Cohen sung by Anjani Thomas.
SONY BMG.
82876769462, 2006.

I’m Your Fan
. Warner Music, 17 55984, 1991. Contributions by Ian McCulloch, John Cale, Nick Cave, rem
,
and others.

Famous Blue Raincoat
. Cypress Records, 1986. Jennifer Warnes.

‘Tower of Song’: The Songs of Leonard Cohen
. a
&
m Records 31454 0259 2 1995. Contributions by Sting, Elton John, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Aaron Neville, Billy Joel, the Chieftans, Jann Arden, Willie Nelson, and Suzanne Vega.

Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man. Verve
Forecast b000716902, 2006.

Beautiful Losers
. tr. Chinese Nanjing: Yilin Press, 2000.

Book of Longing
. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2006.

Let Us Compare Mythologies
. Rpt. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2006.

    I
FIRST ENCOUNTERED
Leonard Cohen after his performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London in May 1993. It was a brief, polite, backstage meeting, and his manner, despite exhaustion, was typically fastidious. We spoke little, and after I mustered the courage to ask him to sign my program, I left. But walking back to my place, I suddenly realized I never asked him any of the questions I had long wanted to know. This biography, written after a period of exhilarating interviews, travel, reading, and research, attempts to answer some of those unasked questions. It has benefited from the constant support of Leonard Cohen, who has made himself available to my often inconvenient requests and not only encouraged me to speak to numerous friends but allowed me to visit his homes in Montreal, Hydra, and Los Angeles. I am deeply grateful for his cooperation and paradoxical reminder: “Don’t let the facts get in the way of the truth.” And if he occasionally exclaimed “news to me!” when we reviewed the manuscript in an isolated cabin at the Mt. Baldy Zen Center (where he spent the day cooking “the best fucking stew you’ll ever eat”), he never dissuaded me from seeking the truth and presenting it honestly.

I must acknowledge, as well, what I can only call the astonishing cooperation of a series of individuals who have been life-long friends of Leonard Cohen. Their openness and honesty in sharing with me the life of someone they clearly honor is a testament to his importance in their lives. Their helpfulness in supplying information about events, dates, and names to one whom they’ve never before met, one who has constantly asked details about someone as private as Leonard, was an unexpected pleasure. Whether it was in an outdoor bar in Hydra, a rundown office at the Chelsea Hotel, or a well-known delicatessen in Montreal, people have repeatedly offered to help me tell this story. If this book could not have been written without the assistance of Leonard Cohen, neither would it possess any of its possible merit without the contribution of his many friends. What I have attempted in return is to convey in some way the integrity of the man who has always acted from the heart and been aware that the opposite of despair is joy.

Among those who have assisted me most generously, Kelley Lynch, Leonard’s manager, and Nancy Bacal, his close friend, stand out. On numerous visits to Los Angeles, they have not only made themselves available but also provided me with remarkable insights into Leonard’s career and life, while easing my access to information. Despite the pressures of managing and endless interruptions at the office, Kelley Lynch always found time to explain, suggest, and assist me when I needed help, and I thank her. Nancy Bacal has been, from our first meeting, supportive, helpful, and encouraging. She not only provided remarkably articulate views of Leonard’s character but generously shared with me her own special powers of writing and understanding. Joan Lynch and Sarah Rich, both at Leonard’s office, have also helped in countless ways. One other individual close to Leonard cannot be overlooked: his Zen teacher, Joshu Sasaki Roshi. To be in the company of Roshi, whether in the
zendo
at Mt. Baldy or at a restaurant in Los Angeles, is a remarkable experience and his incisive perspective on Cohen remains essential for any grasp of Cohen’s life. Roshi clearly demonstrates that even through silence there is understanding. Esther Cohen kindly permitted me a glimpse into the family life, while Adam and Lorca Cohen assisted me in various indirect and direct ways.

Others in Los Angeles who have contributed begin with Perla Batalla.
A backup singer with Cohen on the 1988 and 1993 tours, Perla in many ways facilitated this project following our meeting at the first Leonard Cohen conference ever held in Canada. She, and her husband Claude, also provided important comments on Leonard’s sense of performance and the nature of the touring life. Jennifer Warnes took time from a busy studio session to talk with me and explain with patience the musical challenges of Leonard’s songwriting and nature of his career; Henry Lewy, producer, shared with me many stories of making records and touring with Leonard; Sean Dixon, Sheila, and the staff at Ocean Recording Studios also helped. Yafa Lerner and Steve Sanfield, both in California, provided me with singular and essential portraits of Leonard’s early life and involvement with Zen. Eric Lerner, formerly of Los Angeles, also contributed helpful information on Leonard’s days in California.

Two other performers were generous with their time: Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell. Each described important moments in their careers associated with Leonard and were able to clarify various movements in his life. Judy Collins repeated for me the earliest steps in Leonard’s career, whereas Joni Mitchell shared numerous memories of Montreal, New York, and Los Angeles with me over a late summer lunch on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.

People were equally forthcoming in Toronto and Montreal. Jack McClelland allowed me to intrude upon his wonderful retreat at Lake Muskoka; Berl and Gissa Schiff made sure I would not languish in Toronto; and Doug and Janet Fetherling, early promoters of the book, ensured I would have a detailed understanding of Leonard’s literary past. David Mayerovich provided me with stories of camp life and was helpful with a wonderful photo from Pripstein’s camp, made available from Eleanor Levine, while Roz and Eddie Van Zaig generously recalled life in the Cohen family on Belmont Avenue. They also permitted me to include an important photograph, and I thank them. Danielle Trembley, formerly of City-TV, also assisted, as did Gerald L’Ecuyer of BRAVO TV. David Kaufman provided not only remarkable photos but glimpses of historical moments long forgotten. Florence Pripstein outlined, in often comic detail, life at her father-in-law’s summer camp. Winfried Siemerling kindly shared with me an edited copy of an important talk by Cohen, as well as his general knowledge of
Cohen’s writing. Avie Bennett, publisher of McClelland & Stewart, kindly permitted me access to the firm’s archives.

In Montreal, two memorable afternoons spent with Irving Layton reminded me of his vigorous grasp of Canadian poetry and his contribution to its evolution. He also conveyed to me some remarkable perspectives on Leonard’s development as a writer. Louis Dudek was also generous in remembering many moments of Leonard’s McGill past and kindly let me examine his presentation copy of Leonard’s first book. Morton Rosengarten, Hazel Field, and Charles Gurd, three of Leonard’s Montreal friends, allowed me to explore details from his youth and recent past with them. Nancy Southam elaborated various key moments in Leonard’s Montreal life, while Ruth Wisse clarified aspects of Leonard’s days at McGill. Freda Guttman gave me a sense of Leonard’s early literary and social interests. Vera Frenkel recounted assorted moments in his emerging career. Edgar Cohen, now in his eighties, cheerfully recalled life with Leonard and various incidents that determined his vocation as a poet. Edgar’s son, Andrew Cohen, also contributed a number of lively insights into the more recent family history of the Cohens. Joseph and Joanne Ronsley, formerly of Montreal, stimulated my interest in understanding the city’s cultural and culinary life. Sam Tata, a Canadian photographer of remarkable talent, permitted me use of several outstanding photos and conveyed an amusing sense of Leonard in the 1970s to me, while Hugh Whitney Morrison clarified the life and times of “Marita.” Michael and Rhona Kenneally of Montreal provided hospitality when it was most needed, and Steve Goldstein introduced me to the geography of Montreal, especially the old city, and allowed me access to his outstanding international collection of Cohen records and tapes.

Bob and Joy Johnston and Charlie Daniels contributed immensely to my understanding of the Nashville years. Their sense of Leonard as an evolving musician, fashioning a style that merged country and western with folk, has helped me in grasping the progress of his music. John Cale also assisted, with directions as much as detail. The Franklin, Tennessee, Fire Station #2 and the Williamson County Deeds Office were both instrumental in assisting me in finding Leonard’s farm. Sister Mary Colman of the Sisters of Mercy Convent, founded in 1866 in Nashville, is also to be thanked. In New York, Stanley Bard of the Chelsea Hotel
narrated for me its unusual past, while outlining its unique present and allowing me to tour several floors.

On Hydra, a marvelous group of
raconteurs
, friends, and passers-by assaulted me with details of Leonard’s time there. Demetri Gassoumis was especially helpful, although I am still recovering from a bone-jarring donkey ride shared with him to the Prophet Elijah monastery high above the port. But idyllic afternoons spent at the sunlit Moita bar in the company of Demetri, Brian Sidaway, and Gunther and Lilly Bohr more than made up for the mountain ride and confirmed for me that often the most rewarding research is conducted far from traditional archives. Don Lowe, cornered at a bistro in Kamini at one in the morning, was also a helpful source who kindly lent me various works-in-progress dealing with island life. Pandias Scaramanga and George Lialios, both of Athens, but with roots in Hydra, were immensely helpful. Dominique Issermann in Paris assisted with several photographs.

In Vancouver, Leonard Angel, Herbert Rosengarten, Sandra Djwa, Dr. Mark Fisher, Dr. Sid Katz, and Rabbi Mordecai Feuerstein furnished sources, medical advice, and spiritual commentary. Robert Silverman rehearsed for me the misadventures of Montreal youth and life at Pripstein’s summer camp. Stephen Scobie shared with me from the beginning a thorough knowledge of Cohen’s career, his detail exceeded only by his grasp of the complete works and life of Bob Dylan. James McClaren gladly allowed me access to an extensive catalogue of tapes and concert material that was invaluable, while Michael Pacey graciously allowed me access to the correspondence between Irving Layton and Desmond Pacey. Alan Twigg, journalist, Peter Buitenhuis, critic, and Lewis Rosenbloom, retired clothier from Sherbrooke, Quebec, who did business with the Freedman Company, all helped in various ways. Tom Northcott, singer, was wonderfully generous in educating me in the art of the recording studio and the possibilities of re-interpreting Leonard’s songs. Pamela Dalziel provided continuous support and remarkable tolerance for my obsession with this project, although at an early stage in the research it was she who received an inscription from Leonard that took me another six months to earn.

My children, Dara and Ryan, have not only supported but participated in this project from the beginning. Their involvement was total;
one evening my daughter—at the time seven—impatiently asked, after my by now habitual summary of the book, “Is it information or story?” I tried to explain that it was both, without one necessarily toppling the other. My son took a different tack. Frustrated at my efforts to assist him with a limerick, he suddenly smiled and without hesitation said, “Call Leonard! He’ll know!” We didn’t, but redoubled our attempts. My mother, Frances Sofman Nadel, has become an eager student of Leonard Cohen, although she often wondered if my own life had been subsumed by his. My late father, Isaac David Nadel, would have taken pleasure in the detail and determination to get the story right.

Among the archivists of Leonard Cohen’s career, Robert Bower in New York and Yvonne Hakze in the Netherlands are pre-eminent. Both have assisted repeatedly with details, information, and encouragement. Robert, in particular, provided me with numerous sources otherwise unavailable and graciously presented me with a rare copy of
Beautiful Losers
. His enthusiasm for the project has been continuous; his knowledge of Leonard’s career incomparable. Through her editorship of
Intensity
, shared with Bea de Koning, Yvonne has kept a worldwide network of Cohen fans informed of his latest activities and past achievements. Even in the final months of this project, she assisted with new sources and information that was much valued. Jim Devlin in Sheffield, England, has for more than ten years maintained an important Cohen newsletter and is to be thanked for supplying me with various items that have clarified numerous events in Cohen’s concert life. Christof Graf in Germany has provided many useful details and photographs from his own archive, and I am grateful. Soheyl Dahi has, through a friendship that began on a wintry day at the Calgary airport with a description of the charms of Hydra, constantly kept me up to date on the latest Cohen events and discoveries. He has also been a research assistant extraordinaire, generously providing me with essential materials and continual support.