There were obviously breaks, but for the greater part of five years you lived out of a suitcase. The lifestyle is, as you said, extremely exhausting. How did Leonard find the energy to travel like that? Well, Leonard was really good at conserving his strength, blocking out distractions and prioritizing his energy for the things he wanted to do, such as the show or writing.
He kept things really simple. He kept his interactions with people to a minimum. The team there was obviously very good at protecting him. Occasionally, we were really surprised when on some random night he would stay after a show and visit with people.
He was right off the stage and right into a car and straight to the hotel. The shows just seemed to get longer and longer. I saw one in Detroit near the end that was nearly four hours. That was a little strange. None of us could quite understand why the show was that long. I mean, there was a lot of material and certainly his committed fans wanted to hear all of those songs. So, I suppose that was the reason. But I think there were times where we could have cut it a lot shorter.
My favorite element of it might have been his singing voice. Many people develop a weaker voice as they age, but the wear and tear on his just made it more distinctive and powerful, even if he lost some range. And people loved it. They found it haunting and compelling. It sounded like he was whispering in your ear on the record. That was a great thing. I think he was very aware of that and wanted to keep using it. The tour began because he was broke, but surely after a year or two he surely made back all his money and then some.
What motivated him to keep it going so long? He never exactly told me, at least not in so many words, but I felt he was feeling a lot of fulfillment from it. He had struggled a lot early on in his career to get the sort of attention he deserved and now he was getting it in a live format.
Also, touring is very mentally and physically demanding, but I think he enjoyed that sort of challenge. It reminded him of the monastery. It was almost a type of meditation. You had to be at a certain place at a certain time and you had to really take care of yourself and keep your eye on the ball.
I think he liked that part of it. Leonard would often sit on the plane or the bus silently. You could tell he was just conserving energy. Here was a guy with no hits selling out multiple nights at Madison Square Garden. In , that idea would have seemed absurd.
The whole thing was almost a miracle. Well, Leonard was a completely unique person. I mean, having worked closely with him in the studio, just knowing how he never gave up until he found the right words or the right melody. He used that same kind of precision in putting together the show. It was a wonderful thing to be a part of. Do you recall much of the final show in New Zealand?
I remember feeling silly the last show was in New Zealand. How do you process this incredible experience or somehow preserve or document it? People tried with those DVDs. So you knew that night in New Zealand it was the last one? I often would try to sort of transport myself to the audience to imagine what it looked like or what it felt like. People referred to the show as a religious experience and all sorts of other intense compliments we would get.
I think Leonard earned it. He worked with so few co-writers during his career. What an amazing honor he kept using you. Believe me, I understand how special that is. You were at that final press event with him just a few weeks before he passed away, right? I was surprised he was there.
I think everyone was. I had seen him a little before that, in August [of ], at his house. He played [ You Want It Darker ] for me and was in a surprisingly good mood. He seemed to be in good spirits towards the end. I guess one blessing was that even though his body was failing, his mind was sharp as a tack until the end. He never had to endure that indignity. Yes, he was there percent mentally the entire time. I remember that Bob Dylan had just won the Nobel Prize and he mentioned to me that he thought it was wonderful.
Each "everybody knows" is meant to shame this girl, each verse about her is an arrow to the heart. General Comment I first heard this song after buying the soundtrack to the movie "Pump Up the Volume". The album had a song apiece from two of my favorite bands, The Pixies and Sonic Youth. I hadn't seen the film yet. The woman singing the song Johnette Napolitano sounded to be at the end of her rope with the world.
She sang very powerful and passionate. It was the first song on the album I later see the movie and the very first image presented is a record spinning with the needle down. There was a man singing this song and he sounded 80 years old. I was disappointed not to hear the version I had bought on CD. But the lyrics intrigued so much that I later bought the L. Cohen's music. Dark, cynical and absolutely essential.
Zoltar on September 17, Link. Interest account! Well told! Zoltar Same with me with "Pump Up the Volume". Counterclockwerk on March 05, General Comment "Everybody knows the fight was fixed The poor stay poor, the rich get rich" "Everybody wants a box of chocolates" Cohen is a genius. BoHo on May 17, Link. General Comment I like the Don Henley version of the song the most, its powerful.
The song is the cynic's anthem. It is a haunting piece that bemoans the dreariness and sordidness of reality through the eyes of a now heart-broken idealist. Of the versions I've heard Cohen, Concrete Blonde, etc. Too upbeat and chipper KickinFamily on November 22, General Comment I think it's simple Everybody knows so god damn much! General Comment Interesting. My "involvement" with this song was at a much more banal level.
I saw Atom Egoyan's "Exotica" and yes, it was a great movie but that one song stood out so much I had to buy it. Some guy with lung cancer trying to sing? Well, I think he did have lung cancer. I bought the soundtrack to the movie and it was okay but it didn't have any songs on it. It might've been the score or something but I wasn't too sure.
I bought the movie just so I could hear the version of the song I liked Heh heh. Peace daedolos on December 10, Link. Artists - L. Everybody Knows is found on the album I'm Your Man.
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