Someone help me. There's a "Leonard Cohen Retrospective" or whatever

[Redstone]

they call it coming to my town.

(It's going to be at our Katharine Hepburn Arts Center, named because the old battle-ax lived here. She's "remembered fondly" by most of the people in town, inexplicably enough, because whenever she deigned to come into town she was a rude and obnoxious old bitch. That's the truth, though they'll probably run me out of town on a rail for saying it.)

Anyway. As a (former) musician, I've always ben offended by "tribute" bands or people. It's OK with me of you don't write your own songs - in fact (as Emmylou Harris rightly says) it's better if you don't ONLY do songs you've written yourself.

But. If you're so untalented that all you can manage to do is to pretend to be ONE band or person, you're not a musician. You're a copying machine.

And, if you have to copy SOMEONE, does it HAVE to be the guy who was the most boring songwriter, ever (even worse than Barry Manilow), and furthermore wrote the single most boring song in the history of mankind (even more boring than "Feelings")?

Yes, I'm talking about Mr Cohen's biggest hit, "Suzanne." Now, I'm not bitter about the fact that I almost married a woman named Suzanne when I was 20 years old. Not at all; the fact that she rejected me was one of the best things that ever happened to me, and we remain good friends to this day.

No, I'm bitter because this guy got famous for writing and performing such a dull, droning piece of crap that listening to it is a great solution for insomnia, a song which contains such stunning lyrics as:

and she feeds you tea and oranges that came all the way from China...

Let me get this right...you can go to Wal-Mart and buy a $1.29 piece of crap of a plastic toy that comes "all the way from China," and the fact that the "tea and oranges" came All The Way From There makes them somehow special? Or exotic?

Argh. I suppose that a Harry Chapin, The Hack, Pandering Songwriter, But Beloved Because He's Dead, Retrospective Tribute Concert is next.

However many horses you have, you don't have enough of them to drag me to either.

Redstone

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. You're in for a world of hurt now.

:popcorn:

[Redstone]

2. Oh, I know, and from so many directions. But I can't help it; how many chances

do you get to offend so many different people in one post (though I think I left out the Belgians, but I'll get to those bastards some day and give them what they deserve).

Redstone

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. I've seen the future, brother.

It is murder.

[Redstone]

4. Murder? Does that mean the Belgians are coming after me? That would be

just like them, wouldn't it?

Redstone

[Heidi]

5. I still like you.

As is civil, we can cuss and discuss this topic by PM. :hi:

[Redstone]

16. No PM necessary; it's just for yucks (and to crank people up), as you know.

Redstone

[cleveramerican]

6. I love Leornard Cohen

If you don't that's okay, I never understood the appeal of Rush(only concert I ever left early).

Anything that gets Cohen's wonderful,thoughtful music to new audience I approve of.

I am quite certain The Jazz Police would approve of the op.

[Redstone]

10. I agree with you about Rush. And moreso Yes, whose singer always sounded

like he had a strangulated hernia.

Redstone

[Tsiyu]

28. Oh come on now

You are on the money where Rush is concerned, but How can you not love Yes?

And Cohen is a national treasure...I would have had his love children...

[nolabear]

7. Methinks thou dost protest too much.

And there's more to this than meets the eye. And like cliches.

Just out of curiousity, who do you think is a brilliant songwriter, or what is a brilliant song, and why?

And on a personal note, I always read the lyrics of Suzanne to be a good example of being in love in a way that is naive and awe-filled and exotic, and really, really sixties.

[Redstone]

9. "Coat of many colors," by Dolly Parton; "Veracruz" by

Warren Zevon,

"Compared to what" by Les McCann,

"Down to zero" and "Lover Speak" by Joan Armatrading,

"Copperhead road" by Steve Earle,

"Independence Day" by Martina McBride,

Anything written by Matraca Berg,

Pretty much anything written by Paul Simon,

I could go on...there are SO many songwriters I admire, in so many genres

Redstone

[stuntcat]

12. yah!

The ones I know out of those are great. I listen to Dolly Parton and Paul Simon just about every day.

[Redstone]

13. "Seminole Wind" by John Anderson. Check it out.

Redstone

[kimi]

32. Oh, "Seminole Wind"!

Hadn't listened to that in years. Thanks for reminding me. I've been listening to it all night, and a lot of other John Anderson tunes.

"Seminole Wind". Classic.

[nolabear]

17. You got damfine songwriter taste there Redstone.

But I like Leonard Cohen too. Mostly. Some of his stuff sounds like 1930's German cabaret music and that doesn't do much for me, but some is brilliant, imo.

Btw I had the bizarre experience with "Down to Zero" that I have only had a few times in my life. The first time I heard it, it was so different from anything I'd ever heard that I literally couldn't follow it for about half the song. Once my ears caugh it, I thought it one of the most brilliant rhythmic creations I'd ever heard. Still do.

[Redstone]

20. I've seen Ms Armatrading, more than once, play the rhythm guitar part

and I just STILL cannot figure out how she does it, even though I used to be a professional guitarist (including classical and flamenco).

So, even from a purely technical standpoint, your description of the song as a "most brilliant rhythmic creation" works well. VERY well.

Listen to her "Lovers Speak" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFRcYVXRNLs and you'll be even more hooked on her. She came back with this after about a 15-year break from playing music.

(Especially note how everyone picks up the extra syncopated beat just after she sings (...fantasies, my Lord...). Masterful musicianship, right there.

Redstone

[tigereye]

26. she is a great guitarist - finally got to see her a few years back - wonderful

[tigereye]

25. those are all good choices!

I love Copperhead Road, and pretty much everything else Earle has written. And Joan Armatrading and Simon are wonderful. Compared to What is great.

[Debi]

8. Would you like the song better if you knew the story behind it?

Or is it a lost cause (and the story isn't a big great fabulous story, but at least it expalins it a bit)

http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/verdal.html

[Redstone]

15. Not really, but thanks for the link. It was interesting.

Redstone

[Generic Other]

34. Lovely interview

Thanks so much for linking!

And fie on you redstone for dissing the great Leonard Cohen...no tea and oranges for you!!!

[stuntcat]

11. Cohen's one of my favorites

I'm so soo proud I saw him in concert. If I was in your town I'd go to this :P hoping to hear someone do "Avalanche"!

[Redstone]

14. Well, come on to my town; you can stay with us. I just won't go to

the concert with you.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. I like Harry Chapin. Cohen can go stick his head in a pig, though.

And I'm with you on the tribute band thing - there's something weird about making a living pretending to be someone else.

Now, I could see if the opportunity came up to go tour with a tribute band for a year or two - in a sense, not really different than playing in the pit for a musical on Broadway, playing the same music every day for a couple years.

To exist specifically to mimic someone else - that's fucked up. The Elvis impersonators I especially don't get, but maybe that's because I'm not a big Elvis fan to begin with. There's a part of that's jealous of that Australian Pink Floyd tribute band getting to play Floyd music all the time, so maybe I need to equate the two. I don't know.

It's the folk who spend their whole career being someone else. I find it really sad in a way.

It's one thing to get some mates together and play in a cover band every Friday night for fun because you all have other careers and have no interest in making a career of the music - that's just fun, and it's the same as joining a community choir or the civic orchestra.

And to pick someone so lame to spend your life imitating. That's totally fucking sad. Yeah, the guy in the Floyd tribute band are losing a chance to be themselves; but on the other hand, they chose music that totally fucking rocks.

hell, even the world's best violinists are playing other peoples' music. Of course, that music is good, and they aren't pretending to be Paganini.

[Redstone]

21. As usual, you said it well. Being a "cover band" carries no shame; after all

not everyone can write songs, and there are SO many great songs out there to play that someone else has written.

"Cover bands," yeah, that's fine. And a fun way to play music and get paid for it. I've seen cover bands who were eerily good, perhaps even better than the original bands.

But it seems you share my disdain for the people who are "tribute bands" as opposed to "cover bands." I appreciate that you understand the difference.

Redstone

[tigereye]

27. well, a wonderful compilation called I'm Your Fan with REM and other post-

punk era folks really made me hear Cohen in a new way. (and this was after having heard plenty of his versions) Sometimes covers can really make you hear the song in a different way.

[PassingFair]

19. I love Leonard Cohen, how DARE you!

But I totes agree with you about "Suzanne".

:puke:

[Redstone]

22. Yeah, that song is the definition of "flat," isn't it? I'll bet he doesn't range

up or down by more than three notes throughout the whole agonizing thing.

Redstone

[astral]

23. Suzanne is a zen/meditative kind of song

especially wonderful for a closet guitar picker who can't carry a tune, it's one of my favorite songs of all time because it's so calming and peaceful to sing. I first heard it on Neil Diamond's "Stones" album, a number of years before I knew who Leonard Cohen was. Of course Neil would have done better to do the song simply with just his guitar, with his wonderful voice.

I love other people doing Leonard Cohen songs, but not to try to sound LIKE him, I wish more of my favorite vocal singers would do either his songs or songs by the great song writers. It's just fun.

Music is different things to different people, I guess . . . . I heard a Neil Diamond impersonator was coming to my town but that is not my cup of tea either. . . .

[tigereye]

24. sorry, I don't agree - he's a wonderful songwriter...

I would love to see him live. There's a cool recent documentary about him, too.

[Lindsey]

29. Isn't he the one who wrote Hallejuah? IMO, that's one of the

greatest songs of all time. If he never wrote another song, he's a genius in my boo9k...but I may be wrong regarding who wrote that it.:shrug:

[tigereye]

30. He did- but many folks have covered it, though. I particularly like the John

Cale version. It is a wonderful song, very powerful. But I always end up wondering if they folks who cover it during various telethons have any idea what it is about ... :D


There's a great article about the song and those who covered it on Amazon. (I'd link but I can't get my name off the page...) ;)

[cbdo2007]

31. My favorite is "Dress Rehearsal Rag" - ain't nothing boring there.

[old mark]

33. I always thought Harry Nielsson was good....didn't care much for Leonard or

Chapin or John (Deutschendorf) Denver's horseshit."Thank god, I'm a country boy"?

:puke:

Chuck Berry is the best songwriter of all time.


mark

[gvstn]

35. Joan Armatrading is a personal favorite.

How can you like Joan Armatrading and not like Cohen's Anthem--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zKk76YkF1U

[bif]

36. He just keeps getting better and better

I saw his Live in London special. Great stuff. And don't forget, Suzanne was written and recorded about 40 years ago!