OT: Leonard Cohen and "Dear Heather"

[Uncle Tantra]

just to remind folks
that things of beauty
and words of grace
still exist:

DEAR HEATHER: A first response
August 4, 2004
By Pico Iyer

"It’s a leave-taking, with light," I found myself saying, to my own surprise,
the first time I listened to "Dear Heather." I was sitting in a small cottage
in central Los Angeles, looking out on a sunlit garden, flowers, a constant
trickle of water from a fountain where birds splashed (the freeway nearby
seeming a million miles away), and what I was hearing might have been a
transcription of the scene around me. In the past, especially on his last
album, "Ten New Songs," Leonard Cohen often seemed to push his songs towards
darkness and silence, the place where everything gives out. Indeed, the power
of that record seemed to me to lie partly in its singleness, its unity of tone,
the songs flowing one into the other with a grave, contained intensity. This
was the beauty of a small cabin beside a Zen meditation-hall high up in the
mountains.

The new record, for me, is the beauty of returning to the world again,
celebrating its beauties, even though they will pass. In one of his early songs
about the monastic pull, Cohen wrote of how "night comes in," as he goes into
the dark to court Our Lady of Solitude; here I feel as if night is receding, as
light comes in. The first surprise of the record is how various and almost
floral are its musical arrangements, the singer hopping from style to style
like a bee buzzing amidst the flowers. The first time I heard the record I
imagined a series of objects lined up on a table, all precisely rounded, like
brightly colored balls, entire in themselves and lucid, but not pointing to
anything beyond themselves. Offerings for a Sunday morning, you could say, at
home in the sun.

Cohen has suffered more than almost any songwriter or poet alive from
assumptions about his life, or at least that shadow-life that is his legend;
people seize on the songs with women in them, or using his central (often
metaphorical) word "naked," and miss the point often. The second song here
teases us with the Cohen we expect--women, naked, crying "Look at me, Leonard."
The fact he uses his own name, again and again, is almost a way of stressing
that he’s talking about the figure who moves through the world, in rumors, in
gossip columns, in listener projections. With that second song, Leonard
departs.

The others startle with their sense of completeness--or, put another way, with
their lack of obvious gravitas, their freedom from obvious depth. They’re
transparent: notebook entries, or a series of recipes hung up on a refrigerator
door. When you expect Cohen to go deeper into a song, to give us a new verse, a
different turn, as he’s always done before, he steps back, gives us the same
verse again. When you expect him to surprise us, as he’s always done, with an
unexpected rhyme, he surprises us by giving us just the word we expect. And
often the words more or less dissolve, as the singer experiments with chant, or
incantation, the place where music becomes something more than music, closer to
prayer or ritual recitation. "And your legs white from the winter."

And all the while, his voice, which had already begun to recede from view in
"Ten New Songs," where Sharon Robinson, his conspirator and co-producer, led on
many tracks, fades further and further away from us, until Robinson and Anjani
Thomas take over, and replace his dark sonorities with their more light-filled
decorations. A ceremony of farewell, in a way.

The first time I listened to this record, I couldn’t help but wonder what
listeners would make of it. Many of his fans look for long, gnarled poems from
Leonard Cohen, for parables and theological mutterings; they’re not ready for
songs as straightforward, and full of fresh air, as a 16th century lyric.
He’s giving us here, essentially, jottings, moments, the things he might
collect for a letter to a friend. It’s no coincidence, I’m sure--things are
precise on Leonard Cohen albums--that, in the C.D. brochure, there are sketches
all over the place, simple, whimsical, unfancy, and on many pages the drawings
drown out the words.

Anyone who writes knows that transparency is at least as hard to catch as
mystery. Mystery means taking on all that is beyond the self (or inside the
self); transparency means recording all that is outside the self, and
independent of it. Usually, when we describe something, we cloud it over with
our thoughts, our projections, our hopes for it, our confusions. Just to give
the thing as it is is often the hardest task of all, which is why we admire a
Cezanne still life, or a small red wheelbarrow in a William Carlos Williams
poem.

It’s also the easiest thing to underestimate, or look past. I can imagine a
music critic rejoicing in the way this record--quite literally, a record of a
life, a day--opens up the palette to admit new colors; but the exegete will be
confounded by the fact that the words just stand there, giving up nothing but
themselves. There’s no spin on them, no gloss. Cohen has traditionally been
the voice of striving, of conflict and seeking; here he becomes something
harder for us to accept, a voice of contentment. It’s as if he’s withdrawn
his self from things in order to say, "This is what they are. They have no need
of me"

When I was trying to grasp this record, elusive precisely because it sits in
full view, illuminated, less hidden or in shadow than is usual with Leonard
Cohen, I thought of the poems of the Japanese among whom I live. A plover. A
temple-bell. A marigold. Observation of the world for them becomes observation
of a ritual, even of a religion. Indeed, it is from their straight-on
renditions of the world that Pound got his imagism, from which William Carlos
Williams took his wheelbarrow. The Zen discipline tells us to look at what’s
in front of us, and what’s beneath our feet. No need to search for
enlightenment or beauty or analytic wisdom, no need to seek out meaning or
depth. It’s all right there, in front of our eyes.

...and for those of you who are unfamiliar with Leonard Cohen's
work, a short introduction to the man Pico is speaking about, in
his own words...

Transcript from Leonard Cohen's Premiere Online Web Chat
October 16, 2001

SonyMusicCanada: Welcome to the first ever Leonard Cohen online chat. Submit
your own questions or relax and enjoy the conversation.

Leonard Cohen: Dear Friends, This is a difficult moment for all of us and I
appreciate your taking the time to come to this conversation in the midst of
our grave concerns. So thank you and welcome.

John: How do you feel your experience of Buddhism has influenced you and why is
your experience of meditation not reflected more in your songs?

Leonard Cohen: Dear John, A while ago I played the record for two Zen monks.
When it was finished they were silent for some time. Then one of them said,
"That was as good as two weeks of session" (an intensive meditation retreat).
The other monk kept his eyes closed and only opened them when I filled his
glass. Then we kept on drinking.

Walter: What does Christ mean to you?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Walter, Last year I tried to put it this way: Was looking
at the crucifix. Got something in my eye. A Light that doesn't need to live and
doesn't need to die. What's written in the Book of Love is strangely
incomplete, 'til witnessed here in time and blood a thousand kisses deep.

Alistair: How do you think your writing and music has changed since studying
under Roshi?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Mr. Sword, I've been studying with Roshi for over thirty
years, so it's hard to say. Roshi came to the studio one night when I was
recording New Skin for the Old Ceremony. That was in the seventies. In those
days I was being written off as a morbid old depressive drone peddling suicide
notes. (Still am, in some circles). Roshi slept through most, but not all of
the session. The next morning I asked him what he thought. He said, "Leonard,
you should sing more sad." That was the best advice I ever got. Took a while to
put it into practice.

Helen-Anne: Hello! My comment/question is: Sometimes 'fans' tend to put a
poet/artist on such a high pedestal that our expectations may seem
overwhelming. Hopefully you have never felt such pressure. Do you have any
expectations of your 'fans'? Is there such a thing as 'the perfect fan'? What
has the ultimate reward been for you?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Helen-Anne, Of course I know the meaning of the word, but I
never think of the people who listen to my songs as "fans." Something
disagreeable about seeing people that way. I think of the activity as a kind of
conversation, and now it's my turn to talk. Expectations are out of place in
the privacy of the occasion, and if I have them, it probably means the song
isn't any good.

Elisabeth: I'm currently working on a master-thesis on your song-lyrics at a
Norwegian university. How do you feel about the fact that your work has now
become curriculum at literature courses all over the world?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Elisabeth, Thank you for your hard work. I hope that you
bring your thesis to a happy conclusion, and that the effort is not too
arduous. At the beginning of my first book of poems, I used a quotation from a
short story by William Faulkner: "All right" he said. "Listen and read again,
but only one stanza this time and closed the book and laid it on the table.
"She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss" McCaslin said: "Forever wilt
thou love, and she be fair." "He's talking about a girl," he said. "He had to
talk about something," McCaslin said. That's from The Bear by William Faulkner.
We all have to talk about something.

RandiC: Do you still live in Montreal part of the year? Will you be performing
in Montreal any time soon?

Leonard Cohen: Dear RC, Thanks for the vote. 1) Yes I do. (While I was up at
Mt. Baldy I couldn't get there as often as I would have liked.) 2) No plans to
tour at the moment.

Jenine: Your music and words resonate with a place I call home, your latest
work even more deeply so. Is it possible to share with us in this format some
of the recent discoveries you've made about "home" and how these discoveries
continue to shape your songs and life?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Jenine, Thank you so much for this observation. Home Sweet
Home. Roshi said you never lose your home. He also said that home is not an
object. It is not fixed. Any perspective you have on your home is the distance
you are from it. Being at home is the activity of not needing to look for a
home, and not needing to abandon a home. The mirrors are clear, the shadows are
past, the wandering heart is homeless at last. I spent a lot of time at Roshi's
home. Hospitality. Drinking cognac with the old man - his exquisite hospitality
in the shack by the river - that is, no hospitality just emptying the bottle
into my glass and filling my plate and falling asleep when it was time to go.

Seth: You have such vivid Christian imagery in many of your songs, and much of
it is contrasted with the selfishness of the "modern" individual. I was
wondering what's your take on the state of Christianity today?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Seth, I don't really have a 'take on the state of
Christianity.' But when I read your question, this answer came to mind: As I
understand it, into the heart of every Christian, Christ comes, and Christ
goes. When, by his Grace, the landscape of the heart becomes vast and deep and
limitless, then Christ makes His abode in that graceful heart, and His Will
prevails. The experience is recognized as Peace. In the absence of this
experience much activity arises, divisions of ever sort. Outside of the
organizational enterprise, which some applaud and some mistrust, stands the
figure of Jesus, nailed to a human predicament, summoning the heart to
comprehend its own suffering by dissolving itself in a radical confession of
hospitality.

Slashlarue: sir: when exactly IS 'Closing Time?' (great song!)

Leonard Cohen: Dear Slashlarue, It's that wild, or beautiful, or terrible time
when things reach their maximum point of expansion, and then begin to contract.
It's the time we're in. I'm glad you like the song.

Aaron: Welcome back! We've missed you. Will your older books of poetry (eg. Let
Us Compare Mythologies, etc), which are currently out of print, be re-released
in the future? We have "Stranger Music," but of course we'd also like to read
the rest!

Leonard Cohen: Dear Aaron, Thank you for your welcome. Maybe one day my
publishers will put out a Collected Poems, which include everything. I'm not
sure, though, that it all deserves to be reprinted.

Elliot: I am a professor of Jewish mysticism at NYU, and on Oct. 18th I will be
delivering a lecture at McGill entitled "New Jerusalem Glowing: The Songs of
Leonard Cohen in a Kabbalistic Key". I would like to take this unique
opportunity to ask Mr. Cohen directly if he has studied kabbalah or hasidism,
and if so, he acknowledges a direct influence on his work.

Leonard Cohen: Dear Professor Wolfson, Thank you for studying my lyrics in
relation to the kabbalah. I have a very superficial knowledge of the matter but
even by dipping into the many books, I have been deeply touched by what I read,
and by my conversations with living Hasidic masters. The model of the Tree of
Life and the activities and interactions of the sephirot has been especially
influential. The idea of the in-breath to clear a space for the whole
manifestation and the out-breath as the place of the manifestation, has of
course been illumined by my studies with Roshi and his instructions in zen
meditation. Please give my regards to the folks at McGill.

Rik: Mr. Cohen, Will you ever return to writing novels? If not, why not? If so,
when can we expect a new one?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Rik, I'd like to write another novel. I like the stable
life that goes with the enterprise. Unfortunately, I don't have a single idea
of what to write. All I have is the appetite to write one.

Stephen: What is your opinion on the proposition that "the visions of poets may
teach those who do not want to know it that there is more in shadow than in
light"?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Stephen, I don't think the poet has a mission. I think that
activity more appropriately applies to the priest, the teacher, the politician,
and the warrior. As my friend Layton wrote: "Whatever else, poetry is freedom."
It seems a very aggressive proposition to teach someone something they don't
want to learn.

Hans: You appear in one of Axel Jensen's books as "Lorenzo". Have you read the
book, and if so - do you think his description of you is accurate?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Hans, If I'm not mistaken, the character Lorenzo was
modeled on the late Swedish writer, Goran Tunstrom. At least I think that's
what Axel told me. My memory isn't too good.

Sergio: I've never known what "First We Take Manhattan" is about. Can you
explain it a little? Do you think its meaning changed after the attack to New
York? Would you sing it again in concert? Thank you.

Leonard Cohen: Dear Sergio, Every succeeding moment changes what has happened
the moment before. In the stream of writing all that is written changes its
meanings by what is written subsequently. First We Take Manhattan might be
understood as an examination of the mind of the extremist. In a way it's a
better song now than it was before and I would probably sing it in concert if
the circumstances were appropriate.

Stefan: Dearest Leonard, does contemporary music still play any role in your
life and if so what acts of today would you tip your hat to?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Stefan, As the Talmud says "There's good wine in every
generation." I love to hear what Dylan has to say and Van Morrison and Joni
Mitchell and Tom Waits and many others. The last album of George Jones "The
Cold Hard Truth" is very very good. So is Jennifer Warnes' last album, "The
Well."

Nick: Are you likely to tour the new album? And what are the chances of you
coming to the UK?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Nick, I have no plans to tour at the present moment, but
you can never tell.

Lizzie: As a writer of poetry, I come across a lot of people who 'write poems'
and call themselves 'poets'. I have always subscribed to something you wrote
along the lines of "the title of poet is something that is bestowed by others
and not something bestowed on oneself" and so have refused to call myself
'poet' and await, and await the bestowing!!

Leonard Cohen: Dear Lizzie, I once said "poetry is a verdict, not an intention"
but I wouldn't take the matter too seriously. We can call ourselves whatever we
want.

Gauthier: Why isn't the guitar no longer a driving force of your music?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Gauthier, I've been playing a lot of guitar lately so
perhaps my next few songs will be guitar driven. I love my old Spanish guitar.
It's a Conde, a maker who was a disciple of Ramirez.

Maurice: Does religion matter?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Maurice, Religions are among the great organizing
principles of humanity. It seems to me they matter too much and not enough.

Marco: Once you said that you wished you could have been like a poet whose
songs are sung from chinese women washing clothes on a river. Is it still this
your goal? Thank you for EVERYTHING

Leonard Cohen: Dear Marco, They don't have to be Chinese. Thanks for listening.

Peter: I would like to know if you have any advice on the craft of song
writing, thank you.

Leonard Cohen: Dear Peter, The only thing I've learned is that if you stick
with it long enough a song will eventually yield but "long enough" is often an
alarming duration. I'm speaking personally. Great songs have been written in
minutes.

Bernie: In light of the recent tragedies in New York and Washington are you at
all surprised what human beings are capable of inflicting to one another?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Bernie, I'm always shocked but never surprised.

Tinder: There is a lot of splendid, officially unreleased live material. I
consider "Cohen Live" from 1994 to be the best album in the world among all
those I've listened to. Will there be more live albums?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Tinder, I also consider "Cohen Live" as one of my best
albums and I thank you for appreciating it. I'm putting together a new live
album right now and I hope it will be released next year.

Jeroen: What do you consider the difference between the inner feelings and what
is being told to you a thousand kisses deep? How are you able to really
hear/understand/recognize what is being told to you, a thousand kisses deep,
when you don't trust your inner feelings?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Jeroen, Great question. I'll try to answer it. A Thousand
Kisses Deep is that fundamental intuitive understanding, usually wordless,
which is beyond opinion and belief. It is the unspoken conviction that things
are unfolding according to a pattern that the intellect or the emotions cannot
discern. This conviction is accompanied by a loosening of the unconditional
affirmation that an individual entity exists and that it determines its own
fate.

Clayton: While listening to the new album I found the arrangement, production,
and sonic stylings were very reminiscent of "Various Positions". Is the
similarity intentional or am I just imagining things?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Clayton, I never really thought of it but I think you have
a point.

David: Have you ever wanted or been asked to write songs with other superstar
singer-songwriters such as Paul McCartney, Neil Young, or Bono? You could offer
a much needed Lennonesque edge to Paul's work!

Leonard Cohen: Dear David, I've never been asked and frankly I don't believe
they need me but thanks for the vote.

Robin: Leonard, even though your new album "Ten New Songs" is just coming out
now in stores, do you have any plans on recording any MORE albums?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Robin, At present I'm assembling a new live album and
working on a collection of new songs.

Janasta: This is a question about your son Adam if you don't mind.....I was
wondering what your son Adam is doing now, and will he be coming out with
another CD sometime soon? Also, does your son have a website?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Janasta, I believe my son's website is www.adamcohen.com.
I've heard about thirty of his new songs and they are stunning. I just went to
one of his gigs at Largo, a club in Los Angeles, where he presented many of
them. You could hear a pin drop.

Steve: Hello Leonard, Wondered what you thought of Love and Theft - Bob Dylan's
new album...

Leonard Cohen: Dear Steve, I love everything that Dylan does and I love to hear
the old guys lay it out. Love and Theft produces tremendous energy.

Kevin: From listening closely to the lyrics on your new album, you seem to take
a less ironic and more direct approach to your themes. Two major ones I notice
a shift in since THE FUTURE are your attitude towards death and your
inclination to write as one living in the Present. To what extent do you feel
your retreat as a monk influenced you in your creative work, and if what I've
mentioned a part of this?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Kevin, Thank you for your attention to my work. I've been
studying with Roshi for thirty years and the practice he has established has
influenced me deeply. I'm not trying to evade your question, but I think it's
easier for anyone but myself to speak about how the various themes in the songs
have developed.

Jeffrey: Are there any plans for a Leonard Cohen box containing all your
previously released work and unreleased tracks?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Jeffrey, There is some talk of it but right now I'd rather
concentrate on original material.

Dusty: Leonard, Welcome back. I wish to thank you for the line, "I stumbled out
of bed," etc. I have been able to get out of bed and into the world with no
problems since first hearing that song. Thank you. I am looking forward to the
10 new songs.

Leonard Cohen: Dear Dusty, I'm very happy to hear that my songs have been
useful in some small way. Thank you for telling me.

James: If the Leonard Cohen who created "Ten New Songs" were to meet up with
the Leonard Cohen who created "Song of Leonard Cohen," what advice would he
give (besides "Move To L.A".)?
Leonard Cohen: Hang in there kid.

Dan Grady: Mr. Cohen, When I heard your album "The Future" I felt certain that
this would be your final work. It seemed to me that there was nothing much left
to say. Did this occur to you, and if so, what inspired you to release another
album?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Dan, in a certain way Ten New Songs is an answer to The
Future.

October rain: Mr. Cohen How is it you know so much about love?

Leonard Cohen: Dear October_Rain, I never thought I did.

Lars: How can I actually be sure that this is Mr. Cohen writing?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Lars, What kind of proof would you need. Kelley's typing
this. I don't type very well. But to answer your question, you can't be sure.

Redned: What would you say was your greatest lesson in this life and how well
do you think you've learned it?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Redned, Your question has stumped me. I'm not good at
anything.

Ddgryphon: Have you considered writing more novels or do you feel more freedom
in song structure?

Leonard Cohen: Dear ddgryphon, It's the other way around for me. Prose is open.
The lyric is confined.

Suss: Dear Leonard. Do you have any favorite books to recommend?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Suss, "Consciousness Speaks" by Ramesh S. Balsekar.

Ron: Hi Leonard, I wonder what music influences (idols) you have had trough the
years?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Ron, Flamenco. The Blues. Fado. Folk Music. Chopin. This
list will go on forever.

Lisajo: How do you feel about being an influence on other Canadian artists,
such as the Barenaked Ladies?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Lisajo, It's good to know people are listening.

Evan_G: I see many similarities between your work and that of Hermann Hesse,
both in imagery and philosophy. Has this writer had any direct influence on
you?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Evan, I read Hermann Hesse when I was young. I loved his
books. His sense of a dedicated life meant a lot to me.

George: What is your writing routine like?

Leonard Cohen: Dear George, I usually carry a notebook, jot down a few things.
A musical phrase arises. I try to marry them. A tedious process at the
beginning but then it becomes obsessional and the hours go by.

Raphael: What words do you find yourself using now that you didn't use before
you went into the Buddhist monestary?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Raphael, horrible words like "manifestation" and "the
complete self"

Micky: Do you prefer to be recognized for your books, your music, or your
poetry?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Micky, I'm happy to be recognized at all.

Pi: Can you explain what you were feeling and what you wanted to express when
you wrote "One Night I Burned"

Leonard Cohen: Dear Pi, I wrote that poem over thirty years ago. I don't
remember what's in it.

RWEllis: Do you regard yourself as an optimist or a pessimist? Or are you a
realist who is classified as a pessimist by those who regard your work as
negative? What is your outlook for these turbulent times?

Leonard Cohen: Dear RWEllis, Forgive me, but I never ask myself these
questions. As far as my outlook in these dark times I remember an ancient
hebrew blessing that is said upon hearing bad news The blessing is: Blessed are
thou O Lord our G-d King of the Universe The True Judge.

Shelly: I live in Poland, where you have always been very popular. I remember
the time when it was impossible to get even a tape with your music. At the
moment I can take part in the Internet chat with you. Are you aware that so
many people in my country love your music so very much? I have all your albums
and I know many of your songs by heart.

Leonard Cohen: Dear Shelly, Thank you so much. I toured in Poland during the
early eighties and I was touched by the size and intensity of the audiences. I
will never forget those concerts in Poland.

Beni: Dear Leonard, first of all compliments for your new record, it was such a
wonderful surprise for us all. When was it that you first felt you needed to
put some more music into your life? was this moment related to something
particular?

Leonard Cohen: Dear Beni, Nothing particular. Just the job.

SonyMusic: Mr Cohen, unfortunately our time is almost up. Thank you for this
presentation! Do you have any final remarks to leave with our audience?

Leonard Cohen: Thank you for coming to the chat. I hope it didn't waste your
time.

SonyMusicCanada: Thank you for chatting with us. Be sure to visit
http://www.leonardcohen.com to keep up to date and learn more about this first
class artist.