by Ira B. Nadel
48 “links two vital periods”: Knight 5.
49 “poetic voices became”: Knight 5.
50 “romantic lyricism”: Knight 39.
51 “That’s what it’s all about”: LC 5/14/94.
52 “he has no psychic skin”: Sean Dixon 5/11/94.
53 “We would go”: SD 5/11/94.
54 “It’s hell, darling”: LC quoted by SD 5/11/94.
55 “Leonard, you just”: SD 5/11/94.
56 “You can’t say”: SD 5/11/94.
57 “Things are going to slide”: “The Future,” TF.
58 “If you’re pressed”: “Waiting for the Miracle,” TF.
59 “Leonard is one of”: Rebecca De Mornay in David Browne, “7 Reasons Leonard Cohen is the Next-Best Thing to God,” Entertainment Weekly (8 January 1993) 31.
60 “Do you want to know”: “Knowing Rebecca De Mornay like only Leonard Cohen Can,” Interview (June 1993) 81.
61 “Solid gold artists”: LC in Entertainment Weekly (8 January 1993) 31.
62 “Rebecca got wise”: LC in RTE Weekly (20–26 August 1993) 6.
63 “I am trying”: LC in Ian Pearson, “Growing Old Disgracefully,” Saturday Night (March 1993) 49.
64 “one of the most popular”: Citation, Order of Canada, Governor General’s Office, Rideau Hall, Ottawa (16 August 1993).
65 “exposure to [Layton’s] work”: LC, Globe and Mail (25 October 1991) 18.
66 “has never been disloyal”: IL 7/25/94.
Chapter 13
1 “From my balcony”: John Walsh, “Melancholy Baby,” Independent Magazine (8 May 1993) 40.
2 “those soft California stars”: Jack Kerouac, “The Mexican Girl,” The Portable Jack Kerouac 177.
3 “a training in self-reform”: LC 5/11/94; also see LC in Alan Twigg, Georgia Straight 20.
4 “It’s very dangerous”: LC in MOJO (September 1994) 61.
5 “When you rose out”: “The Mist of Pornography,” LCA.
6 “My Life in Art”: DLM 192.
7 “to the painful decision”: LC 12/29/94.
8 “but when I listened”: LC, Songtalk 3: 2:27.
9 “the way I do things”: LC 5/11/94.
10 “And the whole damn place”: “Closing Time,” TF.
11 “A pessimist”: LC in Reuters, “Leonard Cohen enjoying the spotlight,” Vancouver Province (28 December 1993) B7.
12 “Only in a country”: acceptance speech, JUNO Awards, CBC TV 21 March 1993.
13 “gritty realistic voice”: Allen Ginsberg, “Leonard Cohen” Take This Waltz 93.
14 “there is nothing like”: LC in Georgia Straight (9 July 1993) 41.
15 “Leonard Cohen wrapped”: Boston Globe (26 December 1993) A10.
16 “I feel like a soldier”: LC in Paul Cantin, “Citizen Cohen,” Ottawa Sun (28 November 1993) 34.
17 “The implication is”: Ottawa Sun 34.
18 “primitivist, protuberant”: LC in Toronto Star (21 November 1993) Bi.
19 “came up with”: LC in Siemerling, Take This Waltz 154.
20 “could never get around to”: LC in Dev Sherlock, “Leonard Cohen,” Musician Magazine (November 1993) 7.
21 “select the pieces”: LC quoted by NB 2/18/94; 12/29/94.
22 “a book that was good”: J. Lozaw, “Leonard Cohen,” Boston Rock #141 (June 1994) 20.
23 “coherent”: LC 5/11/94.
24 “I’m glad we ran off”: ES in.
25 “I’m glad we got over”: SM 161.
26 “major new book”: Doug Gibson to JMcCL, 11 December 1989, McM.
27 “reflections on his career”: DG to JMcCL, 5 October 1991, McM.
28 “I tried to eliminate”: LC in Lacey, Globe and Mail (12 November 1993) E1.
29 “it’s very agreeable”: LC in Goldmine 56.
30 “I’m really not”: LC in Lozaw, Boston Rock 20.
31 “the final pages”: LC RTE Guide 6.
32 “the voice”: LC, RTE Guide 6.
33 “This glum”: David Hiltbrand, “Cohen Live,” People 42 (4 July 1994) [19].
34 “I only drink professionally”: LC, RTE Guide 6.
35 “a Tibetan fairy tale”: LC 12/29/94.
36 “I respect the book”: LC, “Morningside,” CBC Radio, 13 December 1994.
37 “the event itself”: LC, “Morningside,” 13 December 1994.
38 “I was ready”: LC 12/29/94.
39 “I remember when”: LC 12/29/94.
40 “On the path of loneliness”: LC, Globe and Mail (4 June 1994) C10; PEN Canadian Travel Anthology, ed. Rooke 55.
41 “a ponderous mind”: LC in James Adams, “Dancing in the Tower of Song,” Globe and Mail (3 August 1995) A9.
42 “I am very happy”: LC, “Press Release,” A&M Records, August 1995.
43 “A quill in his teeth”: Tom Robbins, “Tom Robbins Considers the Man in the Tower,” TS [1] [3], [5] [10].
44 “In Search of Optimism”: Rod Usher, “In Search of Optimism,” Time (25 September 1995) 72.
45 “there is a crack”: “Anthem,” TF.
46 “when [love] can be assimilated”: LC in Anjelica Huston, “Leonard Cohen,” Interview (November 1995) 92, 90.
47 “Nowadays my only need”: LC in Merja Asikainen, “Leonard Cohen,” Ilta-Sanomat (14 October 1995) 14, in Finnish; for English summary see Jarkko Arjatsalo, “Everybody Knows,” Intensity 9 (December 1995) [15].
48 “With him there’s no sense”: LC in James Adams, “Dancing to the Tower of Song,” Globe and Mail (3 August 1995) A 10.
49 “I love it, Man”: LC in MOJO (September 1994) 59.
50 “survival”: LC 5/11/94.
51 “For me”: LC 5/11/94.
52 “[Zen] has a kind of”: LC, “Morningside,” 13 December 1994.
53 “the crumbs of love”: “Avalanche,” SLH.
54 “I’ll rise up”: “My Honour,” SM 394.
55 “I find that my life”: LC, BRAVO TV, 31 August 1995.
PERMISSIONS
Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published and unpublished material. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders; in the event of an inadvertent omission or error, please notify the publisher so that full acknowledgment can be given in future editions.
Leonard Cohen Archive. Unpublished excerpts from letters, journals, poems, and lyrics. Copyright © Leonard Cohen / Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. / Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Columbia University, Butler Library. Excerpts from the papers of Marian McNamara. Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University.
Louis Dudek. Excerpts from correspondence. Copyright © Louis Dudek. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Douglas Gibson. Excerpt from correspondence. Copyright © Douglas Gibson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Irving Layton. Excerpts from correspondence. Copyright © Irving Layton. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Don Lowe. Excerpt from Kingy. Copyright © Don Lowe. Used by permission. All rights reserved
Jack McClelland. Excerpts from correspondence. Copyright © Jack McClelland. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
McClelland & Stewart. Excerpts from Let Us Compare Mythologies by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1956, 1966 by Leonard Cohen. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Excerpts from The Spice-Box of Earth by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1961 McClelland & Stewart. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Excerpts from Flowers for Hitler by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1964 by Leonard Cohen. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Excerpts from Parasites of Heaven by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1966 by Leonard Cohen. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Selected Poems 1956–1968 by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1964, 1966, 1968 by Leonard Cohen. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Energy of Slaves by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1972 by Leonard Cohen. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Death of a Lady’s Man by Leonard Cohen. Copyrigh
t © 1978 by Leonard Cohen. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Book of Mercy by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1984 by Leonard Cohen. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1993 by Leonard Cohen / Leonard Cohen Stranger Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
McMaster University. Excerpts from the McClelland & Stewart Archive, McMaster University Library. Copyright © McClelland & Stewart. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Desmond Pacey, Excerpt from correspondence. Copyright © Estate of Desmond Pacey. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
University of Toronto. Excerpts from the Leonard Cohen manuscript collection, Thomas Fisher Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Toronto.
Viking Press. The Favorite Game by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1963 by Leonard Cohen. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen. Copyright © 1966 by Leonard Cohen. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Photographs. All unattributed photographs copyright © Leonard Cohen / Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. / Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Songs by Leonard Cohen. “Suzanne,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “The Stranger Song,” copyright © 1967, 1995 Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “So Long, Marianne,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Sisters of Mercy,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Master Song,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Good-bye,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Winter Lady,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Teachers,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Bird On The Wire,” copyright © 1968 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “The Old Revolution,” copyright © 1969 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “The Butcher,” copyright © 1969 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “You Know Who I Am,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Priests,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Avalanche,” copyright © 1967, 1995 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Famous Blue Raincoat,” copyright © 1971 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Last Year’s Man,” copyright © 1971 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Nancy,” copyright © 1969 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Story of Isaac,” copyright © 1969 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “There Is A War,” copyright © 1974 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “A Singer Must Die,” copyright © 1974 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Field Commander Cohen,” copyright © 1974 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Is This What You Wanted,” copyright © 1974 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “I Tried To Leave You,” copyright © 1974 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Leaving Green Sleeves,” copyright © 1974 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Memories,” copyright © 1977 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. and Back to Mono Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Paper Thin Hotel,” copyright © 1977 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. and Back to Mono Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Iodine,” copyright © 1977 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. and Back to Mono Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Death of a Ladies’ Man,” copyright © 1977 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. and Back to Mono Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Came so Far for Beauty,” copyright © 1979 by Bad Monk Publishing and Relentless Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Night Comes On,” copyright © 1988 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Dance Me To The End Of Love,” copyright © 1992 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Hallelujah,” copyright © 1988 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “The Law,” copyright © 1988 by Bad Monk Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Coming Back to You,” copyright © 1984 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “First We Take Manhattan,” copyright © 1991 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Take This Waltz,” copyright © 1990 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. © 1993 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Closing Time,” copyright © 1993 by Leonard Cohen Stranger Music, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1996 by Ira B. Nadel
First Vintage Canada Edition 1997
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Originally published in Canada in hardcover by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Nadel, Ira Bruce
Various positions: a life of Leonard Cohen
eISBN: 978-0-307-36702-0
1. Cohen, Leonard, 1934– –Biography.
2. Poets, Canadian (English)–20th century – Biography.*
1. Title.
PS8505.022Z794 1997 c811′.54 C97-930903-4
PR9199.3.C57Z794 1997
v3.0