Arlo had just drifted off to sleep when I received word that Leonard Cohen, one of my favorite musicians, had passed away at the age of 82. And, now, I’m just laying here beside my son, in the dark, listening to Songs of Hate quietly while he sleeps. I don’t know that it’s Cohen’s best album, but, as it was the only thing I had to listen to in my car for a number of years, I’ve got an incredible fondness for it. It’s more than a fondness, actually. It’s like that record is part of me. It’s probably been a year since I’ve listened to it, and I still know every pause and every breath by heart. It’s kind of strange and beautiful, listening to it now, with Arlo curled up next to me, breathing softly against my arm. It’s also, of course, incredibly sad, especially given what we’ve just lived through here in the United States, and what we’ve likely got ahead of us. It feels like, after having been punched to the ground, I’ve just been kicked in the gut. But I’m trying to get beyond the sadness by just focusing on the music, while laying here, rubbing my son’s back as he sleeps with one hand, while typing with the other… I know that others will have more thoughtful tributes, but I just wanted to acknowledge his passing in some small way, as he meant so much to me. Here, with that in mind, is Famous Blue Raincoat from from Songs of Love and Hate.
[The line, “Did you ever go clear?” is my favorite on the entire album. I think t’s because I’ve always been somewhat obsessed by Scientology. Cohen, by the way, is said to have joined Scientology, a religion he’d leave after a short while, because he’d heard that it was a good place to meet women.]
Linette just reminded me that, when we saw Cohen perform in Detroit about half a dozen years ago, after finishing the last song of his set, he skipped off stage. That’s a happy memory I hope I’m able to hold onto it for a long time to come… And I hope I’m still skipping at 75.
Now, if we could just stop the death for a little while, it would be great. I feel like, after losing David Bowie, Prince, Gene Wilder and Cohen, we’ve paid enough of a price for a while.
Oh, and the quote in the headline, if you don’t recognize it, is from Cohen’s Bird on the Wire, which, coincidentally, Arlo and I have been singing together lately.