The Lost Canadian

I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin
I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
... Leonard Cohen

Things have been looking up lately. So why have I been listening to so much Leonard Cohen? He's not exactly the king of shiny happy music, is he? And this has been a very recently developed taste, as I have had very little interest in his music previously to the here and now.
Is it the whole yin/yang thang? A balance to feeling too giddy? Is it my advancing years? Is it a sudden interest in Buddhism (well, definitely not the last one).

I dunno, I saw him on TV a while back, in a concert from last year and I found the experience exhilarating. The arrangements were sorta peppy. I think it's the bass lines. They lift the songs in a way that the accompaniment in similar balladeers like Tom Waits just doesn't.
Most of his lyrics are pretty dark, but not depressing.



For a "cult" musician, Cohen has been in pop culture continuously. His two songs (Waiting For The Miracle and The Future)that were featured in (and framed) Natural Born Killers were especially relevant in that tale two psychotic lovebirds.


And as he ages (I think he's 70), does anyone rock the fedora and dark suit better?


So, here's to ya, Lenny! Long may you warble!

This was actually the first time I ever heard of Leonard Cohen:

Maybe there's a God above
And all I ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
It's not a cry you can hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah