The Song of Leonard Cohen by Harry Rasky

Author:Harry Rasky
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780889629158
Publisher: Mosaic Press
Published: 2013-12-02T16:00:00+00:00

I persisted: “ But generally in terms of the life of Leonard Cohen is, ‘I don’t mean to suggest that I love you the best,’ I wonder how often you feel that about wonderful women you’ve known.”

“Well, I, you know, not to advertise my own famous modesty, I think it’s accurate. I don’t mean to suggest that I loved you the best, I mean I think there are people who love others, especially in this particular case, loved you better than I could or did. Because time also is a degree in the estimation of love, and there are people she knew well, and who supported her and I would say that to many, of many people that I’ve known.”

And that was that. This day, that question, perhaps too intimate and unfair would not be answered.

“Okay we’re going to move on to another song, which — it seems to me — sounds like a particular event. I don’t know if I’m correct or not, Famous Blue Raincoat?”

“Famous Blue Raincoat. I finished the lyric for that song in New York in a loft on Clinton St. I think I mention Clinton St. There’s music on Clinton St. all through the evening. I began the melody for that song around 1968. I remember playing it for my mother in her kitchen before it had a lyric. She said she liked the tune. The lyric developed somewhat later. I think it was in the early seventies, maybe. I was living with Marianna in a loft on Stanton St. and I remember the notebook, it was a blue covered notebook. And I began writing. In fact I have the notebook over there I think.”

And so it was. There was a sparse collection of items in this sparsely furnished, secluded place.

What is the significance of the photograph or drawing behind you Leonard? It was indeed a simple drawing.

“I think it’s an etching. Let’s see what is that? My grand uncle gave me that. My grandmother’s brother. He gave me that after my grandmother died and he was breaking up the flat where she lived. He gave me a number of things. That, that desk also was my grandmother’s desk. But he gave me that picture. I always thought it was beautiful. I guess I’d admired it when I was a child running around my grandmother’s house and he gave it to me.”

“You have a photograph of him?”

“Yes, he was a world traveler. He was a wonderful man and he was the kind of uncle that all the grandchildren loved most. He took real interest in the grandchildren, and played games with us, and showed us his diary. He kept a meticulous journal on everything he’d done, each day of his life and he’d say, ‘Would you like to know what I did in 1925 on January 11?’ And he’d be able to tell you what he did. We took a trip to Egypt, and the Holy Land around… it must have been 1911 or so.

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