Monday, April 27, 2009

Roll Cadillac Roll, For Leonard

Leonard Cohen is out of the stupa, out and about again. Thought about seeing him yknow. BUt the freight was heavy and it wasnt in the cards. So there I was. Yknow. And I saw a DVD at the Video Underground in Jamaica Plain.


This DVD was a serious dissappointment. If I had time to rag on it I would. But suffice it to say that I liked Leonard's brief intermediary commentary. And I liked his one number [The Tower of Song] he did at the closing with U2. So go to try and buy it as an iTune. Nope, buddy, no luck, got to buy the whole soundtrack album to get that one. And why not? The parade of muscians in the movie proper are a bunch of turds that. taken together, do not make one shit.

I shook hands I suppose with Leonard Cohen once..it was the Mercer Center in NYC, on an intermidable intermission waiting for the New York Dolls to wake up or hop up and go on finally. "I really like your music," I said. He was polite.

Ok. So I am listening to the old birdon the wire's records again, yknow. Cause I cant go and see him. Thinking too about stealing.

We cant estimate the talent it takes to steal a song honestly. As the music of the 60s has been played over and over I think I have seen a lot of instances where really good songs came from a stolen premise. For example, it's said Dylan deliberately redid Norwegian Wood whe he did 4th Time Around. There is evidence that the Beatles created GoodDay Sunshine as they were trying to figure out the chords to the Lovin Spoonful's Daydream. Most thefts are blatant and less than the original.

I don't expect to surpass Leonard but the number clickable here Roll Cadillac Roll, For Leonard, is an homage with best intentions. The first words came to me in church on the 1st Sunday after Easter when Thomas doubts. I was in a little park square when I saw the bird [mentioned], and was in fact, shortly thereafter on the phone to Jeff DeMark [who was honing his homage to Rock LaPatina.] So here it us .. a bit biblical..if I have hit luck. Anyhoo, it's outthere now.

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