LEONARD COHEN’S NAME MAY NEVER HAVE APPEARED IN THE SAME SENTENCE AS THE WORD ‘PROLIFIC’, BUT
NO OTHER CONTEMPORARY SONGWRITER HAS CREATED A BODY OF WORK OF SUCH CONSISTENT QUALITY, SUCH SINGULAR EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL INTELLIGENCE.
Too easily characterised as the ‘prince of gloom’ – music to slit your wrists to – his lyrically potent songs are actually full of romance, innuendo and humour. Too often written off as musically naïve, in reality his smoke-black vocal cords navigate the most sophisticated and arresting of melodies. He arrived at the Sixties’ pop-music party fashionably late, releasing his debut album – songs of Leonard Cohen – in 1967. At thirty-three years of age, he was the adult in the room, a room brimming, then as now, with literary pretension and artistic self-importance. But Cohen, already established as a respected poet and novelist, was the real deal. In the decades since, he’s battled with drugs, love and bankruptcy; become a Buddhist monk while simultaneously reaffirming his Jewish faith; and recorded eleven more albums of unfailingly affecting beauty. Beginning with Cohen the young poet and author in his home town of Montreal, and ending
with his 2012 release – old Ideas – and his recent highly acclaimed live performances, everybody knows honours Leonard Cohen’s eightieth birthday by celebrating his genius and tracing his rise to stardom through 200 photographs and the thoughts, memories and comments of those who have both worked with and been inspired by him. Too easily characterised as the ‘prince of gloom’ – music to slit your wrists to – his lyrically potent songs are actually full of romance, innuendo and humour. Too often written off as musically naïve, in reality his smoke-black vocal cords navigate the most sophisticated and arresting of melodies. He arrived at the Sixties’ pop-music party fashionably late, releasing his debut album – Songs of Leonard Cohen – in 1967. At thirty-three years of age, he was the adult in the room, a room brimming, then as now, with literary pretension and artistic self-importance. But Cohen, already established as a respected poet and novelist, was the real deal. In the decades since, he’s battled with drugs, love and bankruptcy; become a Buddhist monk while simultaneously reaffirming his Jewish faith; and recorded eleven more albums of unfailingly affecting beauty. Beginning with Cohen the young poet and author in his home town of Montreal, and ending with his 2012 release – Old Ideas – and his recent highly acclaimed live performances, everybody knows honours Leonard Cohen’s eightieth birthday by celebrating his genius and tracing his rise to stardom through 200 photographs and the thoughts, memories and
SONGS DON’T DIGNIFY HUMAN ACTIVITY. HUMAN ACTIVITY DIGNIFIES THE SONG. LEONARD COHEN, 1992
I found I had some gift for it and, with these little songs I wrote, I could impress myself and others – including girls. That’s the hormonal rage that cannot be ignored. LEONARD COHEN, 2001
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everybody knows charts Leonard Cohen’s extraordinary career in detail, placing his literary and musical achievements within the context of his life. Introduction seems so Long ago Born Montreal (September 21, 1934) – Westmount High School – school band The Buckskin Boys – McGill University – first published book of poetry, Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956) – grad school at Columbia University, New York (1956–1957) (‘passion without flesh, love without climax’) – back to Montreal, where his literary reputation grows – six Montreal Poets film – performances at the Birdland jazz club Came so Far For beauty Moves to London (1959), then buys a house on the Greek island of Hydra (1960) – solitude and ‘sittingdown time’ – visits Cuba during the missile crisis (1961) – meets Marianne on Hydra – more poetry, Flowers for hitler (1964); and two novels, The Favorite Game (1963) and beautiful Losers (1966) Chelsea hotel Start of serious musical career – moves to Nashville (1966), then on to New York a year later, where he stays in the Chelsea Hotel in the heart of the folkrock boom – clocks on at the Factory –Judy Collins records some of his songs – first album, songs of Leonard Cohen (1968) – second album, songs from a room (1969), builds on the success of the first Field Commander Cohen First tour of Europe (1970) – third album, songs of Love and hate (1971) – contributes soundtrack music for Robert Altman’s McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971) – tries to enlist in the Israeli army for the 1972 Arab–Israeli War and performs at Israeli military bases – meets Suzanne Elrod and becomes a father – increased political content on his fourth album, new skin for the old Ceremony (1974) – works with arranger John Lissauer – life on the road in North America and Europe Last year’s Man The troubled recording of death of a Ladies’ Man (1977) with Phil Spector – subtly retitled volume of poetry, death of a Lady’s Man (1978) – first involvement with Zen Buddhism – returns to top form with recent songs (1979) – short film I am a
hotel (1983) – CBS refuses to release various Positions (1985) in the US, but popularity in Europe continues you know who I am New-found success in the US, partly thanks to Jennifer Warnes’ collection of covers of his songs, Famous blue raincoat (1987) – finds younger audience with politically aware I’m your Man (1988) – songs used in mainstream movies of the early 1990s (e.g. Pump Up the volume and natural born killers) – political and social focus continues on The Future (1992) In My secret Life Moves to Mount Baldy Zen Center (1994) – spends five years in retreat, becoming ordained as a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk in 1996 and serving as personal assistant to Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi – leaves Mount Baldy and moves to Los Angeles (1999) – fans rejoice when he returns to music with Ten new songs (2001), produced and co-composed by Sharon Robinson – collaborates with Robinson and current romantic partner, Anjani Thomas, on his eleventh album, dear heather (2004) – co-writes Thomas’s blue alert album (2006) Passing Through Serious financial problems brought about by misappropriation of funds by his manager – retirement on hold – collection of poetry and drawings, book of Longing (2006), with accompanying music composed by Philip Glass – returns to the road (2008), his first tour for 15 years, and continues to tour heavily to the present day – old Ideas (2012) becomes his highestcharting album ever – a follow-up is planned for late 2013 discography Including studio albums, compilations, live albums, significant contributions to other artists’ albums and notable tribute albums acknowledgments
one day he had a bottle of wine in one hand and a 35mm pistol in the other. he put his arm around my shoulder, pressed the muzzle into my neck and said, “Leonard, I love you.” at which point I said: “I hope you really do, Phil.”’ LEONARD COHEN ON PHIL SPECTOR, 2001
The aUThor harvey kUbernIk is a writer, editor and journalist whose work has appeared internationally in, amongst others, Melody Maker, the Los Angeles Free Press, Crawdaddy!, Musician, Goldmine, MIX, the Los Angeles Times and MOJO. The author of several books, his latest, Canyon of dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon, was described by one reviewer as ‘one of the best books on rock ever written’. A former A&R man for MCA records, in the past forty years he has appeared in and produced countless music documentaries, written extensively on Leonard Cohen, and has also interviewed him several times.
For further information, please contact: PALAZZO EDITIONS LIMITED 2 Wood Street Bath BA1 2JQ Tel +44 (0)1225 326444 Fax +44 (0)1225 330209 email info@palazzoeditions.com www.palazzoeditions.com
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ARCH IVES A Scrapbook of Artifacts, Treasures, and Inside Information
Tom Wheeler
CL ASSI C GOT H
OPPOS ITE Vampires, romance and Ancient Egypt are all explored in the movie The Hunger (MGM, 1983), which not only stars gothic luminary David Bowie but also features a cameo performance from Bauhaus. This poster perfectly captures the glamour of early ‘80s goth.
B ELOW LEFT Label boss Keith Bagley snapped a Sri Lankan holy shrine for Sex Gang Children’s Song & Legend (Illuminated Records, 1983). Andi Sexgang recalls: “Keith thought it was perfect for the album cover and, when he showed me the photo, I just said: ‘Eureka!’”
B OTTOM LEFT Photographer Linda Rowell snapped the striking cover image of Specimen’s now iconic keyboard player Jonny Slut for Mick Mercer’s Gothic Rock (Pegasus, 1991). It was also used for the accompanying compilation albums, which were released through Jungle Records.
B ELOW R IG HT Before they formed Bauhaus, three quarters of the post-punk quartet were at art school. The illustration on the gatefold cover of Mask (Beggars Banquet, 1981) was drawn by guitarist Daniel Ash – he also painted the cover of follow-up The Sky’s Gone Out.
B OTTOM R IG HT The original 1986 sleeve of Virgin Prunes’ The Moon Looked Down And Laughed (Mute, 2004) was designed by Steve Averill, best known for his stark ‘80s U2 covers. This reissue includes photography by Ursula Steiger and is designed by Slim Smith.
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THE ART OF GOTHIC
DARK FANT ASY
“I watched an interview that Brandon Lee gave two days before his accidental death where he talks about the philosophy behind The Crow. He weaves in some of his own ideas and it’s really hard to tell if it’s Brandon Lee or Eric Draven talking.” Jyrki Linnankivi, illustrator and singer from The 69 Eyes
OPPOS ITE, TOP LEFT Not to be confused with the Karloff/ Lugosi movie of the same name, The Raven (Relativity Media, 2012) takes a classic Gothic poem and reworks it as a modern thriller with Edgar Allan Poe as the protagonist unraveling the mystery of a killer inspired by his work. The images blazing within the raven’s wings create the impression of Poe emerging from his own personal hell.
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OPPOS ITE, TOP LEFT As far as modern gothic films go, The Crow (Buena Vista, 1994) is one of the most iconic. Based on the graphic novel by James O’Barr, much of its dark beauty was masqueraded by the accidental death of Brandon Lee on set. The macabre imagery and catchy soundtrack was a hit with the gothic community and this image of rockstarturned-vigilante Eric Draven, dressed in black leather, makes for a very collectable poster.
OPPOS ITE, B OTTOM LEFT
Adapted from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, the aesthetics of the fantasy TV series Game of Thrones (HBO, 2011) struck a chord with so many goths. Viking mythology, medieval Europe and the Italian Renaissance were among Martin’s source material, while Michele Clapton’s inspired costumes could have been worn at gothic festivals and clubs.
OPPOS ITE, B OTTOM R IG HT Take a dystopian story with a philosophical subtext, inject it with anime-inspired visual effects, add an industrial-metal soundtrack and you’ve got a dark fantasy classic with a gothic edge. Blockbuster flick The Matrix (Warner Bros, 1999) popularized a time slicing effect known as Bullet Time, used in its superhuman fight scenes, and brought cyberpunk back into fashion.
A B OV E The magical poster for the Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (Warner Bros, 2006) plays on the film’s dark fantasy imagery that was inspired by Greek myths and gothic legends. Billed as a fairytale for adults, the movie’s uses computer-generated imagery, FX make up and animatronics to tell the story of a girl who ventures upon a mythical world that she becomes part of.
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MODERN
“ You can’t create a new genre…It’s just not possible anymore because everything’s been done already. I mean, you can mash things up but you can never really do anything completely new.” Wil Francis, William Control/Aiden
A B OV E LE FT Before he formed My Chemical Romance, musician Gerard Way intended to pursue a career in visual arts. One of his comic-style illustrations graces the cover of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (Reprise, 2004) and further examples can be found on the inlay, with design assistance from Mark Holley. His bloodied art was photographically recreated for 2006’s Life On The Murder Scene.
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A B OV E R I G HT Low brow went hand-in-hand with mid-00s gothic-emo style. Aiden commissioned Juxtapoz artist Alex Pardee to illustrate Conviction (Victory, 2007). The back cover features an image of the man’s head in a flowerpot, perhaps a tribute to John Keats’ macabre poem Isabella and the Pot of Basil? Pardee re-explored these themes in his Night Of The Treeple series.
TOP LEFT Guitarist Cyrus Barrone was behind the cover of Fearless Vampire Killers’ conceptual EP “Exposition – The Five Before The Flames” (Goremount, 2013). “ We couldn’t focus on a single theme for the cover so we filled [it] with images from each of the different concepts,” he explains. “The bright colors juxtapose the illustrations and make them unnerving.”
A B OV E LEFT The still on My Chemical Romance’s “Helena” (Reprise, 2005) is taken from Marc Webb’s stunning video for the song, which features the band as pallbearers at a funeral. The trademark red and black theme, enhanced by candles, rose petals and the lush surrounds of a chapel, all contribute to the gothic visuals of this promo.
A B OV E R IG HT James Jean’s cover for the second issue of Gerard Way’s The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite (Dark Horse Comics, 2007) gives an almost human spin to the dark realms of the superhero comic. Inside, Way’s original illustrations are reinterpreted by artist Gabriel Bá, who cites Matt Wagner’s Grendel comics as a big influence.
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VISIONS of
MUSIC
S H E ETi n tMh e U S I C T WENT I E TH CENTU RY T O N Y W A L A S
As The Lusitania Went Down (1915) Dramatic image of a tragic event. On Friday May 7, 1915, the British Cunard Line ocean liner Lusitania, while on a route from New York to Liverpool, was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat. It only took 18 minutes to go under, and the attack claimed 1198 people. In the lyrics, a man heroically gives up his seat on the lifeboat to a woman with a child, then he reflects on his own life. As the chorus goes “He thought of the girl who loved him, he thought of their wedding day, as he looked on the angry ocean, eager to seize its prey, he thought of his poor old mother, in a little southern town, and sadly he sighed, thy will be done, as the Lusitania went down.” Note the ghost image under the water and the hand reaching up. Also pictured is one of the only 6 (out of 48) lifeboats that managed to get successfully launched. The inside cover contains an “In Memoriam” tribute to all those affected by this disaster.
Someday You’ll Say - O.K. (1927) Another stylishly dressed couple. He is very persistent about winning her affection. “All day long I’m pleading, like a little lost pup, but I’ll just keep on pleading, and I’ll never give up.”.
When Darling Bess First Whispered Yes (1908) A man reminisces about how the “sweetest of life’s golden days comes back to me”. With the Pfeiffer illustration showing them coming out from behind the bushes, the only question is “What did she says yes to?”
Little Maid Of Old Chicago (1910) Sung to one of the emerging class of urban women, who is pictured in the air, above the skyline. She is smartly dressed with matching accessories, with an equally fashionable Marie Dinsmore in photo.
Marie (1921) Featuring a “pretty young thing” who seems to swirl onto the cover. She’s wearing a stylish striped coat, complementing the background design, and a twin-feathered hat. Photo caption reads “Featured successfully by Ted Lewis and his band”. Wohlmann cover.
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1972 FENDER JAZZ BASS PHOTOGRAPHED: MGM Garden Arena, Las Vegas July 28, 2007 GUITAR TECH: Russ Ryan
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Geddy purchased this bass at a Kalamazoo, Michigan pawn shop in the mid-1970s; he’s used it on every Rush album since. Because he prefers the feel of natural wood, the neck of the bass has been sanded free of its lacquer coating.
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PHOTOGRAPHED: Las Vegas August 20, 2003 GUITAR TECH: Elwood Francis
GIBSON EXPLORER GUITAR 0008 & GIBSON EXPLORER BASS 0007 Known as the “fur guitars” for obvious reasons. Made by luthier/ furrier Matthew Klein at the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville. In concert, Billy and Dusty strap on these fuzzy monsters when ZZ Top kicks into the song “Legs.” Don’t let their soft appearance fool you; these guitars rock hard.
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