Trying to come to terms with Leonard Cohen’s death at 82 years of age, after he delivered a magnum opus, You want it Darker, seems more difficult than if he had passed away before it’s completion. The sudden death hit hard, and much harder than I could have imagined. I felt as if a really close friend from my innermost circle had died and I found myself weeping at unexpected times in the days that followed. That is as it should be. I did lose a friend, on a deeply spiritual level, and I felt the tides of time summon Leonard to another Universal space taking him beyond our physical realm and reach.
Leonard and his music, and poetry, assumed a big importance in my life. He moulded my musical brain early on with his finely crafted words, folksy melodies and finger-picked guitar, and he did so more than any other individual artist. A process of osmosis slipped songs seamlessly into my psyche. I never felt them dark or depressing, more like rich Black Magic chocolates, rather than Milk Tray, richer and stronger in ingredient intensity. They were interesting, and more sensitive in their story telling lyrical delivery than any of his contemporaries and they seemed well matured like a long aged wine. He never changed his style to follow trends, but crafted, honed and perfected the works as master crafters do in achieving the highest standard of art in their chosen field of creativity.
From my youngest days, I was musically transfused by the transistor radio and music made me a thief. I am guilty of robbing my eldest brother’s cassette tapes of Leonard’s songs and surreptitiously making copies before returning them. Thus began a relationship with Leonard and his music and it is one of the longest lasting relationships of my life. So the great affair is over……..no, it transcends to a new level now.
Picking a favourite Leonard song or album is impossible for me. All of them conjure a magic of their own, unique intrigue and savoury sensations to the pallet of my musical taste and like a great wine each work must be consumed in ceremonious sacredness. One must drain the bottle to fell the full measure of intoxication in the work. Perhaps I am suffering mulled-tiple hangovers of late because of his passing and the consumption of his new album. It’s an album infused with advice for living, dying, expressing pain, anger and tiredness and it’s a manual for living with defeat, and how to do so with dignity. In this album we have been taken to the highest point and within days we are plunged into the darkness of his death. True to form a sacred spirit permeates the songs. It always did in Leonard’s case. To quote Henry McCullough , another victim of the Grim Reaper’s musical cull of 2016 from his song, Failed Christian, “ There’s a spirit in music, there’s a prayer in a song”. All great musical creators know it, and say it meditatively in song. They know the sacred mystery of creative communion in lyric and song. Lucky the listener to be afflicted with the contagion of the love of that musical opus.
It was a life long ambition to see Leonard Cohen perform live. For years it seemed unlikely to occur. A not so simple twist of fate brought it about. But when Leonard did it this time, he did it in style, with a superb band, and polished performances that few ever match in the star galaxies. A few lifetime achievement bucket list boxes got ticked in Kilmainham, Dublin in 2008 when dreams were realised with some of my best friends in tow. The dreams continued to come true in 2009 at the O2 in Dublin. I even invited Leonard to come and live with me as he sang So Long , Marianne. And he almost took me up on it. He did come and visit and perform in Sligo, my home county. He delivered the No 1 concert of my lifetime at Lissadell House, in Yeat’s County, The Land of Heart’s Desire, and Leonard turned it into The Land of Unified Heart’s Desire. Standing a few feet away from front of stage in Lissadell was a precious experience and I felt the power of Leonard in his sacrifical offering of himself and his music, and a connect so personal to my hero of a lifetime. Few experiences in life come near to satiating the appetite so completely. Leonard delivered and served up a consummate menu of musical appetisers beyond all other concert experiences I’d ever savoured.
Throughout these last few years, I started to record my own original songs and through social media I connected with Leonard fans and many of who have become fans of my own songs. The myriad of people I have come to know and meet are a delight. Special friendships are forged along the way; and musicans, writers, artists, critics, hacks all feature among the list. Many of you met Leonard in person, a privilege I would have cherished, but I felt I did meet him on a very spiritual plain in Lissadell during his concert there and he touched my not so perfect body with his mind. Some of you will have heard me sing Leonard’s songs. Of late, it has been hard to do it, but now some 4 weeks after his passing, I found myself back in singing mood and rehearsing some of those songs again and even working to arrange some of the songs from You want it Darker to fit my style of delivery and performance. The sheer pleasure and depth of the experiences in this exercise has astounded me. I am reaching a new chapter in song and performing, and a destiny of some sort is being fulfilled. My journey led through dark depression, but my fumbling days are fewer and there is a craic in everything and the light is getting in.
On my facebook pages, I deliver positivity nuggets. It started as a means of keeping the pages busier during periods when I had not a huge amount of musical work and videos to post. I began to create nuggets from pictures and wise sayings, poems and quotes. Others caught the nugget bug and cheerfulness and humour started breaking through. Meanwhile I endure financial and geographical inconveniences to bring new songs to life and get them out onto the world but Leonard has shown me the way and pointed the direction by touring and continuously polishing the work, refining the songs and distilling the best in performing them.
Many thanks Leonard for all your gifts to me. I know you’ll be speaking to me from the Tower of Song…..even though my hair is grey and I ache in the places that I used to play….But I’ll be listening for your communications, ….Year by year …..Month by month…..Day by day…..Thought by thought. !!!!
© Jerome Taheny, December 2016.
