The Funniest Leonard Cohen Music Videos

The humor of these videos starring Leonard Cohen, aka Poet Laureate Of Pessimism, aka High Priest Of Pathos, aka Master Of Erotic Despair, aka Gloom Merchant… is self-evident so only minimal annotations have been added. Today’s post features the #4 & #5 funniest videos.

The Criteria:

1. The videos must feature Leonard Cohen in a professionally staged and directed performance intended to be viewed in the video medium.
2. Videos of live performances, such as concerts, are ineligible.
3. Home-brewed cut and paste videos, Leonard Cohen impersonations, and parodies are ineligible.
4. “Funniest” includes funny-ha ha, funny-weird, and combinations of both.

Leonard Cohen + Swedish TV = Fun

Today, we offer two confections from Swedish TV. These videos feature Leonard Cohen, aided and abetted – as well as fondled – by Perla Batalla and Julie Christensen, performing “I’m Your Man” and “Tower Of Song” on the June 29/30,1988 edition of Jacob’s Backstage (Med Noje Pa Dalaro) Stockholm, Sweden. Both videos are set, for reasons never made apparent, against the backdrop of a pleasant lake, replete with pleasure boats and swimmers.

#4. I’m Your Man

 

While the back-up singers’ flirtatious adoration of Leonard – of the sort also seen in the salaciously provocative Official Closing Time Video (see The Making Of The Leonard Cohen Closing Time Video: Outrageous Vamping, Go-Go Dancing, Erotic Gazing) – is the primary stage business in this video, at least two other small gems adorn this production.

1. I’d Say Please, Too

Just after 2:30 Leonard Cohen does his Roscoe Beck imitation, echoing his own “Pleeeeease.” (Note: While I respect Leonard’s many musical talents, I do not believe that those skills include the chops to replicate his own “Pleeeeease’” while simultaneously sustaining his first rendering of the same word.)

For comparison, the video below starts just before Cohen sings “I’d say ‘please,'” which is followed by Roscoe Beck joining in with “Pleeeeease.”

Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man
San Jose: Nov 13, 2009
Video from arlenedick15

 

2. Someone Makes A Splash

At 1:54 a diver springs into the lake over Julie Christensen’s right shoulder. As a guide, the screen capture is shown below with the diver’s body circled in red and Photoshopped into high contrast.

Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man
Swedish TV: June 29/30, 1988
Video from Current Cohen (May be blocked in some countries)

#3. Tower Of Song

While the action lacks the fondling that was key to the Official Closing Time Video, Perla Batalla’s never-shifting gaze fixed on Leonard and Julie Christensen’s dreamy look with sometimes closed and sometimes half-closed eyes prove sufficiently provocative.

I must defer to someone with more acute vision (or someone who owns one of those physics-defying CSI machines capable of enlarging the size of an image and simultaneously sharpening its focus) to describe what is going on that boat that enters the scene at 3:42 to the viewer’s right of Leonard. My best guess is that someone in a white skirt is dancing on the forward portion of the boat – or a porpoise wearing white bathing trunks is jumping over the bow of the boat.

Leonard Cohen – Tower Of Song
Swedish TV: June 29/30, 1988
Video from ScottishTeeVee (May be blocked in some countries)

 

The Other Funniest Leonard Cohen Music Videos

• #1. First We Take Manhattan German TV 1988
• #2. Hallelujah – German TV 1985
• #3. In My Secret Life Official Video

I am republishing selected posts from my former Leonard Cohen site, Cohencentric, here on AllanShowalter.com (these posts can be found at Leonard Cohen). This entry was originally posted Nov 26, 2009 at 1HeckOfAGuy.com, a predecessor of Cohencentric.

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I am republishing selected posts from my former Leonard Cohen site, Cohencentric, here on AllanShowalter.com (these posts can be found at Leonard Cohen). This entry was originally posted June 24, 2011 at 1HeckOfAGuy.com, a predecessor of Cohencentric.