Q: Is there one piece of criticism that sticks in your mind?
Leonard Cohen: The only criticism that has stuck in my mind is that somebody once said to me that I had a cruel streak. Maybe that is too honest for this article. But that stayed with me, the possibility that I enjoyed and took pleasure in the discomfort of another’s distress.

Q: What is your greatest fear?
Leonard Cohen: That I have a cruel streak.

Q: What is your most unpleasant characteristic?
Leonard Cohen: I really don’t think I have a cruel streak.

From “Q Questionnaire – Leonard Cohen” in Q Magazine, September 1994. Photos by Gabriel Jones.

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 at DrHGuy.com.