I fought against the bottle,
But I had to do it drunk –
Took my diamond to the pawnshop –
But that don’t make it junk.

From That Don’t Make It Junk
By Leonard Cohen

 

The enthusiastic response to a recent posting of Leonard Cohen’s 2010 Sligo performance of “That Don’t Make It Junk,” one of the titles rarely played in the later portions of the 2008-2013 Leonard Cohen tours, prompted a search for other live renditions. I have found two, a video shot at a 2009 Dublin show, which will be posted later, and this one, which captures a performance of “That Don’t Make It Junk” at the June 5, 2008 Toronto Leonard Cohen concert. While the visual elements lack the clarity of a pro-shot video, it is definitely enjoyable to watch and the audio is good. The sequence opens with Leonard Cohen’s commenting on Sharon Robinson’s notion to write a song about his (Cohen’s) drinking problem. Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson are, of course, credited as co-writers of “That Don’t Make It Junk.”

Leonard Cohen – That Don’t Make It Junk
Toronto: June 5, 2008
Video by backpackdave2008

 

I was discussing my drinking problem with Sharon Robinson. She said ‘This is very serious, we better put it to music.’

 

Leonard Cohen

 

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 Jan 28, 2010 at 1HeckOfAGuy.com, a predecessor of Cohencentric.