Leonard Cohen Signs On
Leonard Cohen was a gracious signer of autographs, even when it was readily apparent that his signature was destined to be a marketable commodity to retail on eBay. For the most part, those soliciting his autograph have asked that he sign a concert program or ticket, one of his novels or books of poetry, CDs, DVDs, or vinyl records of his music, posters featuring him, his drawings, the occasional wall (see image below), random scraps of paper, and other predictable surfaces.1
A subcategory of professional autograph solicitors-sellers focus on obtaining and putting up for sale Leonard’s signature on various guitars, pickguards, and microphones. I have been informed that several autograph seekers have asked the Canadian singer-songwriter to sign various denominations of currency (the American $20 bill seems to be featured in the majority of these anecdotes).2
Mel’s New York License Tag, Judy’s Pink iPhone Case, Roscoe’s Hat, & The Montreal Mollusk
Triggering my quest for atypical objects signed by Leonard Cohen is the confluence of Melanie Joss’s requited request for Leonard Cohen to autograph her license plate (pictured atop this post) and my serendipitous discovery of Judy Green’s iPhone case (pictured below) bearing Leonard Cohen’s signature.
I then recalled that Roscoe Beck proudly displayed a fedora with Leonard’s signature inside.3
A Montreal restaurant displays Leonard’s signature on the half-shell (see Discovery Of Leonard Cohen Oyster Shell Manuscript Triggers Schism Among Cohentologists)
The Shoe
[At a launch party for The Future] one man offers a shoe to be autographed, explaining that he recently wore it at his wedding. Carefully, Cohen inscribes his name across the white leather with a ballpoint pen, then adds a quotation from his 1966 novel Beautiful Losers: “Magic is afoot.”4
And, Of Course, There Was This Heartfelt Autograph
What Else Has Leonard Cohen Signed?
I dunno. Has Leonard signed, perhaps a toaster, a MacBook Pro, a pillowcase, undergarments, a menu, a photo of Kris Kristofferson, a hockey stick, a group shot of his lookalikes (e.g., Leonard Nimoy, Dustin Hoffman, Neil Diamond, et al)…?
Readers aware of such oddities are urged to contact DrHGuy with details.
Credit Due Department: The photo of Melanie Joss’s license tag is contributed by Melanie and Tom Joss. The shot of Judy Green’s iPhone case is by Judy Green.
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 22, 2011 at 1HeckOfAGuy.com, a predecessor of Cohencentric.
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- By the way, is there a name for the object on which an autograph is written? Doesn’t it seem as though there should be a word for this? [↩]
- These individuals were, no doubt, among those slackers who never heeded their fourth grade teacher’s repeated admonitions to always have paper and a pencil on hand. [↩]
- Update: The article with that photo of Leonard’s autographed headgear – Playing with Cohen by Brad Buchholz (Austin American-Statesman: March 31, 2009) – is apparently no longer online. [↩]
- From Life Of A Lady’s Man by Brian D. Johnson. Maclean’s: Dec 7, 1992. [↩]