In the 1980s, at a restaurant near Times Square…

a new group of customers arrived — a large Japanese family, no doubt tourists staying at one of the many hotels in the area. Waiters pushed tables together, forming a long one, and after the family settled around it, the younger members took turns photographing the rest of their party. Of course, the photographer was always left out of the picture. Finally, one of them turned to Leonard Cohen and tentatively held out the camera. Despite a language barrier, it was clear what the Japanese stranger was asking for: a shot of his entire family.

Cohen didn’t hesitate. He hopped lightly to his feet, accepted the camera and positioned himself carefully to make sure everyone was in the frame. He gave them more than a perfunctory click of the shutter; he made an effort to get it right. Then he returned the camera with a slight bow and went back to his table, his glass of wine and his writing.

 

A Brief Encounter With Leonard Cohen by John Birmingham (Purple Clover: September 17, 2014) The complete story, available at the link, is worthwhile reading.

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 September 18, 2014 at DrHGuy.com, a predecessor of Cohencentric.