Leonard Cohen AKA - The Nicknames

Leonard Cohen Sobriquets, Aliases, Bynames, Cognomens, Appellations, Alternative Names, & Monikers

Leonard Cohen is the Nabob of Nicknames, the Maharajah of Monikers, the Commander of Cognomens… Perhaps endowing Leonard Cohen with a nickname is a criterion a journalist must meet in order to make his bones as a pop music critic. In any case, writers are the most frequent contributors of aliases, but there are also offerings from friends, family, lovers, fans, and even Mr Cohen himself that have been memorialized in print. (Note: The references in the footnotes are presented only as examples of these appellations in use; these excerpts do not necessarily represent the origin of a given nickname.)

The Nicknames

Lord Byron Of Rock ‘n’ Roll1
Bard Of The Boudoir2
Ladies’ Man3
Grandson Of The Prince Of Grammarians4
Master Of Erotic Despair5
Master Of Romantic Despair6
High Priest Of Pathos7
Poet Laureate Of Pessimism8
Grocer Of Despair9
Prophet Of Despair10
Poet Laureate Of Commitophobes11
Bard Of Bedsits12
Dr. Kevorkian Of Song13
Beautiful Creep14
Godfather Of Gloom15
Godfather Of Doom ‘N’ Gloom16
Prince Of Bummers17
Troubadour Of Travail18
Laughing Len19
Laughing Lennie20
Captain Mandrax21
Poet Of Rock And Roll22
Master Of The Egg Salad Sandwich23
Poet Of The Holy Sinners24
King Of Dirge25
Poet Of Existential Despair26
Jikan/Jikan The Useless Monk/Silent One27
Poet Of Bedsit Angst28
Poet Laureate Of Misery29
Gloom Merchant30
Bourgeois Individualist Poet31
Bard Of Love And Loss32
Grand Master of Melancholia33
King Of Misery34
Poet Laureate Of Our Dreams35
Durable Hipster36
Legendary Ladies Man37
Existential Comedian38
Spin Doctor For The Apocalypse39
Grizzled Prophet40
Damaged Priest41
Hippie Icon42
Apocalyptic Lounge Lizard43
Jeremiah Of Tin Pan Alley44
Amiable Gangster45
Poetic Playboy46
Emotional Imperialist47
Restless Pilgrim48
Patron Saint Of Angst49
Smiling Dada Of Despair50
Montreal Mensch51
Prince Of Pain52
Bard Of Mount Baldy53
Our National Muse54
Maestro Of The Monotone55
Crown Prince of Pain56
Master Of Melancholy57
Our Man58
Godfather Of Great Singers Who Can’t Sing59
Joking Troubadour of Gloom/Troubadour of Gloom60
Master Of Sexy Melancholy61
High Priest Of Solitude62
Master Of Word And Song63
Bard On A Wire64
Canadian Bard65
Canada’s Melancholy Bard66
Canadian Bard Of The Holy And Profane67
King Of Melancholy68
Disappearing Mr. Mysterioso69
Master Of Misery70
Maestro Of Melancholy71
Commander-In-Chief Of Grief72
Maestro Of Magnificent Melancholy73
Poet Of Love74
Patron Saint Of Disappointment75
King Of Hearts76
Master Of Song77
Trovador Do Canadá [Troubadour Of Canada]78
Godfather Of Goth79
Ageless Troubadour Of Montreal80
Prince Of Precision81
Patron Saint Of Bedsit Depressives82
Poet Of Pleasure And Pain83
Apostle Of Melancholy84
Bard Of Our Great Depression85
Godfather Of Miserablism86
Field Commander Cohen87
Bard Of Montreal88
King Of Hippy-Era Bedsit Angst89
Canada’s High Priest Of Poetry90
Coolest White Man On The Planet91
Melancholy Bard Of Popular Music/Canada’s Melancholy Bard Of Popular Music92
Canada’s Literary Enfant Terrible93
High Priest Of Lyrical Minimalism94
Poet Of Swinging Suicides95
Master Of Duende96
Bleak Baritone97
Canada’s Poet Laureate Of Existential Despair98
Troubadour Of Love99
Cat In The Hat100
Prince Of Anguish101
King Of Cool102
Poet Laureate Of Wine, Women And Song103
Beat Apocalyptic Prophet104
Mel Torme of the Terminally Downbeat105
Prince of Prurience And Loss106
International Man107
Culture Man108
Architect Of Angst109
Poet Laureate Of The Lonely-Hearted110
Prince Of Pessimism111
Felonious Monk112
Poet Of Anguish113
God In The Black Suit114
Godfather Of Misery115
World’s Only Interesting Canadian116
High Priest Of Austerity117
Musical Bard Of Canada118
Existential Serenader119
Purveyor Of Razor Blades120
Poet Laureate Of Those On The Road121
Canada’s Cult Icon122
Sage Of Suicide123
Arch Bard Of Miserabilism124
Eminence Grise Of Art Song125
Prince Of Golden Oldies126
Poet Of The Heart127
Poet Of Romantic Doom/Croaky Poet Of Romantic Doom128
Poet Laureate Of Canadian Folk Music129
Chronicler Of Despair130
Prince Of Darkness131
God’s Dearest Sunbeam132
Master Of Prose133
Visceral Romantic134
Renaissance Mensch135
Poet Of Loneliness136
Maestro Of Timing137
Éminence Grise Of Art Song138
Patron Saint Of Envy139
Prophet Of The Heart140
King Of The Alta-Cockers141
Poet Laureate Of The Self-Obsessed142
Maestro Of Moving On143
Cohen The Miserablist144
Patron Saint Of Miss Dale’s Farm145
Partisan Der Liebe (Partisan Of Love)146
Montreal Mope147
White Barry White148
Troubadour Of Melancholy149
Patron Saint Of Young People Living In Cities, Waiting For Something To Happen150
Titan Der Worte (Titan Of The Words)151
Dark Poet152
Don Of Depression153
Prophet Of Love154
Brother Of Mercy155
Master Of Poetic Rock156
Solitary Cliff, Cliff157
Our Great Canadian Shakespeare158
Post Henry And June Evangelical Pimp Of All Centuries159
Love’s Hard Man160
High Priest Of Passion And Pain161
Roving Poet Laureate Of Rock’n’roll162
Poetul De La Microfon/Poet Of The Microphone163
Godfather Of Cool164
Duke Of Doom165
Young Prince Of Montreal166
Poet Prince Of Montreal167
Badass Of Dark Verse168
Maestro Of Murky Mirth169
Canada’s Troubadour of Song & Verse170
Melancholy Troubadour171
Anarchist Without A Bomb172
Somnambulist Without An Alarm Clock173
Chief Apocalyptist174
Melancholy Hero175
Legendary Grouchy Bard From Montreal176
Legendary Bard From Montreal177
Late-Romantic Existentialist178
Saint Porn179
Godfather of Hipsterism180
Bard Of Exaggerated Emotion181
Singenden Sinnsucher [Singing Searcher For Meaning]182
Cohen The Sensualist183
Poet Laureate Of Despair184
Leonard The Versifier185
Godfather Of Depressive Rock186
F. Scott Fitzgerald Of Popular Song187
Prodigal Poet188
Pop Music’s Perpetual Old Man189
King Of Sorrow190
Laureate Of Creative Agony191
Grinning Reaper192
World Heavyweight Champion Of Existential Despair193
Singular Voice Of Terminal Melancholia194
Mel Brooks Of Misery195
Maestro Of Munificent Magnanimity196
One Man Joy Division197
Unbeautiful Winner198
Virgin-Pilgrim War Hero199
Lugubrious Len200
Canadian Bob Dylan201
Baritone-Voiced Scholar Of Heartache And Cultural Decay202
Poet Laureate Of Outrage And Romantic Despair203
Patron Saint Of Suicides204
Mr. Misery205
Aficionado Of Gloom206
Grand Master Of Bedroom Angst207
Black-Clad Troubadour Of The Minor Key208
King Of Popular Music/Undisputed King Of Popular Music209
Master Of Mortification210
Sentry Of Solitude211
Grand Overlord of Melancholy212
Ewige Verführer [Eternal Seducer]213
Old King Cohen214
Sage From Mt Baldy215
Bard Of The Depressed216
Maestro Of The Downbeat217
Prophet Of Dark-Alley Dreams218
Hallelujah Hitmaker219
Holy (Wholly) Existential Sensualist220
Irreverent Master of Prayer221
Lazy Bastard Living In A Suit222
Elegant Aesthete223
Kafka Of The Blues224
Gentleman Zen225
The Virtueless Monk226
Black Romanticist227
Baleful Buddhist228
Poet of Rock Music229
The Man With The Hat230
High Priest Of Minimalism231
Seer Of Montreal232
Patron Saint Of Life’s Beautiful Losers233
Papou234
Elder Statesman Of Showmanship235
Bard of Harlequin236
Godfather Of Blissful Doom237
Master Of Romantic Angst238
Ghost Of ’60s Past239
Warrior Of Love240
Master of Delicate Sadness241
Tortoise-Shell Hero & Tortoise242
Byronic Bullfrog243
Doyen De Ces Papys Du Rock [Dean Of The Granddads Of Rock]244
Der Ketzerkönig [King Of Heretics]245
Melancholiker Der Alten Schule [Old School Melancholic]246
Patron Saint Of Canada247
Poet Of Human Darkness248
Philosopher King/Poet Laureate Of The Human Condition Set To Music249
Hipsters’ Idol250
Naked Saint251
Professor Of Cool252
Canadian Folk Prince253
Buster Keaton Of Despair254
Bob Marley Of Canada255
Canada’s Moody Men’s-Wear Icon256
Poet Of Romantic Despair257
Poet Of Pleasure258
Harbinger Of The Heart259
Poet Laureate Of Popular Music260
Bard Of Liquid Soul261
High Priest Of Lyrical Beauty262
Elegant Erotician263
Prophet Of Our Times264
Poet Laureate Of Jewish Theology265
Jewish Dean Martin266
Zen Master Of Song267
Maestro Of Misery268
Canada’s Numero Uno Agent Of Anguish/Agent Of Anguish269
Poet Laureate Of The Blackened Heart270
Crooner Des Crooners, Le Croonerissime [Crooner Of Crooners, The Ultimate Crooner]271
Folk-Rock’s Poet Laureate272
Troubadour Trickster273
Grim Grocer Of Grief274
Poet Laureate Of Songsters275
Dalai Cohen276
Poet Laureate Of Dry Wit And Tattered Romance277
Elder Statesman Of Angst278
Poet Laureate Of Pain279
Savagely Compassionate Bard Of Spiritual, Romantic, And Political Chiaroscuro280
Edith Piaf With Chest Hair281
Irreverent Master Of Prayer282
Poet Laureate Of Melancholia283
Patron Saint Of All Things Soulful And Romantic284
Montreal’s Patron Saint Of Songwriting285
Stimme der Endzeit, Stimme der Lieb [Voice Of The End Times, Voice Of Love]286
Poet Laureate Of Wine, Women And Song287
Great Bard Of Late-Night Melancholy288
Canada´s Dark Bohemian Wise Baritone289
Thinking Man’s Godfather Of The Boudoir290
Ascetic Prophet Of Acoustic Disaffectedness291
Cartographer Of The Darkworld292
America’s Musical Prophet Of The Apocalypse293
Pop’s Patron Saint Of Those Who Consider Themselves Sensitive Searchers294
King Of Seduction295
King Of Pop296
Lichtbringer [Lightbringer]297
Rock Star Monk298
Our Poet Of The Apocalypse299
Poet Laureate of Songwriters300
Languid Len301
Coolest Octogenarian In Music302
Desolation Angel303
High Priest Of Suicide Rock304
Canada’s Poet-Singer Of The Lovable And The Livable305
America’s Poet/Prophet Of The Sacred And Profane306
Rockens Yoda [Rock Yoda]307
Mournful Poet Laureate Of Folk-Rock308
Nightingale Of The Sinai309
Thin Zen Jew310
Pop’s Preeminent Emotional Accountant311
Grand Rabbi Of Poetry And The Blues312
Grandfatherly Mobster313
Rat Pack Rabbi314
Frauenphantasie [Woman’s Fantasy]315
Bard Of Misery316
Secular Saint317
Lebensgefühlpräger [One who has impacted our generation’s experience of life]318
Grand Rabbi Of Song319
Soldier Of Sorrow320
Meister Der Balladen [Master Of Ballads]321
Poet Laureate Of The Bedroom322
Poet Of The Sad Song323
Melancholy King Of Cool324
Poet Of The Soul325
Ambassador Of Melancholia326
Dark Prince Of Intellectual Song327
Maestro Of Melancholic Munificence328
High Priest Of Hopelessness329
Poet Of The US Underground330
Magical Master Of Monotony331
Dark Messiah332
Montreal’s Brooding Bard333
Dapper Gravel-Voiced Poet Of Folk-Pop334
Boeteprediker Van De Popmuziek [Philosopher Of Pop Music]335
Jewish Barry White336
Poet Monk Of Montréal337
Whispering Titan Of Singer-Songwriters338
Musikalische Poet [Musical Poet]339
Master Of Morbidity340
Canadian Prophet341
Poet Laureate Of Longing342
Barry White Of Folk Music343
Troubadour For Troubled Souls344
Balladeer Of The Cataclysm345
Champion of Our Cracked Imperfections346
Poeta De Las Canciones [Poet Of Songs]347
Poet Of Brokenness348
Smoky Prince Of Prose and Poetry349
Ultimate Zen Sage350
Judaism’s Bard351
Poet-Shaman352
Kanadische Songwriter-Institution [Canadian Songwriter Institution]353
Montreal Maverick354
Great Bird Of Night355
Broken-Hearted Scoundrel356
Master Of Lament357
Sonorous Rumble358
Poet Of Sex And Death359
Canada’s Cool Cat Diplomat360
The Blue Jew361
Buddha Of Slow Tempos362
Guru Of Gloom363
Sultan of Seduction364
High Priest Of Erotic Romanticism365
Jewish Bard Of Montreal366
Elvis Of Bookish Depressives367
Mr. Doom & Gloom368

I am republishing selected posts from my former Leonard Cohen site, Cohencentric, here on AllanShowalter.com (these posts can be found at Leonard Cohen). The first edition of the Leonard Cohen Nicknames list was posted Mar 31, 2008.
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Leonard Cohen Unplugged by Pico Iyer. Originally published in Buzz, Los Angeles, April 1998: The ‘Lord Byron of rock ‘n’ roll,” as he is too often called, has always been a man of surprises [↩]
At 71, Leonard Cohen Finds His Voice Anew by Richard Harrington, Washington Post, July 14, 2006: … the 71-year-old pop icon and bard of the boudoir hasn’t toured in a dozen years [↩]
Leonard Cohen – The Ladies Man In Concert Bootleg Album Title, Date: 1993-05-21; Also, The Return Of A Ladies’ Man by Judith Fitzgerald, originally published in The Globe and Mail, September 25, 2000: The Return Of A Ladies’ Man [Title] [↩]
Lunar Refractions: Longing for Perfect Porn Aristocrats and Other Delights by Alta L. Price in 3 Quarks Daily blog, June 12, 2006: Well, to echo the rampant name-calling that follows him everywhere, the Ladies’ Man, the Grocer of Despair, grandson of the Prince of Grammarians, has just published a new old book, titled Book of Longing, … [↩]
Re: Master of Erotic Despair from alt.music.leonard-cohen. 2000/01/28: Michael S. Connaghan wrote: Nearly thirty years ago I purchased my first Leonard Cohen album. I had seen an ad in the National Lampoon that billed L.C. as the Master of Erotic Despair and I was intrigued. [↩]
In Anjani Thomas, Leonard Cohen Finds a New Voice by Alan Light, New York Times, May 21, 2006: Leonard Cohen is not known for being prolific. In a recording career approaching its 40th year, this master of romantic despair has released a mere 11 studio albums. [↩]
‘I never discuss my mistresses or my tailors’ by Nick Paton Walsh, Guardian. October 14, 2001: Leonard Cohen is the high priest of pathos. [↩]
An Interview with Leonard Cohen by Richard Guilliatt, The Sunday Times Magazine (London), December 12, 1993: Yet here is Leonard Cohen – the poet laureate of pessimism, the world heavyweight champion of existential despair – getting cheerfully drunk in a Chinese Restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard. [↩]
Derived from lyrics of “Field Commander Cohen;” Hydra – Walking in Leonard Cohen’s footsteps by grhomeboy, Homeboy Media News October 8, 2006: On a dismal rainy afternoon in April 1960, after spending three months in a boarding house on Hampstead High Street completing a manuscript, the 25-year-old “grocer of despair” found himself wandering bleakly around London’s East End, his spirits further depleted by raging toothache. [↩]
Zen Robes Retired As Singer Turns 65 by Juan Rodriguez, The Montreal Gazette, September 18, 1999: “He once read an ad in National Lampoon titled Leonard Cohen: The Prophet of Despair. “I laughed my head off,” he told me years ago, “because I thought it was the Lampoon spoofing me. Then I saw the same ad in Rolling Stone, and I wasn’t laughing any more.” [↩]
Zen Robes Retired As Singer Turns 65 by Juan Rodriguez, The Montreal Gazette, September 18, 1999: Yet Cohen is an acquired taste. His voice is a mournful monotone, his songs dirge-like. “Only an extremely inattentive listener would willingly follow Suzanne to her place by the river after hearing Cohen’s song,” sniped The Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll. While Europeans, with poetry in the blood, embrace him as a hero (and bona-fide pop star), Americans have marginalized him: “songs to slit your wrists by.” He’s been dubbed “Beautiful Creep” and “the Dr. Kevorkian of song,” “the poet of pessimism” and “bard of bedsits,” “the prince of bummers,” and “the poet laureate of commitophobes.” Leonard Cohen: Several Lifetimes Already by Pico Iyer. Shambhala Sun: The man who has been the poet laureate of commitophobes, who has never found in his 63 years a woman he can marry or a home he won’t desert [↩]
Zen Robes Retired As Singer Turns 65 by Juan Rodriguez, The Montreal Gazette, September 18, 1999: Yet Cohen is an acquired taste. His voice is a mournful monotone, his songs dirge-like. “Only an extremely inattentive listener would willingly follow Suzanne to her place by the river after hearing Cohen’s song,” sniped The Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll. While Europeans, with poetry in the blood, embrace him as a hero (and bona-fide pop star), Americans have marginalized him: “songs to slit your wrists by.” He’s been dubbed “Beautiful Creep” and “the Dr. Kevorkian of song,” “the poet of pessimism” and “bard of bedsits,” “the prince of bummers,” and “the poet laureate of commitophobes.” Cohen, Leonard MusicWeb Encyclopaedia of Popular Music: A gloomy poet who became the bard of bedsits. [↩]
Zen Robes Retired As Singer Turns 65 by Juan Rodriguez, The Montreal Gazette, September 18, 1999: Yet Cohen is an acquired taste. His voice is a mournful monotone, his songs dirge-like. “Only an extremely inattentive listener would willingly follow Suzanne to her place by the river after hearing Cohen’s song,” sniped The Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll. While Europeans, with poetry in the blood, embrace him as a hero (and bona-fide pop star), Americans have marginalized him: “songs to slit your wrists by.” He’s been dubbed “Beautiful Creep” and “the Dr. Kevorkian of song,” “the poet of pessimism” and “bard of bedsits,” “the prince of bummers,” and “the poet laureate of commitophobes.” Exile on Main Street by Brett Grainger, Elm Street, Canada. November 2001: It’s gotten him a bit of a reputation along the way. “Prince of bummers,” “poet of pessimism,” “troubadour of travail,” “the Dr. Kevorkian of song” – journalists can’t seem to get enough of the cliché of the dark knight, the tortured soul spinning his suffering into gold. [↩]
Zen Robes Retired As Singer Turns 65 by Juan Rodriguez, The Montreal Gazette, September 18, 1999: Yet Cohen is an acquired taste. His voice is a mournful monotone, his songs dirge-like. “Only an extremely inattentive listener would willingly follow Suzanne to her place by the river after hearing Cohen’s song,” sniped The Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll. While Europeans, with poetry in the blood, embrace him as a hero (and bona-fide pop star), Americans have marginalized him: “songs to slit your wrists by.” He’s been dubbed “Beautiful Creep” and “the Dr. Kevorkian of song,” “the poet of pessimism” and “bard of bedsits,” “the prince of bummers,” and “the poet laureate of commitophobes.” Reward for a Ladies’ Man by Jamie Lee, The Ottawa Citizen. December 14, 2007: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finds a place for the ‘beautiful creep’ Beautiful Creep by Richard Goldstein. Village Voice, December 28, 1967: “My songs are strangely romantic,” he admits, “but so are the kids. I somehow feel that I’ve always waited for this generation.” He pulls out a letter from a young girl who wonders over his unremitting despair. He frightens her because she senses that he has achieved an understanding of life, but he is sad despite it. She prays that the comprehension he seeks will not bring her such misery. She prays for him, and for herself, that he is really blind. And she ends by calling Leonard Cohen a “beautiful creep.” Real tears form in the corners of his eyes, but modestly they do not flow. He sighs for real. “That’s what I am – a beautiful creep.” He excuses himself and you grab for the letter when he is gone. That too is real. [↩]
We love Leonard Cohen The Independent, 20 May 2004: The most gifted songwriters of our time are paying tribute to the Godfather of Gloom this weekend. Fiona Sturges celebrates his enduring appeal. [↩]
Leonard Cohen’s Nervous Breakthrough by Mark Rowland. Musician, July 1988: He’s the reigning auteur of folk noir, the godfather of doom ‘n’ gloom. [↩]
Zen, Lawsuits, and Poetry by Phoebe Hoban, New York Magazine, May 14, 2006: With his deadpan delivery and dark lyrics, Leonard Cohen could be called the creator of his own musical genre: song noir. Even his friend Leon Wieseltier once memorably dubbed him “the Prince of Bummers.” [↩]
Exile on Main Street by Brett Grainger, Elm Street, Canada. November 2001: It’s gotten him a bit of a reputation along the way. “Prince of bummers,” “poet of pessimism,” “troubadour of travail,” “the Dr. Kevorkian of song” – journalists can’t seem to get enough of the cliché of the dark knight, the tortured soul spinning his suffering into gold. [↩]
Leonard Cohen and the Death of Cool by David Sprague. Originally published in Your Flesh magazine, 1992: [Leonard Cohen speaking] I was reading the reviews of this in England, and there they were calling me Laughing Len and saying they oughta sell razor blades with this record) [↩]
Rock’s Backpages Audio, February 1988: Laughing Lennie talks to Mat Snow about songwriting, meditation and religion, the collapse of literary culture, and the misperception of him as a Gloom Merchant [↩]
The Fiction Of Leonard Cohen by T.F. Rigelhof, Originally published in Paragraph: Canadian Fiction Review, Volume 19, No. 4, Spring 1998, pp. 2-5: He’d never played with professional musicians and was so heavily into tranquillizers that he’d picked up the nickname Captain Mandrax. [↩]
The Return of Leonard Cohen by Mick Brown, Sounds, July 1976: The poster outside the Colston Hall, Bristol announced the appearance that evening of “The Poet of Rock and Roll“ [↩]
Contributed by Anjani via email, 20 March 2008 [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Poet of the Holy Sinners by Jay Michaelson. Jewish Daily Forward. Apr 20, 2007: Leonard Cohen: Poet of the Holy Sinners [Title] [↩]
Dirge. Uncylopedia: The Rise of Leonard Cohen, King of Dirge [Heading] [↩]
This Is The Album Introducing Leonard Cohen to the World by Barron Laycock, Amazon Reviews – Songs of Leonard Cohen, June 10, 2000: He known as the “poet of existential despair“, a man of soaring visages and terrible nightmares, all put to beautiful and classic melodies. [↩]
“Jikan The Useless Monk” is a self-reference Leonard Cohen uses in “The Book of Longing” poems, combining his given Dharma name of “Jikan” (Silent One) with his own descriptive phrase, “The Useless Monk” [↩]
Cohen’s Way by Mat Snow. The Guardian, 1988. There’s a new comic touch to the poet of bedsit angst [↩]
I’m Your Man: Leonard Cohen | Music for the Masses by Matthew Moyer. Library Journal, Feb 1, 2012: On paper, it seemed like a dream. Leonard Cohen, poet laureate of misery, teamed up with Phil Spector… [↩]
Rock’s Backpages Audio, February 1988: Laughing Lennie talks to Mat Snow about songwriting, meditiation [sic] and religion, the collapse of literary culture, and the misperception of him as a Gloom Merchant [↩]
Leonard Cohen’s Nervous Breakthrough by Mark Rowland. Musician, July 1988: So I went down there [Cuba] and immediately found myself accurately described as a “Bourgeois Individualist Poet.” I said, “That’s right. Suits me to a tee.” [↩]
Leonard Cohen to Release Live Album, DVD by Ryan Dombal. Pitchfork, Feb 17, 2009: Last year, the bard of love and loss set out on his first tour in 15 years … [↩]
Cohen Regrets by Alastair Pirrie. New Musical Express, March 10, 1973: Leonard Cohen, Grand Master of Melancholia, slipped quietly in and out of London last month [↩]
Cohen, Leonard : Ten New Songs by John Mulvey. NME, Oct 16, 2001: King of misery returns from monastery with synthesizer [Subtitle] [↩]
Beck Plays Leonard Cohen by Matthue Roth. MyJewishLearning, Sept 8, 2009: I hardly need an excuse to write more about Leonard Cohen, the … poet laureate of our dreams. [↩]
Ten or More Questions I Should Have Asked Leonard Cohen by Ira B. Nadel. 2 July 1993: [Nadel: All of the following adjectives have been used to describe you; are any correct?
bard of the bedsits
apocalyptic lounge lizard
durable hipster
Jeremiah of Tin Pan Alley
legendary ladies man
amiable gangster
existential comedian
poetic playboy
spin doctor for the Apocalypse
emotional imperialist
grizzled prophet
restless pilgrim
damaged priest
the Godfather of Gloom
hippie icon
patron saint of angst
the prince of bummers[Cohen] “All of them.” [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
Ibid [↩]
An Epic Display From Smiling Dada Of Despair by Barry Egan. Independent. June 15 2008: An Epic Display From The Smiling Dada Of Despair [Title] [↩]
An Epic Display From Smiling Dada Of Despair by Barry Egan. Independent. June 15, 2008: Watching the Montreal mensch on stage at the Royal Kilmainham Hospital on Friday night, you could also add wise man, Zen-prophet, soothsayer, visionary, seer, bard, guru, godhead, high priest, soul-counsellor, troubadour, non-manic street preacher, chronicler of pain, Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk and holy man to that list. [↩]
Cohen fans shrug off credit crunch by Jeremy Miles. Daily Echo. Nov 12 2008: He may be dismissed by some as the Prince of Pain, a droning bed-sit troubadour who produces little more than music to slash your wrists to. But singer-songwriter, poet, novelist and one-time Buddhist monk Cohen is so much more than that. [↩]
Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen by John Walsh. The Independent, October 27, 2006: Naked truths from the bard of Mount Baldy [Subtitle] [↩]
Our National Muse by Judith Fitzgerald. The Toronto Star, August 1, 1999: Our National Muse [Title] [↩]
Maestro Of The Monotone by Mekella Broomberg. Jewish Quarterly: Vol 54, Issue 2, 2007: Maestro Of The Monotone – on the Leonard Cohen Revival [Title] [↩]
We Love Leonard Cohen by Fiona Sturges. The Independent. May 20, 2004: The irony is that, while Cohen remains the crown prince of pain, he has found much to be happy about in his twilight years. [↩]
Master Of Melancholy by Richard Harrington. The Nation, July 24, 2006: Master Of Melancholy [Title] [↩]
He’s Our Man: Leonard Cohen at the Paramount, Oakland by Phil Fountain. ANewsCafe.com, April 19, 2009: He’s Our Man: Leonard Cohen at the Paramount, Oakland [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen The Godfather Of Great Singers Who Can’t Sing by Mike Ross. Gigcity, Nov 17, 2012: Leonard Cohen The Godfather Of Great Singers Who Can’t Sing [Title] [↩]
The Joking Troubadour of Gloom by Tim Rostron. The Telegraph. April 26, 1993: The Joking Troubadour of Gloom [Title] and The troubadour of gloom continues: “I think those descriptions of me are quite inappropriate to the gravity of the predicament that faces us all. [↩]
The Joking Troubadour of Gloom by Tim Rostron. The Telegraph. April 26, 1993: Leonard Cohen, that master of sexy melancholy, is giving two sell-out concerts in London next month. And, he tells Tim Rostron, he is feeling fairly cheerful. [↩]
Snapshots of Leonard Cohen by Peter Goddard. Toronto Star. February 11, 2001: When last heard from, the high priest of solitude was dividing his time between a Zen Buddhist retreat on Mount Baldy near Los Angeles and downtown L.A. itself, where – depending on whom you talk to – he may be resuming his career. [↩]
Leonard Cohen – O2 Arena, London (21 June, 2013). Neon Filler: June 27, 2013: It’s not so strange that this master of word and song somehow achieves such intimacy … [↩]
Leonard Cohen: The bard on a wire by Jian Ghomeshi. Vancouver Sun, April 15, 2009: Leonard Cohen: The bard on a wire [Title] [↩]
Waxed – Record Review: Leonard Cohen – Dear Heather by Don McLeese. No Depression, January-February, 2005: … I don’t mean to suggest the Canadian bard is in any hurry to join Johnny Cash across the great divide, … [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Canada’s Melancholy Bard. CBC Digital Archives: Leonard Cohen: Canada’s Melancholy Bard [Title] [↩]
Dear Heather Review by by Thom Jurek. AllMusic, 2004: Cohen, who turned 70 in September of 2004, offers no air of personal mortality — thank God; may this elegant Canadian bard of the holy and profane live forever. [↩]
CD of the Year: Old Ideas – Leonard Cohen by Mark Kidel, Dec 24, 2012: Leonard Cohen has been the king of melancholy ever since he set out on his slow journey through the dark side. [↩]
Snapshots of Leonard Cohen by Peter Goddard. Toronto Star. February 11, 2001: This Disappearing Mr. Mysterios bit has long been business-as-usual for Cohen. [↩]
First Night: Leonard Cohen, Opera House, Manchester by David Pollock. The Independent. 18 June 2008: A happy return for the master of misery [Subtitle]. [↩]
The Determinator Details, July, 1993: Leonard Cohen, the maestro of melancholy, answers questions on love, obsession, and despair [Subtitle]. [↩]
For Cohen, Grief Is Joy by Lynn Van Matre. Chicago Tribune, Nov 23, 1975: Cohen’s often depressing songs … have earned him descriptions such as “commander-in-chief of grief.” [↩]
Praise Be… Or How “Hallelujah” Man Leonard Cohen’s Comeback Actually Happened by Johnny Black. Rocks Back Pages Archives: January 9, 2009: Hallett found himself enraptured by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, the maestro of magnificent melancholy. [↩]
Book Review: Caged Author Cohen Off Key by Bonnie Sumner. Sunday Star Times.18 January 2009: Hallelujah that he’s known as the Poet of Love then, … [↩]
Death of a Ladies’ Man by Michael Fountain. Blood for Ink. January 2009: … if this is the Dark Night of the Soul come back for a visit (and yes, it stinks after three days) then this is the night (you win, Doris) for the patron saint of disappointment, Leonard Cohen [↩]
The King Of Hearts, Leonard Cohen. HMV Ad, Feb 2012: The King Of Hearts, Leonard Cohen [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen’s O2 Concert Is Part Of A Remarkable Renaissance by Luke Turner. The Quietus: July 21, 2008: … even the biggest venue makes for a perfect pulpit for the master of song. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, o trovador do Canadá [Leonard Cohen, the troubadour Of Canada] by Alejandro Mercado. A Escotilha, March 21, 2016: Leonard Cohen, o trovador do Canadá [Leonard Cohen, the troubadour Of Canada] [Title] [↩]
The 10 Best Leonard Cohen Songs by James Jackson Toth. Stereogum, Oct 19, 2012: Cohen was a maverick, a risk taker of the highest order, and was never content to rest on his laurels as earnest godfather of goth. [↩]
I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons by Liz Thomson. The Independent, Nov 17, 2012: The ageless troubadour of Montreal at last has a biography that does him justice. [↩]
Green Grass, Sunshine, Wine and Leonard Cohen by Lyn Geisel. Melbourne Live. 25 January 2009: The Prince of precision, Leonard Cohen, graced the Rochford winery in the Yarra Valley …. Note: This is probably an error on the part of the blogger. “Prince of Precision” is the description Cohen has typically used in introducing Rafael Gayol, the percussionist during the Leonard Cohen World Tour. [↩]
A Broken Offering by Tim Footman. Aeon, Nov 16, 2012: It was a potential congregation of gloom and despondency, almost a parody of Cohen as the patron saint of bedsit depressives. [↩]
Poet Of Pleasure And Pain Leaves ’em Swooning by Simon Houpt. Globe and Mail. February 20, 2009: Poet Of Pleasure And Pain Leaves ’em Swooning [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen at Your Service by Pirkko Kotiranta, Helsingin Sanomat, Jan 22, 2012: Leonard Cohen, the Apostle of Melancholy, the writer-musician who cultivated his decades-long depression and love affairs into big art, takes his audience, once again. [↩]
The Bard of Our Great Depression by Gary Weiss. Gary-Weiss.com. 26 February 2009: The Bard of Our Great Depression [Title] [↩]
First Night: Leonard Cohen, Opera House, Manchester by David Pollock. The Independent. June 18, 2008: Yes, Cohen – the godfather of miserablism – looks happy to be with us. [↩]
Name of a song by Leonard Cohen and of his live album released in 2001. It is also used by others, e.g., Liel Leibovitz: A Broken Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen’s Secret Chord by Alan Taylor. The Herald: June 27, 2014: He [Leonard Cohen] was a leader, Field Commander Cohen, in charge of a band called Army, singing of war and armageddon, angels and pain, love and hate. [↩]
Herohill vs. Leonard Cohen:: The Bard of Montreal. Herohill web site, April 2 2012: Leonard Cohen:: The Bard of Montreal [Title] [↩]
Hello, I Must Be Cohen by Gavin Martin. New Musical Express, January 9, 1993: Laughing Len, the king of hippy-era bedsit angst, Prince Of Darkness, has released a new record. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, 680News. Dec 5, 2012: Canada’s high priest of poetry Leonard Cohen treated fans at the Air Canada Centre to a show … [↩]
An Interview with John Sakamoto by Drew Dernavich. The New Yorker. June 20, 2008: … I got to sit down with Leonard Cohen. I remember someone describing him as “the coolest white man on the planet,” and I wouldn’t disagree… [↩]
Encountering Cohen: A Reminiscence on the Eve of a New World Tour by Steve Venright. Mondo, Aug 15, 2008: But such was the allure of Canada’s “melancholy bard of popular music.” [↩]
Leonard Cohen Mixes Movie-Making And Zen by Paul King. The Gazette, July 16, 1983: The celebrated poet, novelist, songwriter, singing-star – once branded “Canada’s literary enfant terrible” – seems at last serene. [↩]
Lent with Leonard by Chris Cuthill. Cardus, April 5, 2012: As the high priest of lyrical minimalism, [Leonard Cohen] chooses his words with more circumspection than most of us take when choosing a spouse. [↩]
Leonard Cohen – If This Is Depression Let’s All Have Some by David Hepworth. The Word. 19 July 2008: The notion that Leonard Cohen has always had a reputation as the poet of swinging suicides is now so deeply embedded in people’s heads… [↩]
Leonard Cohen, That’s How the Light Gets In by Susan Browne. Red Room. April 15, 2009: I saw Leonard Cohen last night, master of duende. [↩]
Leonard Cohen’s Money Troubles Benefit Fans of Bleak Baritone by Daniel Taub. Bloomberg.com. April 13, 2009: Leonard Cohen’s Money Troubles Benefit Fans of Bleak Baritone [Title] [↩]
Review of Energy of Slaves by Pieter Uys. Amazon, Feb 9, 2003: At one stage known as Canada’s poet laureate of existential despair, Cohen published a number of poetry books … [↩]
Leonard Cohen, Troubadour of Love by Patricia Zohn. Huffington Post. May 17, 2009: Leonard Cohen, Troubadour of Love [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen Is The Cat In The Hat by DrHGuy. Heck Of A Guy. April 27, 2008: Leonard Cohen Is The Cat In The Hat [Title]. Note: I typically would not include a Cohen nickname from my own blog in this list. In this case, however, I feel it is justified because since then the “Cat In The Hat” appellation has been applied to Cohen in at least a couple of other pieces, including one for the The Sunday Times and Leonard Cohen Works For A Living “Written for The Huffington Post” and, as far as I know, my post was the first to use this alias in connection with Cohen. [↩]
An Intimate Conversation with…Leonard Cohen by Elena Pita. Magazine, Sunday Supplement to El Mundo. September 26, 2001: Perhaps he cannot speak of optimism — this one they call the prince of anguish and the king of cool — but yes, he has gained a certain amiability in his years of practice. [↩]
An Intimate Conversation with…Leonard Cohen by Elena Pita. Magazine, Sunday Supplement to El Mundo. September 26, 2001: Perhaps he cannot speak of optimism — this one they call the prince of anguish and the king of cool — but yes, he has gained a certain amiability in his years of practice. [↩]
Leonard Cohen calls down angels in the palace of Caesar by Michael Mishak. Las Vegas Sun: Nov 13, 2009: The 75-year-old poet laureate of women, wine and song performed an unlikely Las Vegas miracle … [↩]
100 Best Canadian Songs Ever by Joshua Ostroff, Sarah Kurchak, Aaron Brophy. Huffington Post, June 30, 2014: It’s hard to deny Cohen as beat apocalyptic prophet. [↩]
Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia by Oliver Trager. p. 227, 2004: The Mel Torme of the terminally downbeat, Leonard Cohen (born September 21, 1934, Montreal Quebec) was an underground hero during the 1960s and 1970s and is a poet and songwriter whose work should be regarded as highly as Bob Dylan’s but isn’t. [↩]
The Prince of Prurience and Loss by John Leland. GQ. November, 2001. The Prince of Prurience and Loss [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Several Lifetimes Already by Pico Iyer. Shambhala Sun. September 1998. “Roshi knows me for who I am,” Cohen had said, “and he doesn’t want me to be any other. ‘International Man,’ ‘Culture Man,’ he calls me … [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Several Lifetimes Already by Pico Iyer. Shambhala Sun. September 1998. “Roshi knows me for who I am,” Cohen had said, “and he doesn’t want me to be any other. ‘International Man,’ ‘Culture Man,’ he calls me … [↩]
Tower of Song by Gary Singh. Metroactive. November 11, 2009: For decades, critics have pilloried him with sobriquets like, “the godfather of gloom,” the “poet of pessimism” or the “architect of angst.” [↩]
Primer: Leonard Cohen by Steven Hyden & John Semley. A.V. Club, Feb 2, 2012: Cohen rasps, “Lie beside me baby, that’s an order” on the record’s title track, shuffling into his late-game role as poet laureate of the lonely-hearted. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: He’s Grammy’s Man by Joshua Ostroff. Spinner. January 29, 2010: Cohen, known by some as the prince of pessimism, came by his musical darkness naturally. [↩]
Felonious Monk by Sylvie Simmons. MOJO, November 2001: Felonious Monk [Title] [↩]
An Intimate Conversation with…Leonard Cohen by Elena Pita. Magazine, Sunday Supplement to El Mundo. September 26, 2001: At 67, the poet of anguish returns to songwriting with Ten New Songs, a lovely and tranquil CD that goes on sale October 8. [↩]
Concert at The Montreux Jazz Festival Montreux, Switzerland, July 8, 2008 by Christof Graf. Leonard Cohen Files. 2008: Leonard Cohen. The “God in the black suit”, as he was called by the Swiss press, and ’20 Minutes’ called him twice “Gott im schwarzen Anzug”, God in the black suit. [↩]
Glastonbury Gets Stuck In The Mud by Johnny Dee. The Week, Apr 30, 2008: This year’s Glastonbury Festival line-up will include a Welsh Elvis (Shakin’ Stevens), the most despised man in pop (James Blunt) and the godfather of misery (Leonard Cohen), has been greeted with a groundswell of disenchantment. [↩]
The World’s Only Interesting Canadian by Stephen Foster. Stephen Foster’s Blog. August 9, 2010. The World’s Only Interesting Canadian [Title] [↩]
Conversations from a Room by Tom Chaffin. Canadian Forum: August/September 1983: … high priest of austerity, self-described ruined ladies’ man, the identity of Cohen the man often seems dispersed. [↩]
Leonard Cohen – The Musical Bard of Canada by Dale Estey. Red Room, Dec 8, 2010: Leonard Cohen – The Musical Bard of Canada [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen, the Existential Serenader, Is Still Glad to Be Glum by Andy Gill. Independent, 13 May 1993. Leonard Cohen, the Existential Serenader, Is Still Glad to Be Glum [Title] [↩]
Bob Harris’s Whispers by Bob Harris. Rock Compact Disc Magazine, June 1993: I [Leonard Cohen] was thought of as a grocer of despair, a master of melancholy, the purveyor of razor blades, the sage of suicide … [↩]
The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer. Simon and Schuster, Nov 4, 2014: Leonard Cohen had become poet laureate of those on the road. [↩]
Canada’s Cult Icon Takes Heart by Harold DeMuir. Georgia Strait, June 4-11, 1993: Canada’s Cult Icon Takes Heart [Title] [↩]
Bob Harris’s Whispers by Bob Harris. Rock Compact Disc Magazine, June 1993: I [Leonard Cohen] was thought of as a grocer of despair, a master of melancholy, the purveyor of razor blades, the sage of suicide … [↩]
Leonard Cohen: A troubadour at Charles’s court by Neil Spencer. The Observer, 21 May 2006. Cohen … The Arch Bard Of Miserabilism [Subtitle] [↩]
Songs in Key of Gray; Leonard Cohen and the Legacy of His Dark-Hued Ballads by Richard Harrington. Washington Post, October 30, 1988: He is still the eminence grise of art song, 21 years after Judy Collins’ version of “Suzanne” made him a semi-household word. [Photo Caption] [↩]
Cohen Talent Never Old Hat by Ian Frazer. Newspaper unidentified. At 79 Leonard Cohen is the prince of golden oldies. [↩]
That’s How The Light Gets In by Lawrence Moore. Mustard Seeds, August 30, 2006: Leonard Cohen has been called “The poet of the heart.” [↩]
Leonard Cohen – ‘Darkness’. Fact Magazine, January 11, 2012: Everyone’s favourite croaky poet of romantic doom, Leonard Cohen, has a new album on the way. [↩]
Leonard Cohen bringing Old Ideas to Winnipeg by Darryl Sterdan. Winnipeg Sun. Jan 9, 2013: The Montreal-born poet laureate of Canadian folk music last visited MTS Centre in April of 2009, putting on a masterful three-hour performance of hits… [↩]
Rolling Stone: Leonard Cohen by Larry Sloman, The Sunday Citizen: May 25, 1975: Even the ad campaign for his current release, New Skin For The Old Ceremony, labels him a “chronicler of despair.” [↩]
Hello, I Must Be Cohen by Gavin Martin. New Musical Express, January 9, 1993: Laughing Len, the king of hippy-era bedsit angst, Prince Of Darkness, has released a new record. [↩]
God’s dearest sunbeam, Leonard Cohen … is preparing a new album for later this year. London Evening Standard, 13 May 2011. God’s dearest sunbeam, Leonard Cohen … is preparing a new album for later this year. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, Master of Prose by Andrew Saikali. The Millions: Jan 4, 2005: Leonard Cohen, Master of Prose [Title] and So this, then, is about Leonard Cohen, master of prose … [↩]
Beautiful Creep by Richard Goldstein. Village Voice, December 28, 1967: But Leonard Cohen is a Visceral Romantic and he can hit you unawares because his emotions are recollected in anything but tranquility. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Renaissance Mensch. Playboy, November 1968: Leonard Cohen: Renaissance Mensch [Title] [↩]
Poet Of Loneliness Spawns Losers’ Treat by Ron Binns. The Ubyssey. Vol. LVI, No. 3, January 10, 1975: Poet Of Loneliness Spawns Losers’ Treat [Title]. [↩]
Our National Muse by Judith Fitzgerald. The Toronto Star, August 1, 1999: Ah, those days, those nights, those times, drawls the mischievous Maestro of Timing, it seems so long ago … [↩]
Songs in Key of Gray; Leonard Cohen and the Legacy of His Dark-Hued Ballads by Richard Harrington, Washington Post, October 30, 1988: Twenty-one years after Judy Collins’ version of “Suzanne” made Cohen a semihousehold name, he’s still the e’minence grise of art song. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Gifts Of Light From The Warrior Of Love by David Whiteis. Chicago Reader, date unknown (Review of November 7, 1988 Park West, Chicago Concert): Irony flows like a bittersweet river through the poetry and music of Leonard Cohen. The self-styled patron saint of envy … [↩]
Prophet Of The Heart by L. S. Dorman. Music Sales Corp, April 1991: Prophet Of The Heart [Book Title] [↩]
Hoot & Holler, or Shout Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen rapturous at Barclay Center by Jamie Frey. Jersey Beat, Dec 2012: The king of the alta-cockers would be Leonard Cohen. [↩]
All dressed up for `Naked’ by Howard Reich. Chicago Tribune: May 16, 2002: But Cohen’s decades-long career as poet laureate of the self-obsessed in fact has produced a stylistically varied songbook. [↩]
A Room Not Of One’s Own by Marni Jackson. Globe And Mail, Aug. 11 2001: The maestro of moving on, of course, is Leonard “I am a Hotel” Cohen. [↩]
Growing Old Passionately by Alan Jackson. Observer, November 22, 1992: Instead there is the lingering stereotype of Cohen the Miserablist. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, The Patron Saint of Miss Dale’s Farm. Steve Sherry’s The Vagabonds of ’74: Leonard Cohen, The Patron Saint of Miss Dale’s Farm [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Partisan der Liebe by Christof Graf, VGS Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne, Germany, 1996: Leonard Cohen: Partisan der Liebe [Book Title] [↩]
Disc Of The Week: From Leonard Cohen, Even Old Ideas Are Worthwhile by Brad Wheeler. The Globe And Mail, February 4, 2012: Old Ideas, from the 77-year-old Montreal mope, is a charismatic record … [↩]
Rebirth Of A Ladies’ Man by Steven Blush. Seconds No 22, June/July 1993: Leonard’s the white Barry White, both too old to rock n’ roll and too young to die. [↩]
Still Miserable After All These Years, Cohen Goes Back On Tour by Jonathan Brown. The Independent, March 12, 2008: Leonard Cohen, the troubadour of melancholy whose career as a poet, writer and musician has spanned more than half a century, is to embark on a world tour. [↩]
Looking For Leonard (2002) by RickMcGinnis: The Leonard in the title of Matt Bissonnette and Steven Clark’s Looking for Leonard is Leonard Cohen, patron saint of young people living in cities, waiting for something to happen. [↩]
Leonard Cohen – Titan Der Worte by Christof Graf, Edel Books, Germany, 2010: Leonard Cohen – Titan Der Worte [Book Title] [↩]
The dark poet puts on a rather apologetic pretty face
by Daphne Carr, MOJO, February 2001: The dark poet puts on a rather apologetic pretty face [Title] [↩]
Brother of Mercy by Mikal Gilmore. Spin, March 2002: Left, the don of depression practices his moves, 1967. [Photo Caption] [↩]
The Prophet Of Love Looks Into The Abyss: A Conversation With Leonard Cohen by Thom Jurek. Los Angeles Reader, August 27, 1993: The Prophet Of Love Looks Into The Abyss [Title] [↩]
Brother of Mercy by Mikal Gilmore. Spin, March 2002: Brother Of Mercy [Title] [↩]
Listen: Leonard Cohen Releases New Song “You Want It Darker” by Christopher Lee. Mxdwn: September 21, 2016: The master of poetic rock, Leonard Cohen, has just celebrated his 82nd birthday … [↩]
Felonious Monk by Sylvie Simmons. MOJO, November 2001: He [Roshi] has given me a few names. … I was Solitary Cliff for a while. You can just call me Cliff. [↩]
Our Great Canadian Shakespeare by Judith Fitzgerald. Globe and Mail: Dec 8, 2010: Our Great Canadian Shakespeare [Title] [↩]
Waiting for Leonard – Part III by Caia Hagel. The Believer, Sept 26, 2013: I think I love and worship you Leonard, you are so totally Post Henry and June Evangelical Pimp of All Centuries. [↩]
Love’s Hard Man by Alan Franks. The Times Magazine, October 13, 2001: Love’s Hard Man [Title] [↩]
Love’s Hard Man by Alan Franks. The Times Magazine, October 13, 2001: The high priest of passion and pain has spent much of the last decade living the restricted life of a Zen monk. [↩]
The Ten Best Rock’n’roll Comebacks by John Hall. The Independent, June 30, 2009: Years of depression and stage fright meant that Leonard Cohen didn’t tour for over 15 years – all but ending his role as roving poet laureate of rock’n’roll. [↩]
Leonard Cohen – Cine-I Poetul De La Microfon. Viva: Leonard Cohen – Cine-I Poetul De La Microfon [Leonard Cohen – Who Is The Poet Of The Microphone] [Title] [↩]
Hats Off To Cohen by Vicki Anderson. Stuff.co, November 4, 2010: The Godfather of cool, Cohen is one of a kind and this was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: A Remarkable Life by Anthony Reynolds. Omnibus Press, June 26, 2012: The Duke of Doom was still trading in dry wit, still agreeably serious and still … [↩]
Irving And Leonard by Rich Baines. Leonard Cohen Files: If one wishes to understand the work and words of Leonard Cohen, … one must first investigate the passion that was handed down to the “Young Prince of Montreal” from his verse-clad forefathers of page and song. [↩]
Notes from Tower of Song tribute album by Tom Robbins, 1995: A quill in his teeth, a solitary teardrop a-squirm in his palm, he was the young poet prince of Montreal, handsome, immaculate, searching for sturdier doors to nail his poignant verses on. [↩]
The Prince of Prurience and Loss by John Leland. GQ. November 2001: The Badass Of Dark Verse [Photo Caption] [↩]
Leonard Cohen — Haute Dog by David Goggin, Music Smarts, July 10, 2010: After steeping ourselves in his music for many days and nights, can I tell you what a pleasure it was to lunch with this maestro of murky mirth? [↩]
Canada’s Troubadour of Song & Verse by Jeff Bateman. The Music Scene, No. 349, November-December 1984: Canada’s Troubadour of Song & Verse [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen by C.F. The Sheffield Star, May 15, 1976: The melancholy troubadour came to Sheffield last night with his own unique brand of depression … [↩]
Anarchist Without A Bomb, Der Spiegel, November 3, 1969: Anarchist Without A Bomb [Title] [↩]
Your Man Cohen, Der Spiegel, April 4, 1988: The New York Times characterized the usually clad-in-black Cohen as ‘anarchist without a bomb’ in the 1960s. It seems that a German critic was more to the point who called the singer during his previous tour a “somnambulist without an alarm clock“ … [↩]
Solitude and Carnival by Von Gatterburg. Der Spiegel, November 17, 1997: The chief apocalyptist will take pleasure in this edition. [↩]
Melancholy Hero by by Christoph Dallach. Der Spiegel, September 29, 2008: Melancholy Hero [Title] [↩]
Melancholy Hero by Christoph Dallach. Der Spiegel, September 29, 2008: Leonard Cohen, the legendary grouchy bard from Montreal, known for knowing what women are about, undertakes another expansive world tour after fifteen years…. [↩]
Turks, Tours, and Triumph. Der Spiegel. May 31, 2007: Since the legendary bard from Montreal is among the reticent members of his guild, … [↩]
Young Colin, Old Cohen by Jan Wigger, Der Spiegel, November 25, 2008: At its [a haberdashery’s] door, a photo of the late-romantic existentialist … [↩]
Saint Porn, Der Spiegel, July 13, 1979: Saint Porn [Title] [↩]
Godfather of Hipsterism – Leonard Cohen by Dallas Vietty. Website Of Dallas Vietty, October 23, 2007: Godfather of Hipsterism – Leonard Cohen [Title] [↩]
Saint Porn. Der Spiegel, July 13, 1979: His fans usually listen to Cohen, the bard of exaggerated emotion, in a state of cult-like rapture… [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Ein ironischer Pate der Düsternis by Werner Rosenberger. Kurier. Sept 20, 2014: Für den Kanadier russisch-jüdischer Abstammung und singenden Sinnsucher hat “ein guter Song Fenster und Türen... [↩]
Growing Old Passionately by Alan Jackson. Observer, November 22, 1992: Non-devotees remain unfamiliar with Cohen the Sensualist. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Out Of The Monastery And Back On The Road by Simon Worrall. The Independent, June 15 2008: And the former poet laureate of despair might even be singing with a smile on his face… [↩]
Leonard The Versifier by Sylvie Simmons. Mojo, April 1958: Leonard The Versifier [Title] [↩]
Brother of Mercy by Mikal Gilmore. Spin, March 2002: He’s the Godfather Of Depressive Rock, an acclaimed poet and novelist, …[Photo Caption] [↩]
Leonard Cohen by Kristine McKenna. Another Room Magazine, Spring 1985: The F. Scott Fitzgerald of popular song, Cohen is a supremely elegant romantic existentialist. [↩]
His spirit and his clothes by Nathalie Atkinson. The Globe and Mail, October 12, 2017: Leonard Cohen, the prodigal poet, returns to perform for a hometown audience in Montreal. [↩]
Pop Music’s Perpetual Old Man, Now 74, Is Back on the Road by Nate Chinen. New York Times, February 20, 2009 : Pop Music’s Perpetual Old Man, Now 74, Is Back on the Road [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen In Zagreb by Anita Ruje. SATA, July 20, 2010: The musician, known as the ‘King of Sorrow,” has released 11 studio albums in his 43-year career. [↩]
The Loneliness of The Long-Suffering Folkie by Wayne Robins. Newsday – Long Island, November 22, 1992: Cohen has been the laureate of creative agony since the 1960s … [↩]
Cohen Grows Into The Future Gracefully, And With A Grin by Peter Howell. Toronto Star, November 19, 1992: You might call Leonard Cohen the Grinning Reaper. [↩]
An Interview with Leonard Cohen by Richard Guilliatt, The Sunday Times Magazine (London), December 12, 1993: Yet here is Leonard Cohen – the poet laureate of pessimism, the world heavyweight champion of existential despair – getting cheerfully drunk in a Chinese Restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard. [↩]
Desolation Angel by Al Walentis, Reading Eagle, May 1, 1985: No one will ever confuse Cohen, the singular voice of terminal melancholia, with a movie idol like Kristofferson. [↩]
Back to Life with a Blast from the Rocket Man by Ben Thompson. The Independent on Sunday, May 16, 1993: Cohen is the Mel Brooks of misery. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: The latest on the greatest by Judith Fitzgerald. The Globe and Mail, Nov 6, 2009: The maestro of munificent magnanimity will call it a wrap in Zagreb, Croatia … [↩]
Leonard Cohen Profiled (2010): Life Of A Ladies’ Man by Graham Reid. Elsewhere, October 25, 2010: Even the writer Pico Iyer, who knows him better than most, concedes Leonard Cohen – so melancholy he used to be referred to as “a one man Joy Division” – presents a problem. [↩]
Unbeautiful Winner: Leonard Cohen by Robert Christgau. The Beat Patrol, October 18, 2009: Unbeautiful Winner: Leonard Cohen [Title] [↩]
Waiting for Leonard – Part III by Caia Hagel. The Believer, Sept 26, 2013: Leonard, my Virgin-Pilgrim War Hero, I pledge allegiance to you. [↩]
Lugubrious Len and a toast to Queen Victoria by Frank Whalley. East African, April 23, 2016: Lugubrious Len and a toast to Queen Victoria [Title] [↩]
Never Leave Home Without Leonard Cohen by Max Kirchner. Seattlest, December 15, 2011: … Max Kirchner, who shares with us the relationship he’s had with the music and voice of Leonard Cohen, the man formerly known as the Canadian Bob Dylan, now known largely as a languidly-voiced libertine. [Editor’s Note]. [↩]
Cohen: New Spin from an Old Ceremony by I-Huei Go. New York Observer, April 16, 2001: For more than three decades, Leonard Cohen has been … our baritone-voiced scholar of heartache and cultural decay. [↩]
Songs in Key of Gray; Leonard Cohen and the Legacy of His Dark-Hued Ballads by Richard Harrington, Washington Post, October 30, 1988: Leonard Cohen, once described by Rolling Stone as ” the poet laureate of outrage and romantic despair…is sipping serenely at his tea in a New York hotel. [↩]
What Can Writers Learn From Songwriters: Leonard Cohen by Derek Flynn. Rant, with occasional music, May 16, 2012: He’s [Cohen’s] not the “Patron Saint of Suicides” or “Mr. Misery” or any of the other epithets that have been lazily applied to him over the years by people who haven’t taken the time to listen to him. [↩]
Ibid. He’s [Cohen’s] not the “Patron Saint of Suicides” or “Mr. Misery” or any of the other epithets that have been lazily applied to him over the years by people who haven’t taken the time to listen to him. [↩]
Songs in Key of Gray; Leonard Cohen and the Legacy of His Dark-Hued Ballads by Richard Harrington, Washington Post, October 30, 1988: Leonard Cohen, once described by Rolling Stone as ” … the aficionado of gloom, is sipping serenely at his tea in a New York hotel. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, Jarvis Cocker, and an Audience at London’s May Fair Hotel by Tony Hardy. Consequence of Sound, January 20, 2012: The grand master of bedroom angst was in London Wednesday night to preview Old Ideas, his first album in seven years, … [↩]
Leonard Cohen – Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles by Ethlie Ann Vare, Billboard, June 9, 1985: And with that, the black-clad troubadour of the minor key cracked a smile. [↩]
The Essential Leonard Cohen. Readings: There is no doubt that Leonard Cohen is the undisputed king of popular music. [↩]
A Short Biography Of Leonard Cohen by Larry Sloman. The Future Tour Book, 1993: Songs From a Room (1969), his second album, and Songs of Love and Hate (1971 ) further reinforced Cohen’s standing as the master of mortification and the sentry of solitude. [↩]
A Short Biography Of Leonard Cohen by Larry Sloman. The Future Tour Book, 1993: Songs From a Room (1969), his second album, and Songs of Love and Hate (1971 ) further reinforced Cohen’s standing as the master of mortification and the sentry of solitude. [↩]
Listen to a Fantastic New Leonard Cohen Song by Tom Hawking. FlavorWire, January 10, 2012: The lyric manages to poke fun at Cohen’s reputation as the Grand Overlord of Melancholy [↩]
Leonard Cohen ist der ewige Verführer by Heinrich Oehmsen. Hamburger Abendblatt, July 16, 2013: Leonard Cohen ist der ewige Verführer [Leonard Cohen is the eternal seducer [Title] [↩]
Old King Cohen by Indrajit Hazra, Hindustan Times, February 11, 2012: Old King Cohen [Title] [↩]
Bow Down Before The Sage From Mt Baldy by Gautam Malkani, Financial Times, January 27, 2012: Bow Down Before The Sage From Mt Baldy [Title] [↩]
Cohen’s Demons Haunt Still by Steve Morse, Boston Globe, October 12, 2001: Bard of the depressed, maestro of the downbeat, and prophet of dark-alley dreams. These phrases jump to mind when thinking of Leonard Cohen … [↩]
Cohen’s Demons Haunt Still by Steve Morse, Boston Globe, October 12, 2001: Bard of the depressed, maestro of the downbeat, and prophet of dark-alley dreams. These phrases jump to mind when thinking of Leonard Cohen … [↩]
Cohen’s Demons Haunt Still by Steve Morse, Boston Globe, October 12, 2001: Bard of the depressed, maestro of the downbeat, and prophet of dark-alley dreams. These phrases jump to mind when thinking of Leonard Cohen … [↩]
Cohen Thanks Ex-Manager At Sentencing. Express, April 18, 2012: The Hallelujah hitmaker read aloud a statement as his ex-manager and onetime lover Kelley Lynch was sentenced … [↩]
Holy (Wholly) Existential Sensualist – Leonard Cohent by A.D. Amorosi. Blurt, January 30, 2012: Holy (Wholly) Existential Sensualist – Leonard Cohen [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen As Irreverent Master of Prayer by Shefa Siegel. Sojourners Magazine, March 2013: Leonard Cohen As Irreverent Master of Prayer [Title] [↩]
Derived from lyrics of Coming Home (Old Ideas album) by Leonard Cohen, released January 31, 2012: I love to speak with Leonard / He’s a sportsman and a shepherd / He’s a lazy bastard / Living in a suit ... [Lyrics found at LeonardCohen.com], this phrase has been used in a number of articles and posts to refer to Cohen. For example, Leonard Cohen, Jarvis Cocker, and an Audience at London’s May Fair Hotel by Tony Hardy. Consequence of Sound, January 20, 2012: “The lazy bastard living in a suit,” to quote opening track “Going Home”, appeared dapper in dark grey with trilby pulled down over his brow, occasionally lifted to reveal a carpet of closely cropped grey hair. Also ‘He’s a Lazy Bastard Living in a Suit’ by Sarah Toa. A WineDark Sea, April 4, 2012: ‘He’s a Lazy Bastard Living in a Suit’ [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen: ‘I’m a closet optimist’ by Andy Morris. Gigwise, Sept 16, 2014: The elegant aesthete discusses new LP Popular Tunes at the Canadian Embassy, [↩]
E-mail from Bob Dylan, read at first annual PEN New England Awards for Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence, John F. Kennedy Library, February 26, 2012. Reported at Chuck Berry, Leonard Cohen honored at JFK Library – Bob Dylan sends his regards by Harold Lepidus, Examiner, February 26, 2012: To Chuck, the Shakespeare of rock and roll, congratulations on your PEN award, that’s what too much monkey business will get ya . . . Say hello to Mr. Leonard, Kafka of the blues, … [↩]
Leonard Cohen – Gentleman Zen by Gilles Tordjman. Rolling Stone, French edition, September 2008: Leonard Cohen – Gentleman Zen [Title] [↩]
The Virtueless Monk by Elena Comelli, translated by Andrea Della Rossa. La Nazione (Florence), November 25, 1998. The Virtueless Monk [Title] [↩]
Referenced in text of the 1976 Leonard Cohen Tour Program, which was itself extracted from The Rock Encyclopedia (Rowolht Publications), which in turn attributed the term to Time magazine: The “black romanticist” (Time), who turned down a Canadian prize for literature … [↩]
Leonard Cohen, The Baleful Buddhist by Gerry Kopelow. The Dharma Centre of Winnipeg. Leonard Cohen, The Baleful Buddhist [Title] [↩]
Title used on 1976 Tour Posters. See The Leonard Cohen Munich Concert Poster Mystery and Leonard Cohen – Poet Of Rock Music – On Poems Vs Songs, His Withdrawn Novel, Janis Joplin In LA, Album Titles, & The Perfect Ass [↩]
Leonard Cohen: The Man with the Hat by James McShane. Aardvarkian Tales, September 12, 2012: Leonard Cohen: The Man with the Hat. [Title] [↩]
The high priest of minimalism by Simon Schama. The Guardian, 27 June 2008: The high priest of minimalism … From the start Leonard Cohen was out to surprise [Title] [↩]
The Ballads Of Kilmainham Gaol by N. Kelly. Independent, Sept 1, 2012: Incredibly, the seer of Montreal‘s quartet of gigs in the grounds of IMMA at Kilmainham will be his fourth visit to this island in almost as many years … [↩]
Rock Snob Encyclopedia – Leonard Cohen by Jonathan Valania. Philadelphia Weekly, June 13, 2001: Leonard Cohen: Patron Saint Of Life’s Beautiful Losers. [↩]
Viva Cohen, personal communication [↩]
Buzzlist: From The Bright Young Things To Elder Statesmen Of Showmanship… Top 5 Live Acts Of 2012 by Team Buzzine. Buzzine Music, December 27, 2012: From The Bright Young Things To Elder Statesmen Of Showmanship… Top 5 Live Acts Of 2012 [Title] [↩]
Bell: Cohen concert not quite what it might have been by Mike Bell. Calgary Herald, Nov 17, 2012: No, the Bard of Harlequin, himself, wasn’t a disappointment. [↩]
Godfather of Blissful Doom by Mike Ross. Edmonton Sun, Nov 18, 2012: … the 78-year-old Godfather of Blissful Doom performed like he had nothing to lose. [↩]
`Song Of Leonard Cohen` Documents Musician`s Life by Lynn Van Matre. Chicago Tribune, March 9, 1989: This documentary on the life and music of the Canadian-born master of romantic angst was released … [↩]
Leonard Cohen, Pain Free by Sheldon Teitelbaum. Los Angeles Times: April 05, 1992: Cohen has in fact staked out a surprisingly resilient stronghold as what someone once called “the Ghost of ’60s Past,” brazenly haunting the periphery of pop. [↩]
Gifts of Light from The Warrior of Love by David Whiteis. Chicago Reader, date unknown (Review of November 7, 1988 Park West, Chicago Concert): Gifts of Light from The Warrior of Love [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen: The Master of Delicate Sadness Takes the Wang Theatre Stage This Weekend by Jim Sullivan. Jim Sullivan Ink, Dec 15, 2012: Leonard Cohen: The Master of Delicate Sadness Takes the Wang Theatre Stage This Weekend [Title] [↩]
Tortoise-Shell Hero by Biba Kopf. New Musical Express, March 2, 1985: Tortoise-Shell Hero [Title] & It is not through excessive caution that the tortoise, the Canadian poet/songwriter of out title story, got there at all. [↩]
Review of April 30, 1985 Leonard Cohen Concert in Philadelphia, mentioned by Cohen at his May 4, 1985 Boston show: He also called me a “Byronic bullfrog.” [↩]
Musique : les papys du rock by Antoine Dreyfus. Le Parisien – Le Magazine, June 10, 2013: A 78 ans, c’est le doyen de ces papys du rock. [Google Translate: Leonard Cohen: At 78 years, the dean of the granddads of rock. ] [↩]
Der Ketzerkönig by Georg Klein. Die Zeit: Dec 9, 2016: Leonard Cohen Der Ketzerkönig [Title] [Google Translate] [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Pop im Wiegeschritt. by Werner Rosenberger. Kurier, June 19, 2013: The old school melancholic opens his suitcase and holds rags from 40 years back to the light. [Google Translate] [↩]
Ticketmaster Tries to Pull a Fast One on Canada/Leonard Cohen, Fails by Kat Gardiner. Tiny Mix Tapes: Mar 3, 2009: Looks like the company is doing just that with tickets to see The Patron Saint of Canada Leonard Cohen. [↩]
Born with the Gift of a Golden Voice – Leonard Cohen at the O2 World, Berlin by Sascha Krieger. Stage And Screen, July 24, 2013: The poet of human darkness has turned into an illuminator, a humble but amazingly vital old man bringing us the light. [↩]
Leonard Cohen:
Popular Problems by Sean Mageean. Santa Barbara Independent. Oct 15, 2014: If Leonard Cohen isn’t the philosopher king/poet laureate of the human condition set to music, who is? [↩]
Leonard Cohen Is A Poet Who Is Trying To Be Free by Marci McDonald. Toronto Daily Star. April 26, 1969: By this week, when he was awarded the 1968 Governor General’s prize for poetry, Leonard Cohen had been elevated to “hipsters’ idol” – a tag strong enough to transcend geography or job, magic enough to fill a concert hall, sell a million dollars worth of records and send shivers down an adolescent spine. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: “New Skin For The Old Ceremony” by Bill Henderson. Sept 28, 1974: With a slight sigh, the naked saint goes to war again. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, Professor Of Cool by Perri Pagonis. Athens News, August 1, 2008: Leonard Cohen, Professor Of Cool [Title]. [↩]
Look Away, Leonard by John J. Sullivan .New York Magazine, Nov 8, 2004: Dear Heather finds the Canadian folk prince at a dismaying stylistic dead end. [↩]
Leonard Cohen – Hammersmith Odeon by Graham Lock. New Musical Express, Dec 12, 1979: … [Leonard Cohen is] a lot funnier than most people will credit. A stone-face Lenny Bruce; the Buster Keaton of despair. [↩]
“Roots Reggae” program – Vancouver Community Radio Station 2013. An Elder of the Jamaican Community in Vancouver rang up to say “Mon, that Leonard Cohen, he be cool mon. he be the Bob Marley of Canada.” [↩]
His spirit and his clothes by Nathalie Atkinson. The Globe and Mail, October 12, 2017: Singing the sartorial praises of Leonard Cohen, Canada’s moody men’s-wear icon [Introduction] [↩]
Porridge? Lozenge? Syringe? by Adrian Deevoy. Q Magazine, Nov 1991: But that’s why he is Leonard Cohen, poet of romantic despair, and we are not. [↩]
Exile on Main Street by Brett Grainger, Elm Street, Canada. November 2001: Suddenly, the poet of pleasure is quoting the scriptures of exile … [↩]
At 71, Leonard Cohen Finds His Voice Anew by Richard Harrington. Washington Post, July 14, 2006: He appears in generous interview footage that inspires reconsideration of someone who has acquired sobering sobriquets over the decades: poet laureate of pessimism, godfather of gloom, agent of anguish, sentry of solitude, master of miserabilism, harbinger of the heart, so on and so forth. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: The poet laureate of popular music by Lauren Haas, AXS, May 24, 2014: Leonard Cohen: The poet laureate of popular music [Title] [↩]
CD Reviews: Bard of liquid soul; Leonard Cohen – Dear Heather (Columbia) by Andrew Cowen. The Birmingham Post, Nov 13, 2004: CD Reviews: Bard of liquid soul; Leonard Cohen – Dear Heather [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen; He is the Man! by Rick Keene. The Rick Keene Music Scene, July 25, 2012: Gladly the monk [Leonard Cohen] – the high priest of lyrical beauty, allows people blessed with more talent to display his songs in their golden cases … [↩]
All Hail The Elegant Erotician. How To Diagram A Human Heart, March 24, 2015: All Hail The Elegant Erotician [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Prophet of Our Times by Saul Austerlitz. BeliefNet: Leonard Cohen: Prophet of Our Time [Title] [↩]
Better than Hallelujah? by Liel Leibovitz. Tablet, Dec 21, 2010: The list got me thinking about which one of the poet laureate of Jewish theology’s songs is most befitting for inclusion in a top 100 countdown. [↩]
Leonard Cohen As Irreverent Master of Prayer by Shefa Siegel. Sojourners Magazine, March 2013: It is a joke you know Cohen has cracked a hundred times, the kind that makes my brother call him the Jewish Dean Martin. [↩]
Leonard Cohen at BIC, Bournemouth by Stephen Dalton. The Times, Aug 28, 2013: This marathon two-act soiree by the Zen master of song proved a masterclass in grace, generosity … [↩]
Gig of the Week – Leonard Cohen at Royal Hospital Kilmainham by Aisling O’Brien. Golden Plec: Sept 12, 2012: The maestro of misery’s concerts are never short of amazing … [↩]
The Return Of A Ladies’ Man by Judith Fitzgerald. The Globe And Mail, Sept 25, 2000: Leonard Cohen’s manager Kelley Lynch reports that Canada’s Numero Uno agent of anguish — who turned 66 last Thursday — has never felt better in his life. / At 71, Leonard Cohen Finds His Voice Anew by Richard Harrington. Washington Post, July 14, 2006: He appears in generous interview footage that inspires reconsideration of someone who has acquired sobering sobriquets over the decades: poet laureate of pessimism, godfather of gloom, agent of anguish, sentry of solitude, master of miserabilism, harbinger of the heart, so on and so forth. [↩]
Autumn’s 10 Best Music Books by Kitty Empire, Michael Hann, Jude Rogers. The Observer, Sept 2012: Leonard Cohen, the poet laureate of the blackened heart, was nearing retirement age when … [↩]
Leonard Cohen Est Vivant, Et Bien by Christophe Barbier; L’Express, July 8, 2009: Trois heures de show, pas un problème de voix ni de mémoire, un plaisir visible et un perfectionnisme affûté: le crooner des crooners, le croonerissime, a enthousiasmé la salle. [Three hours of show, not a problem of voice or memory, a pleasure and a visible sharp perfectionism: The crooner of crooners, the ultimate crooner, has excited the audience.] [↩]
Folk-Rock’s Poet Laureate Returns By Jeff Bradley 1988. AP story printed in Times Daily, Sept 3, 1988: Folk-Rock’s Poet Laureate Returns [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen, Pain Free by Sheldon Teitelbaum. Los Angeles Times: April 05, 1992: The troubadour trickster also hopes to complete his own new album sometime this spring. [↩]
Nice Cohen by Judith Fitzgerald. The Globe and Mail, Sept 25, 2000: What brings the grim grocer of grief — the guy often accused of writing songs many consider soundtracks to eat a gun by — joy? [↩]
The Leonard Cohen of World Lit – José Saramago, novelist by Sarah Kerr. Slate, Oct 18, 1998: Cohen has always been praised as the poet laureate of songsters. [↩]
El Regreso Del Dalai Cohen [The Return of the Dalai Cohen] by Juan Carlos Merino. La Vanguardia, July 5, 2001: El Regreso Del Dalai Cohen [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen Is Still Your Man, Still Touring by Michael Sarko. American Rock, March 27, 2012: Promoting his latest LP Old Ideas, the poet laureate of dry wit and tattered romance is heading out on a European tour. [↩]
Review: ‘Leonard Cohen’ by Ethlie Ann Vare. Variety, July 14, 1993: At 59, he [Leonard Cohen] has become the elder statesman of angst. The poet laureate of pain. Edith Piaf with chest hair. [↩]
Review: ‘Leonard Cohen’ by Ethlie Ann Vare. Variety, July 14, 1993: At 59, he [Leonard Cohen] has become the elder statesman of angst. The poet laureate of pain. Edith Piaf with chest hair. [↩]
Leonard Cohen on the Inner Workings of His New Album ‘Popular Problems’ by Todd Aaron Jensen. Bio, Dec 1, 2014: … there is but one vocal exudation worth truly hearing, and it belongs to Cohen, the savagely compassionate bard of spiritual, romantic, and political chiaroscuro. [↩]
Review: ‘Leonard Cohen’ by Ethlie Ann Vare. Variety, July 14, 1993: At 59, he [Leonard Cohen] has become the elder statesman of angst. The poet laureate of pain. Edith Piaf with chest hair. [↩]
Can You Hear My Song? by Shefa Siegel, Jewish Independent. September 13, 2013: Leonard Cohen – irreverent master of prayer. [Heading] [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Songs of Love and Hate by GurS. Sputnik Music: Oct 9, 2005: Cohen is undoubtedly the poet laureate of melancholia. [↩]
Canadian Idol by Claire Crighton. Maisonneuve Magazine, June 1, 2006: Canada has venerated Cohen as its patron saint of all things soulful and romantic. [↩]
Interview: J.F. Robitaille by Michael Raine. Quip: June 18, 2012: His vivid lyricism, sparse acoustic instrumentation, and almost-spoken singing style has earned him constant comparisons to Montreal’s patron saint of songwriting, Leonard Cohen [↩]
Der Mann, Der Uns Alle Kennt by Helmut Schümann, Der Tagesspiegel, Oct 5, 2008: Stimme der Endzeit, Stimme der Liebe: Leonard Cohen gibt ein seligmachendes Konzert in der Berliner O2-Arena. [Voice of the End Times, Voice of Love: Leonard Cohen is a happy-making concert at Berlin’s O2 Arena.] [Subtitle] [↩]
Hallelujah! Leonard Cohen meets Uncut by Brian D Johnson. Uncut, Dec 2009 (reprinted Nov 2012): Leonard Cohen may be the poet laureate of wine, women and song. But at 73, touring for the first time in 14 years, he now seems stoically devoted to song. [↩]
Cohen: New Spin from an Old Ceremony by I-Huei Go. New York Observer, April 16, 2001: For more than three decades, Leonard Cohen has been our great bard of late-night melancholy. [↩]
Barb Jungr – Hard Rain: The Songs of Bob Dylan & Leonard Cohen by Alejandro De Luna. TSOD, March 23, 21014: Jungr pays her respects (again) to the septuagenarian genius from Minnesota, Bob Dylan, and Canada´s dark bohemian wise baritone, Leonard Cohen. [↩]
Leonard Cohen Live In London Review by Chris Jones. BBC, 2009: He … still looks and sounds like the thinking man’s Godfather of the boudoir. [↩]
What Happened When Phil Spector Met Leonard Cohen? By Harvey Kubernik. The Los Angeles Phonograph, January 1978: In a year of unlikely artist/producer combinations – Reddy/Fowler, Flack/Ezrin, Grand Funk/Zappa, etc. – this is perhaps the most unlikely: Phil Spector, demon genius of the rock-and-roll production number, producing Leonard Cohen, ascetic prophet of acoustic disaffectedness. [↩]
Darkness Visible: Awakening Spiritual Light Through Darkness Meditation by Ross Heaven, Simon Buxton. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co, Nov 16, 2005: And for Leonard Cohen, poet of the soul, cartographer of the darkworld, I don’t think I could run Darkness Visible without your Ten New Songs! [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Sacred Soul, Profane Flesh from Apocalypse Jukebox: The End of the World in American Popular Music by David A Janssen, Edward J Whitelock. Counterpoint Press, 2009: Cohen was well suited to become America’s musical prophet of the apocalypse [↩]
Pop Music Review : Leonard Cohen: Mainly, A Man Of His Words by Robert Hilburn. Los Angeles Times, June 11, 1985: Leonard Cohen, a songwriter and poet who examines despair and guilt to achieve understanding and hope, is pop’s patron saint of those who consider themselves sensitive searchers. [↩]
Review: Leonard Cohen’s epic election-eve set at Nokia Theatre by Randall Roberts. Los Angeles Times, Nov 6, 2012: Even pushing fourscore years, Cohen remains king of seduction. [↩]
Who’s King of Pop Now? by Jesse Kornbluth. New York Times, Feb 11, 2012: And this codger is, however briefly, the King of Pop? [↩]
Der Lichtbringer by Rüdiger Schaper. Der tagesspiegel, July 18, 2013: Der Lichtbringer [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen, Rock Star Monk by Geoff Wood. ABC: The Rhythm Divine, November 8, 2013: Leonard Cohen, Rock Star Monk [Title] [↩]
Our Poet Of The Apocalypse by Brian D. Johnson. Maclean’s, Oct 15, 2001: Our Poet of the Apocalypse: In the wake of September 11, Leonard Cohen reflects on love and death [Title] [↩]
Joe Dolce on Leonard Cohen: Jikan. Poet Laureate of Songwriters. Red Wolf Press, Nov 2, 2013: Joe Dolce on Leonard Cohen: Jikan. Poet Laureate of Songwriters [Title] [↩]
Slow and steady wins the race for languid Len: Adrian Thrills reviews singer’s latest album Popular Problems by Adrian Thrills. Daily Mail: Sept 25, 2014: Slow and steady wins the race for languid Len [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen’s Popular Problems – from the coolest octogenarian in music, and beyond by Eamon Carr. The Independent.ie: Sept 20, 2014: Leonard Cohen’s Popular Problems – from the coolest octogenarian in music, and beyond [Title] [↩]
Desolation Angel by Al Walentis. Reading Eagle, May 1, 1985: Desolation Angel [Title] [↩]
No. I’ve Never Contemplated Suicide, Says Leonard Cohen by Peter Wilmoth. The Age, May 24, 1985: … Leonard Cohen, long known as the high priest of suicide rock … [↩]
Leonard Cohen Scores In Paris by Tim Creery. Montreal Gazette, May 14, 1970: Leonard Cohen, Canada’s poet-singer of the lovable and the livable, had young Paris at his feet. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Popular Problems by Ed Whitelock. Pop Matters, Sept 25, 2014: Cohen is America’s poet/prophet of the sacred and profane, and he delivers majestically on this brief but powerful album.” Pop Matters Review Of Popular Problems. [↩]
Plateanmeldelse: Leonard Cohen – «Popular Problems» by Morten Ståle Nilsen. VG, Sept 15, 2014: Det er en utsøkt glede å få følge ham, denne rockens Yoda, inn i solnedgangen. [It is an exquisite pleasure to follow him, this rock Yoda, into the sunset.] [↩]
Folk-Rock’s Poet Laureate Returns By Jeff Bradley 1988. AP story printed in Times Daily, Sept 3, 1988: But after years in the wilderness, Leonard Cohen, the mournful poet laureate of folk-rock, has a new hit album in which he laughs at his own dour image. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, Culture Warrior? by J.L. Wall. First Things, Dec 3, 2014: In 1973, he flew to Israel to enlist in the IDF during the Yom Kippur War. Sent instead to raise troop morale with his guitar, Cohen sang for Ariel Sharon and his tank crews as “the Nightingale of the Sinai.” [↩]
Seer with the devil’s voice now hangs out with angels by Bongani Madondo. Mail & Guardian, Nov 17, 2016: … no contemporary musician has voodooed music and verse into a single creative ritual quite like the Thin Zen Jew<strong [↩]
Leonard Cohen You Want It Darker by Jesse Cataldo. Slant, October 21, 2016: … a wry reckoning of a lifetime’s worth of damaged relationships, upheld vows, and broken promises from pop’s preeminent emotional accountant. [↩]
Album of the Year: Leonard Cohen – Popular Problems by Mark Kidel. The Arts Desk: December 24, 2014: Leonard Cohen, grand rabbi of poetry and the blues, turned 80 this year, and like a perfectly matured brandy, he only gets better and better. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: ‘All I’ve Got To Put In A Song Is My Own Experience’ by Dorian Lynskey. The Guardian, Jan 19, 2012: Looking like a grandfatherly mobster, he doffs his hat and smiles graciously … [↩]
Crazy for Love: Review of “I’m Your Man” by Sylvie SImmons by A. M. Homes. New York Times. Oct 12, 2012: A man of many generations, Leonard Cohen is still debonair, “looking like a Rat Pack rabbi.” [↩]
Leonard Cohen – Frauenphantasie by Roderich Fabian. BR,de. April 30, 2015 : Leonard Cohen- Frauenphantasie [Woman’s Fantasy] [Title] [↩]
Album review: Leonard Cohen – Can’t Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour by Ed Power. Irish Examiner. May 13, 2015: … despite his reputation as the bard of misery, Cohen’s winning asset is his tremendous humanity. [↩]
A Secular Saint by Brian Boyd. Irish Times, Jan 28, 2012: Secular Saint [Title] [↩]
Der Grosse Jahresrückblick 2014 by Kurt Kister, Alter Meister. Süddeutsche Zeitung: Dec 31, 2014. Und so wie eigentlich nur der vom Gitarren-Folkie zum Außerirdischen mutierte Bob Dylan ist Cohen ein Lebensgefühlpräger geworden und geblieben. [↩]
Happy Birthday, Leonard Cohen! by Liel Leibovitz. Tablet. Sept 21, 2015. The grand rabbi of song turns 81 [Subtitle] [↩]
Beautiful Loser, Beautiful Comeback by Judith Fitzgerald. The National Post, March 24, 2001: The soldier of sorrow spent much of the ’80s in near-oblivion till Jennifer Warnes’s exquisite 1987 tribute, Famous Blue Raincoat … [↩]
Leonard Cohen in Premiere. Ooe.Orf.At, Oct 20, 2015: … wir ein besonderes Leonard Cohen Konzert, in dem der Meister der Balladen mit einer hervorragenden Begleitband überzeugt. [an exceptional Leonard Cohen concert–a truly convincing performance by the master of ballads and his excellent band.] [↩]
Leonard Cohen: A Remarkable Life by Anthony Reynolds. Music Sales Limited, Nov 30, 2010: Immediately prior to the release of his debut album, the poet laureate of the bedroom continued to test himself live… [↩]
The Prince of Prurience and Loss by John Leland. GQ. November, 2001. This is Leonard Cohen, poet of the sad song, telling a joke. [↩]
Leonard Cohen + Dad of New Canadian PM = BFF by Leah Falk. Jewniverse. October 29, 2015: …. he also has family ties to the melancholy king of cool, Leonard Cohen. [↩]
Darkness Visible: Awakening Spiritual Light Through Darkness Meditation by Ross Heaven, Simon Buxton. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co, Nov 16, 2005: And for Leonard Cohen, poet of the soul, cartographer of the darkworld, I don’t think I could run Darkness Visible without your Ten New Songs! [↩]
Leonard Cohen, A Happy Man by Mireille Silcott, Saturday Night. September 15, 2001: The Vogue is full of seafoam-green carpeting … — not the kind of place for the ambassador of melancholia. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, A Happy Man by Mireille Silcott, Saturday Night. September 15, 2001: Hearing Leonard Cohen medicalizing his melancholia, the state so central to his work, so integral to the whole Cohen persona — the dark prince of intellectual song — was like hearing …” [↩]
Live from New York…. by Judith Fitzgerald. Globe And Mail. Feb. 19, 2009: … the maestro of melancholic munificence will commence the second leg of his wildly successful world-wide tour tonight. [↩]
Frank furter Rundschau review of 1993 Frankfurt am Main, Alte Oper concert. quoted & translated by Christof Graf in Leonard Cohen live in Germany, 1993. Essays on Canadian Writing; Toronto; Winter 1999: The “high priest of hopelessness” (Frank furter Rundschau) hadn’t lost his credibility. [↩]
New York Times, quoted & translated by Christof Christof Graf in Leonard Cohen live in Germany, 1993. Essays on Canadian Writing; Toronto; Winter 1999: There will always be people who criticize Cohen since “the poet of the US underground” dared to put his poems to music. [↩]
Berliner Morgenpost review of 1993 concert at the Tempodrom in Berlin, quoted & translated by Christof Graf in Leonard Cohen live in Germany, 1993. Essays on Canadian Writing; Toronto; Winter 1999: [The] magical master of monotony … was given a tribute by his audience of all ages with long-lasting applause [↩]
Leaning Out For Love by Paul Gessell. Ottawa Citizen. April 30, 2006: The dark messiah has returned. He’s older, perhaps wiser, definitely cheerier and tumescent as ever. [↩]
Leonard Cohen announces new album, You Want It Darker by Kyle Carney. Treble, Aug 13, 2016: At 82 years old, Montreal’s brooding bard Leonard Cohen, is planning to release his fourteenth studio album. [↩]
Leonard Cohen announces his 14th studio album, You Want It Darker by Dennis DiClaudio. AV Club, Aug 12, 2016: Leonard Cohen, the dapper gravel-voiced poet of folk-pop, just gave word that his 14th studio release, You Want It Darker, will be appearing for everyone to fawn all over this fall. [↩]
Gesprek met Leonard Cohen, de boeteprediker van de popmuziek; Het Oude Testament is mijn handboek’ [Talk with Leonard Cohen, the philosopher of pop music; the Old Testament is my guide] by Pieter Steinz, NRC: December 4, 1992: Gesprek meLeonard Cohen announces his 14th studio album, You Want It Darkert Leonard Cohen, de boeteprediker van de popmuziek [Talk with Leonard Cohen, the philosopher of pop music] [Title] [↩]
Is Leonard Cohen the Jewish Barry White? by Adam Chandler. The Table, Dec 21, 2012: Is Leonard Cohen the Jewish Barry White? [Title] [↩]
Fuck the Jazz Police: Celebration & Reclamation at Montréal Jazz Fest by Justin Joffe. Observer, July 6, 2016: When Leonard Cohen released “Jazz Police” in 1987, the poet monk of Montréal may have been tipping his fedora to purists of the genre, to an elitist patron class that typified the modern jazz scene. [↩]
In Honor of His 82nd Birthday: 22 Essential Leonard Cohen Songs That Aren’t “Hallelujah” by Sean Nelson, The Stranger, Sep 21, 2016: Leonard Cohen, the whispering titan of singer-songwriters, and one of the only living music artists whose song lyrics are worth reading in a book, celebrates his 82nd birthday today. [↩]
Leonard Cohen gibt sich die Ehre: Konzert in der Wiener Stadthalle. Vienna Online: July 2, 2013: Im vergangenen Jahr meldete sich der musikalische Poet mit dem Album “Old Ideas” zurück. [Last year, the musical poet returned with the album “Old Ideas”.] [↩]
Leonard Cohen tops the Irish charts with You Want it Darker by Caitlyn Stewart. Hot Press, Oct 28, 2016: Master of morbidity climbs to number 1. [↩]
Column: Everybody Has An Agenda by Magdalena Randal. The News, Oct. 20, 2017: It is a universal prayer written by another humble human being, our Canadian prophet, Leonard Cohen. [↩]
So Long, Leonard Cohen—Holy Sinner, Poet, Friend by Jay Michaelson. The Daily Beast, Nov 11, 2016: The poet laureate of longing dies at age 82, just three weeks after releasing one of the best albums of his career. [↩]
World Cafe: Backstage With Leonard Cohen In 1993 By David Dye. NPR World Cafe, Npv 11, 2016: I can’t believe I had the chutzpah to call him the “Barry White of folk music.” What was I thinking? Well, I was thinking “deep voice, affinity for string arrangements” — and maybe that people listened while loving. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, the troubadour for troubled souls, dead by Stephanie Convery. The Hindu, Nov 12, 2016: Leonard Cohen, the troubadour for troubled souls, dead [Title] [↩]
From A Purple Haze To A Purple Patch by Adam Sweeting. The Canberra Times. July 24, 1994: … it has become part of Cohen’s role to be balladeer of the cataclysm, examining fragments of the wreckage and assembling them into weird but beautiful sculptures. [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Champion of Our Cracked Imperfections by Parker J. Palmer. On Being, Nov 16, 2016: Leonard Cohen: Champion of Our Cracked Imperfections [Title] [↩]
Alberto Manzano: “Leonard Cohen era un hombre muy sencillo” by Gema Muñoz & Eugenia García. Sei, Nov 11, 2016: Adios Al Poeta De Las Canciones [Farewell To The Poet Of Songs] [Subtitle] [↩]
Leonard Cohen: Remembering the Life and Legacy of the Poet of Brokenness by Mikal Gilmore. Rolling Stone, 30 November 2016: Leonard Cohen: Remembering the Life and Legacy of the Poet of Brokenness [Title] [↩]
Tribute: Leonard Cohen the Smoky Prince of Prose and Poetry (1934-2016). Republic Buzz. May 9, 2017: Tribute: Leonard Cohen the Smoky Prince of Prose and Poetry [Title] [↩]
50 Best Songs of 2016 by Rob Sheffield. Rolling Stone, Nov 30, 2016: The ultimate Zen sage was still writing songs on his deathbed… [↩]
Leonard Cohen, Judaism’s Bard by Jonathan Freedland. Atlantic, Nov 19, 2016: Leonard Cohen, Judaism’s Bard [Title] [↩]
Must-Listen Music – Leonard Cohen “You Want It Darker” by Randy Lewis. LA TImes, Dec 15, 2016: The veteran poet-shaman was always a master of conjuring primal emotions . . . [↩]
Von Bowie bis Michael: Ein hartes Jahr für Musikfreunde, Kurier.at, Dec 26, 2016: kanadische Songwriter-Institution Leonard Cohen segneten ebenfalls das Zeitliche. [Canadian songwriter institution Leonard Cohen also blessed the temporal.] [↩]
Leonard Cohen Tribute: Death Of A Legend by Paul Nolan. Hot Press, Dec 2l, 2016: By the early ’90s, the Montreal maverick was very much the choice of a new generation, a point emphasised by the 1991 tribute album I’m Your Fan… [↩]
The Arts Versus Food and Birds by Jim Harrison, A Really Big Lunch, Grove/Atlantic, Inc., Mar 24, 2017: This dead-end flotsam dropped away when I watched the film of Leonard Cohen’s recent London concert. This great bird of night is my favorite troubadour. [↩]
Leonard Cohen is gone: The broken-hearted scoundrel and master of lament dies at home, “writing up until his last moments” by Annie Zaleski. Salon, Nov 11, 2016: Leonard Cohen is gone: The broken-hearted scoundrel and master of lament dies at home [Title] [↩]
Leonard Cohen is gone: The broken-hearted scoundrel and master of lament dies at home, “writing up until his last moments” by Annie Zaleski. Salon, Nov 11, 2016: Leonard Cohen is gone: The broken-hearted scoundrel and master of lament dies at home [Title] [↩]
This Is the Best Story You’ll Read All Day Just Trust Us by Russ Rowlands. Roads & Kingdoms. Dec. 6, 2016: Sonorous Rumble sauntered up and shook hands. [↩]
Leonard Cohen, poet of sex and death, made music to nourish the soul by Neil McCormick. Telegraph, Nov. 11, 2016: Leonard Cohen, poet of sex and death, made music to nourish the soul [Title] [↩]
Private commuication: Jack Lazariuk [↩]
Comment by Steve Meador, drummer for Leonard Cohen beginning 1979, re “Billy Sunday” aka “Blues By The Jews” June 18, 2021 post. From hence we sometimes referred to Leonard as “The Blue Jew”. [↩]
John Miller Talks About Working With Leonard Cohen by Allan Showalter. Cohencentric: April 3, 2018: Playing with Leonard you cannot help but explore the space between the notes. The Buddha of slow tempos. [↩]
Leonard Cohen was the Guru of Gloom for film and TV by Peter Howell. The Star, Nov. 13, 2016: Leonard Cohen was the Guru of Gloom for film and TV [Title] [↩]
Sultan of seduction: He was known as the ‘Godfather of gloom’. But Leonard Cohen, who’s died at 82, was also rock’s most sensual ladies’ man by Ray Connolly. Daily Mail, November 11, 2016: Sultan of seduction [Title] [↩]
Vale Leonard Cohen, High Priest Of Erotic Romanticism by Xavier Symons. Mercatorne, Nov 16 2016: Vale Leonard Cohen, High Priest Of Erotic Romanticism [Title] [↩]
Can You Be Normal on Simchat Torah? by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Sep 26, 2018: “There is a crack in everything,” sung Leonard Cohen, the Jewish bard of Montreal. “That’s how the light gets in.” [↩]
Leonard Cohen, the Male Feminist Who Mistreated Women by Kyle Smith. National Review, July 5, 2019: He was the Elvis of bookish depressives… [↩]
Leonard Cohen…What’s Your Problem? Doom and Gloom by Patrick Humphries. Vox: February, 1993. Is it true that Leonard Cohen still has a problem with his image of Mr. Doom & Gloom? [↩]

AllanShowalter.com

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Leonard Cohen AKA – The Nicknames

Leonard Cohen Sobriquets, Aliases, Bynames, Cognomens, Appellations, Alternative Names, & Monikers

The Nicknames

A Medical Note On The Death Of Leonard Cohen

Neil Ellis Photos: Alley Spring Mill, Jacks Fork River

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Julie’s Story: 1. This Is How A Love Story Began

Last Exit From Michael Reese – The Final Days Of A Great Chicago Hospital

“Any phrase that includes ‘butterfly’ or ‘unicorn'” – 15 Mistakes To Avoid When Choosing A BDSM Safe Word

Leonard Cohen Sobriquets, Aliases, Bynames, Cognomens, Appellations, Alternative Names, & Monikers

The Nicknames

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