Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen

January 13, 2014
The past two years have been good to the enigmatic and sometimes mysterious Cohen. He released Old Ideas, his first studio album in eight years, to wide acclaim, and Sylvie Simmons published a highly praised biography of Cohen, I’m Your Man. Now we get to hear the man himself in these interviews that music writer Burger gathers from various music magazines and newspapers—some hard to find and others not previously published in English—from 1966 to the present. On his musical predecessors: “I am very much aware of where I stood in a long line of singers or poets… and to be one of the figures that allows the tradition to continue is very gratifying.” In an early interview, Cohen comments that he doesn’t “go around looking for joy. I don’t go around looking for melancholy either… I’m not on an archaeological expedition.” In the most recent interview, from 2012, Cohen reflects on the nature of song: “Song operates on so many levels… it addresses the heart in its ordeals and its defeats but it is also useful in getting the dishes done or cleaning the house.” Every collection like this has its uneven and repetitious moments, but Burger’s discerning editorial hand selects those conversations with Cohen that offer insights into his music. For longtime and fans as well as newcomers to Cohen’s work.

February 15, 2014

Burger (editor, Business Jet Traveler; Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters) presents a close-up and personal portrait of novelist, poet, singer/songwriter, cult figure, and sometime philosopher Leonard Cohen (b. 1934) through more than 50 collected interviews conducted between 1966 and 2012. Montreal-born Cohen's literary style was heavily influenced by the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, the Beats, Pete Seeger, the Almanac Singers, and the synagogue prayers of his childhood. His 1966 encounter with folk singer Judy Collins and her subsequent recording of his song "Suzanne" led to the start of his recording career. Cohen's later work, "Hallelujah," has become a modern-day hymn, covered by the likes of Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, John Cale, and others. VERDICT This book will appeal to Cohen aficionados and researchers. Readers will gain a wealth of information about his take on life while enduring the repetition of facts that occurs with multiple interviews. Those interested in further exploration would enjoy Sylvie Simmons's 2012 biography, I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen, which covers the artist's early years and Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs, a notable compilation of his best works.--Elizabeth D. Eisen, Appleton P.L., WI

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2014
At 600-plus pages, this collection of interviews from various sources presents the singular Leonard Cohen in his own voice. The earliest piece is an interview on Canadian television in 1966; the most recent is an article in the Guardian from January of this year. Editor Burger divides the book into four parts: the 1960s and 1970s, when Cohen released some of his more durable classics, including Suzanne, Bird on the Wire, and Famous Blue Raincoat; the 1980s, when he released only two studio albums, one of which included his most famous song, the iconic Hallelujah; the 1990s, when he briefly flirted with living the life of a monk; and the new millennium, when he remarkably enjoyed the biggest successes of his long career. Burger includes interviews from major publications and media outlets (Rolling Stone, Maclean's, New Musical Express, New York Times, CBC). Many of these pieces have not previously appeared in print. Cohen is endlessly quotable and endlessly ed: repetition of endlessly ok? entertaining, and there is great joy in reading his words, including the numerous pull quotes scattered throughout the text, such as Professionalism is the enemy of creativity and imagination. With a foreword by Suzanne Vega, this is a must for Cohen fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)