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.