[1] In Leonard Cohen Makes it Darker, in the
October 17, 2016 edition of The New Yorker,
David Remnick provides a succinct historyby-
anecdote of the Canadian singersongwriter
[5] ´s impending album, You Want It
Darker, an intriguing section devoted to Bob
Dylan’s take on Cohen, and a witty
perspective on the old icon.
Remnick suggests that there are deep
[10] connections between the two old bards when
he quotes Dylan: ―When people talk about
Leonard, they fail to mention his melodies,
which to me, along with his lyrics, are his
greatest genius. […] Even the counterpoint
[15] lines—they give a celestial character and
melodic lift to every one of his songs. As far
as I know, no one else comes close to this in
modern music. [..] His gift or genius is in
connection to the music of the spheres. In
[20] Sisters of Mercy, for instance, the verses are
four elemental lines which change and move
at predictable intervals . . . but the tune is
anything but predictable. The song just
comes in and states a fact. And after that
[25] anything can happen and it does, and
Leonard allows it to happen. His tone is far
from condescending or mocking. He is a
tough-minded lover who doesn’t recognize
the brush-off. Leonard’s always above it all.
[30] Sisters of Mercy is in perfect meter, with no
chorus, quivering with drama. This is an
example of a deceptively unusual musical
theme, with or without lyrics. But it’s so
subtle a listener doesn’t realize he’s been
[35] taken on a musical journey and dropped off
somewhere, with or without lyrics.‖
And it is Cohen who says that ―Dylan has
lines, hundreds of great lines, that have the
feel of unhewn stone. But they really fit in
[40] there. But they’re not smoothed out. They’re
inspired but not polished. That is not to say
he doesn’t have lyrics of great polish. That
kind of genius can manifest all the forms and
all the styles.‖
[45] For some odd reason, Cohen also says: ―I
have all my marbles, so far. I have many
resources, some cultivated on a personal
level, but circumstantial, too: my children
and grandchildren live nearby. So I am
[50] extremely blessed. At a certain point, if you
still have your marbles and are not faced
with serious financial challenges, you have a
chance to put your house in order. It’s a
cliché, but it’s underestimated as an
[55] analgesic on all levels. Putting your house in
order, if you can do it, is one of the most
comforting activities and the benefits of it are
incalculable.‖
When asked about the devotional tones of
[60] his verses Cohen declares: ―I start with
artistic dedication. I know that if the spirit is
on you, it will touch on to the other human
receptors. But I dare not begin from the
other side. It’s like pronouncing the holy
[65] name—you don’t do it. But if you are lucky,
and you are graced, and the audience is in a
particular salutary condition, then these
deeper responses will be produced.‖
REMNICK, D. Leonard Cohen makes it Darker. Available at: www.TAGARCHIVES: Leonard Cohen – Bob Dylan Interface. Accessed on Nov. 9th, 2016.
The words impending (l. 5), quivering (l. 31) and unhewn (l. 39) can be substituted, without change in meaning, by
