Caught Cold Cohen

Week Nineteen: Sunday 4 – Saturday 10 February

"You never forget your first Cohen." That's what my friend, and Cohen aficionado, told me: he was right! Mine was 'I'm Your Man', sung by the fantastic Rufus Wainwright at the beginning of the documentary with the same title that is all about the man himself.

Like so many others, no doubt, I had always harboured under the misapprehension that Leonard Cohen's poems, songs and essays were depressing; enough to drive anyone over the edge, was how I had heard him described on more than one occasion.

Being of a more than melancholic nature myself, I always made a point of avoiding anything by Leonard Cohen as a result of all the foreboding that had been foisted upon me by others. Then an opportunity came to go and watch the documentary film, 'I'm Your Man'; all about, and starring, Leonard Cohen.

With my wife and daughter away visiting African relations in another part of England, I was feeling lonely and melancholy enough. My instinct was to turn down the chance to go and see the documentary film. But, a number of people on my course, people I have quickly grown to have a love and respect for, said he is a genius and a legend and that I would enjoy it.

At least it would be a little company and a chance to get out of an empty house; at most it would be a chance to finally become acquainted with a singer/songwriter of genius standing. It turned out to be the latter, not the former.
Apart from too tubes from a band called U2, by the names of 'Bono' and 'Edge', the whole documentary film was a wonderful journey into the work and workings of one gifted, talented and special writer. As if that wasn't enough, all the way through an eclectic mix of 'unusual', but also supremely gifted and talented, singers paid their respects to Mr Cohen with various renditions of some of his songs.

Being an impecunious student, I didn't go out and buy a book or two about him and/or several cds of his songs being sung by himself and others - much as I'd have loved too. But my good friend, and fellow student, who so sagely told me that you never forget your first Cohen, kindly lent me one of his Leonard Cohen books and one of his cds too.

I have spent the last few days in blissful harmony, being mesmerized by Cohen's sublime genius, and immense humility. Not everything he has written does it for me; but what I like, and I like a lot, I find I like so much I love it.

As for being depressing: maybe for some people, but not for me. For me, Leonard Cohen is uplifting, warming, understanding and comforting.

The moral of the story? Never take anybody's word for anything: find out for yourself!