31–40 of 60 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
He would definitely deserve it. But he's Canadian so his contributions would more correctly be classified as going towards Canadian songwriting.
Last time I checked Canada was in the Americas but I get your point.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't see the need to bristle when the rest of that paragraph dispells any notion of an "impoverished poet": "Cohen, whose family was both prominent and cultivated, had an ironical view of himself. He was a bohemian with a cushion whose first purchases in London were an Olivetti typewriter and a blue raincoat at Burberry."
That is a fair point, well made. I guess the bristling got the better of me. And in those days, Burberry was actually an upper-class brand without the downmarket associations it has these days.
Leonard Cohen is absolutely one of the best (Canadian!) artists of the last century. Seriously; if you have the time, do what you can to discover his music. Songs of Leonard Cohen, Various Positions, and of course I'm Your Man are all must listen albums.
Those looking to try Cohen for the first time (or wanting to rediscover him) should listen to Live in London (2009) , which IMHO is one of the best live albums ever. Great songs and some witty banter in between. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2p8je2
First off, I've always been a huge fan of Cohen. But the opening paragraph made me bristle slightly: "He got by on a three-thousand-dollar grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. This was 1960..." I'm assuming that's Canadian dollars. So he was living abroad doing what he loved, and presumably not breaking much of a sweat. No less than ten years later, in the same country, my parents were struggling to bring up t…
I don't see the need to bristle when the rest of that paragraph dispells any notion of an "impoverished poet": "Cohen, whose family was both prominent and cultivated, had an ironical view of himself. He was a bohemian with a cushion whose first purchases in London were an Olivetti typewriter and a blue raincoat at Burberry."
If someone told me that there would come a day when two of the first three HN posts will be about Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, I would have dismissed them as high or delusional. Turns out that I would be very wrong.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It would be impressive to know that in advance, given that actually it was Bob Dylan who won it. (But perhaps they were tipped off that it would be a singer-songwriter, and they made the wrong guess.)
As much as I love Bob Dylan, I wouldn't have been upset had Leonard Cohen been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He's written two novels, several volumes of poetry, and, of course, has made his own irreplaceable poetic contributions to American songwriting.
I would not be surprised that one of the lesser reasons Dylan was awarded this year was to open the door to others including Cohen in future years.
Not to mention that Dylan's awarding might have the more subtle effect of encouraging contemporary musicians, if they are not already doing so, to commit to more enduring songwriting than otherwise just making a weekly Top 40.
I was fortunate enough to see him live quite a few times during his touring between 2008 and 2012, and I have never seen better live music in my life. In his late 70s he would give a 3+ hour performance full of energy and enthusiasm, it was truly incredible to see.
edit: The other artists in the line-up were top-notch. My favorite part of the non-Cohen sung songs was the Webb Sisters with "Coming Back to You": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzX0Nk3sCJE
First off, I've always been a huge fan of Cohen. But the opening paragraph made me bristle slightly: "He got by on a three-thousand-dollar grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. This was 1960..." I'm assuming that's Canadian dollars. So he was living abroad doing what he loved, and presumably not breaking much of a sweat. No less than ten years later, in the same country, my parents were struggling to bring up t…
Are you talking about your 1970 father's wage being $1500 per year, or per month, or per pay period?
The bristling at the journalist is fine (after all, $3000/year in 1960 is approximately equivalent to $24,000/year in today's dollars, with which a single man could live quite well in Greece). But let's make sure we're comparing apples to apples.
Canadian minimum wage in 1970 was 1.75/hr, which comes out to well over $3000/year assuming 40/hr weeks. So I'm guessing you're talking per month or other pay period.
Leonard Cohen is absolutely one of the best (Canadian!) artists of the last century. Seriously; if you have the time, do what you can to discover his music. Songs of Leonard Cohen, Various Positions, and of course I'm Your Man are all must listen albums.
If someone told me that there would come a day when two of the first three HN posts will be about Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, I would have dismissed them as high or delusional. Turns out that I would be very wrong.
wah wah people have interests other than jerking it to TechCrunch