(2006) This retrospective documentary of the idiosyncratic Canadian artist Leonard Cohen, covering 43 years of his life with an emphasis on the first decade of his singer/songwriting career, is "an independent analysis" (i.e., an unauthorized documentary without Cohen's, his record label's, or his management's approval).

Employing black-and-white as well as color photography of Cohen (no complete songs are performed) and interviews with various people (in this documentary as in others, identification of the individuals should be repeated with each appearance rather than just once initially) who've known and worked with Cohen, we learn from his biographer Jim Devlin of his growing up in a Jewish household in Montreal, his early interest in literature, and his leaving the study of law in 1956 to visit Columbia University in New York City where he became acquainted with Beat poets in the coffeehouse scene.

"The heart is the rage of affliction" he wrote. Another biographer, Ira Nadel, describes his poetry as naked and personal, which though not particularly original sounded new to most Canadian readers. Significant influences on his versification were Dorothy Parker, T.S. Eliot, and W.B. Yeats; he associated with fellow Canadian poet Irving Layton. In the mid-60s, following books of verse, such as Flowers for Hitler, he published two novels, The Favorite Game and Beautiful Losers, the latter referred to by some critics as brilliant and experimental but criticized by others for its strong sexual content (one wrote that after reading it she had to "wash my mind").

However, Cohen turned to songwriting, putting his poems to music, as a financial escape from the poverty of composing pure poetry. "Not a child of the rock'n'roll era," says Nigel Williamson, nonetheless he easily embraced the counterculture and an association with Lou Reed and Andy Warhol. Originally planning to record a country-music album in Nashville, Cohen was signed by John Hammond (recognizing an intimate, engaging voice) and recorded Songs of Leonard Cohen (1968) in New York under producer John Simon, who commented: "His lyrics set him apart."

Judy Collins's sweeter version of "Suzanne" (1966) plus three more Cohen songs on another album brought him mainstream exposure. Though readily compared with Bob Dylan - both Jewish wordsmiths involved in the folk-music scene - Cohen's mysterious, enigmatic words (mentions Anthony De Curtis of Rolling Stone) are "schooled and studied," says Simon (wearing a T-shirt with "Future Legend"), "more controlled," while Dylan frequently composed by "free association." Williamson states that Cohen "exceeded Dylan as a poet," drawing from his life "precisely observed details" which he shaped into universal messages.

Cohen, for whom music is "a sanctuary," applying his classical-guitar training and "talent for melodies," provides a musical landscape for his lyrics. His penchant for pessimism, Biblical and holocaust imagery, and "twisted love songs" accompanied simply by guitar and female background reminded some of Frenchman Jacques Brel.

His melancholic second album, Songs from a Room (1969), recorded in isolation on a farm in Franklin, Tennessee, was further "stripped down" of musical ornamentation; three songs appeared in the motion picture McCabe and Mrs. Miller. His complicated songs and noncommercial voice prohibited Cohen from reaching a large mainstream audience, but those whom he did touch with his own version of his songs he engaged rather than entertained.

On his "bleakest album," Songs of Love and Hate (1971), produced by Bob Johnston, brought in Ron Cornelius - who noted Cohen's playful, subtle humor - and his band Army. For example, the song "Joan of Arc" speaks of "a cold and lonesome heroine," actually referring to the female singer Nico of the Velvet Underground who was a heroin addict. Cohen's songs ultimately triumph with wit, humor, and intelligence over the themes of pessimism.

A collection, Live Songs (1973), followed before producer John Lissauer took a different approach on New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974), adding pop elements that emanated sparkling colors from the transparency of the music. "Who by Fire" recast a traditional Jewish prayer, ending with a gag line; "Chelsea Hotel #2" describes an affair with Janis Joplin.

The last collection of songs treated in this review, Death of a Ladies' Man (1977), again juxtaposing Cohen's voice with female singers, was produced under the direction of madman Phil Specter, an alcoholic tyrant famous for his "wall of sound" (compressing a symphony into three minutes involving too many musicians and an echo chamber); the album was dismissed by many critics as garish and grotesque, "undignified."

Others interview include singer Ronee Blakley, music journalists Robert Christgau and Andrew Mueller, David Gold of Gold Star Records, engineers Bruce Gold, Stan Ross, and Larry Levine. But a stand out among these is Johnny Rogan, a biographer of musicians, behind dark glasses, wearing a black shirt, his mouth displaying an upper silver tooth, as the shadow of a fan oscillates behind him like a strange roving eye.

Leonard Cohen continued writing and singing songs, among which one of my favorite albums is I'm Your Man (1991).

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Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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