The Remarkable Leonard Cohen: 10 Rare Facts

Time has come to spotlight another successful and influential persona in the world music community – today let it be Leonard Cohen.

During his almost-80-years Leonard Cohen no doubt earned a reputation as an outstanding song-writer, musician and poet. But besides having exceptional music and poetic talents, Leonard is also a very enigmatic and eccentric person with an original worldview. This post will gather some of the rare things concerning this outstanding man. Here are some of the pretty curious facts.

1. Leonard Cohen has received a couple of sad unofficial ‘labels’ like "the grocer of despair", "the poet laureate of pessimism", "the godfather of gloom". That was mostly because of the seemingly endless depression he was suffering from. That was reflected in his music too. However, at the same time Cohen was full of witty jokes and sarcastic gags, being able to make millions of people laugh heartily.
2. He decided to switch from poetry to music pretty late thinking it will get him a better pay. Agents addressed him carefully wondering whether he was not too old for such a switch. He wasn’t. And he started singing.
3. Leonard has always been popular among women, had many romances during his life and has now two children. However, he never got married admitting that he was too frightened to do it.
4. Cohen likes nature. Long ago he bought a Greek island called Hydra for $1500. He used to earn money and come there to spend for a whole year of swimming and sailing. Then he would go back to Canada and earn more money to afford himself return to the island for another year.
5. He sang “Suzanne” to Judy Collins over the phone and played a couple of songs to John Hammond in a hotel room. Both immediately agreed to record them. Since then, “Suzanne” and “Hallelujah” have been best-selling songs.
6. Cohen has suffered from various health issues. To fight depression he used various types of drugs, became a vegetarian and took up yoga.
7. Leonard’s daughter, Lorca, was named after musician’s ‘hero’ - Federico García Lorca, a Spanish poet and dramatist.
8. Leonard Cohen has tried on various personae and roles in his lifetime: he used to be a writer, a folk singer, a rock star and even a monk in the 90-ies. He joined Buddhists and received the name of Jikan, which meant ‘a silent one’.
9. Unlike many stars who meet aging with denial and plastic surgery, Cohen finds charm in every age and faces it calmly. On September 21, 2014 Leonard is celebrating his 80th birthday.
10. Cohen had somehow special connection with ‘the French’: he was widely admired in France in the 60s, he was a favorite of the French president Georges Pompidou; and his son Adam, who is a song-writer, too, released an album in French.

Honorable member of various Halls of Fame, winner of numerous awards, owner of Canada’s highest civilian honor (Order of Canada) and simply a talented man with a strong character – Leonard Cohen keeps fascinating the audience.