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Sincerely, L. Cohen: through the works of Leonard Cohen we are reminded of a kind of humanity too often forgotten in modern existence.

Article Excerpt
Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried, in my way, to be free

'Bird on the Wire', 1969

I have a friend in Sydney, a melancholic artist. He once told me what he wanted on his headstone: the opening lines of 'Bird on the Wire' by Leonard Cohen. It was a very Cohen moment--we were working our way through a case of red wine to the accompaniment of my friend's old record collection. Needle scratching vinyl, the smell of turps, and outside, the inner-city night growing colder as it slipped towards dawn. It is this kind of moment that has been Leonard Cohen's currency in a career that spans nearly fifty years, and I'm sure I'm not the only one with a collection of nostalgic Leonard Cohen moments. By whispering the desires we don't like to admit to harbouring, Cohen has built a body of work that permeates all areas of popular culture. On the eve of his seventieth birthday, with his 15th album due for release in late September (Dear Heather), Cohen's appeal seems to be maturing and deepening rather than fading.

For an artist who has never been mainstream, Cohen has achieved an almost stealth-like success. He has sold over 12 million albums, and that doesn't include vinyl sales. His songs have appeared on dozens of film soundtracks since the early 1970s, including Natural Born Killers (1994), Breaking the Waves (1996) and Shrek (2001). In my inbox every month I get an email inviting me to a 'Leonard Cohen Meet-up Group'--a worldwide phenomenon that indicates the commitment of his avid fan base. Artists such as Nick Cave, John Cale and The Pixies have paid homage to Cohen on tribute albums. Modern dance and theatre works have been made based on his music and writing, and his website lists almost 900 cover versions of his songs.

To me, this success is underpinned by his consistency. He says himself that he has never written one word that he didn't want to write. His commitment as an artist brings him continued relevance as he moves into his sixth decade of work. The quest to express the 'holiness' contained within a moment, especially an imperfect or somehow bohemian moment, runs through and directs Cohen's work in all its permutations. These days he is less hard-core troubadour and more Zen monk. However, he remains committed to the same muses he chased as a young poet spearheading an emerging group of post-war Canadian writers in...

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