Leonard Cohen 2005-09-02
What Leonard Cohen Did For Me, BBC4, TV
Set 1
Following his 70th birthday in September 2004, this documentary explores the Canadian singer-songwriter's enormous influence. Admirers paying tribute in this programme include Nick Cave, Ian McCulloch, Arthur Smith, Kathryn Williams and Paul Morley.
For someone with a reputation for being a misery-monger Leonard Cohen has a lot of fans. There have been over 100 cover versions recorded of his song Suzanne and tribute albums feature contributions from the likes of REM, Elton John and the Pixies. Ian McCulloch performs a version of Suzanne on this programme and Kathryn Williams sings Hallelujah.
Cohen was a poet long before he started making music and his songs are literate meditations on love, longing, religion and meaning, delivered with alternate intensity and dry humour. In Tower of Song he jokes that he was "born with the gift of a golden voice", but it's the distinctive nature of the voice rather than technical accomplishment that is remarkable.
Poet, singer, songwriter, lover of women, buddhist monk, in his seventies Leonard Cohen continues to fascinate his fans both old and new. Since his mid-50s his reputation has risen steadily, and he continues to give pleasure to the million or so people who buy his records.
As well as being a poet of iconic status, the godfather of gloom a musician's musician and a primary influence on generations of new artists. Cohen's songwriting says his most passionate fans set him above his contemporaries. And over the years there have been several tribute albums and covers by artists as diverse as Bono, Nina Simone, and REM.
This documentary celebrates the singer-songwriter's original career - from promising young poet and novelist in Canada, to international pop sensation. Musicians, writers and performers including Nick Cave, Ian McCulloch, Arthur Smith, Kathryn Williams and Paul Morley, pay tribute to his work.
For someone with a reputation for being a misery-monger Leonard Cohen has a lot of fans. There have been over 100 cover versions recorded of his song Suzanne and tribute albums feature contributions from the likes of REM, Elton John and the Pixies. Ian McCulloch performs a version of Suzanne on this programme and Kathryn Williams sings Hallelujah.
Cohen was a poet long before he started making music and his songs are literate meditations on love, longing, religion and meaning, delivered with alternate intensity and dry humour. In Tower of Song he jokes that he was "born with the gift of a golden voice", but it's the distinctive nature of the voice rather than technical accomplishment that is remarkable.
Poet, singer, songwriter, lover of women, buddhist monk, in his seventies Leonard Cohen continues to fascinate his fans both old and new. Since his mid-50s his reputation has risen steadily, and he continues to give pleasure to the million or so people who buy his records.
As well as being a poet of iconic status, the godfather of gloom a musician's musician and a primary influence on generations of new artists. Cohen's songwriting says his most passionate fans set him above his contemporaries. And over the years there have been several tribute albums and covers by artists as diverse as Bono, Nina Simone, and REM.
This documentary celebrates the singer-songwriter's original career - from promising young poet and novelist in Canada, to international pop sensation. Musicians, writers and performers including Nick Cave, Ian McCulloch, Arthur Smith, Kathryn Williams and Paul Morley, pay tribute to his work.
Set 2
Set 3
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Created At
Tue Aug 25 2009 02:52:04 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Updated At
Tue Aug 25 2009 02:52:04 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
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