Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller once again

[DBCohen]

We’ve been through this before, but I happened to listen again to what Robert Altman said about LC and his songs on the audio track of the DVD of McCabe and Mrs. Miller, and finding it really touching I thought I’d transcribe it for all those who may be interested. So here it is, with just a few words omitted:

I didn’t have any idea what I’m going to do for the music other than the few music box you’ve heard and that fiddle player. We finished shooting and I went to Paris […] After about five days we went to some woman’s house, there was a party, we walked in and she put on the record player that Leonard Cohen album. Now, I first went to Vancouver 3-4 years before this, when that album came out, I did a film called Cold Day in the Park, and I loved that album, we played that, we went through two records of it, you know, wore them out. We’d come back in that rainy place from working and we’d put that Leonard Cohen album on, and it was just in my brain. And then I entirely forgot about it. And during this whole production never once could I come up with what the music is going to be. [In Paris] I heard that Leonard Cohen stuff and I said “My God, that’s the music for McCabe.” So I got on the phone, I called Lou Lombardo who was editing the film [and told him to] get this Leonard Cohen album […] and I found the music for the film. […] Warner Brothers said “Oh, you can’t use that, because he has a contract with Columbia, but we’ll get you somebody just as good.” I said, “No, no, wait a minute […]”.
So I chased Leonard Cohen down, he was in Nashville, and I called him on the phone and I said, “Mr. Cohen, my name is Robert Altman…”, and he said, “Robert Altman?!”. Now, I only made MASH, as far as the public was concerned, and Brewster McCloud, which was almost unheard of, but he said, “Honey, it’s Altman, Altman on the phone!” He was really excited, and I felt pretty good. He said, “I love your work”, and I said “That’s good, you like MASH, ha?” He replied, “I didn’t like MASH very much but I love Brewster McCloud”. And then I told him what I wanted and he said, “Don’t worry about it, you’ve got it.” And within the next day, not only did his record company, Columbia, called and they gave us this music for next to nothing, minimal rates, plus the fact that Leonard had put in the contract that any record sales of that album, after the release of McCabe and Mrs. Miller, a certain percentage of those royalties went to us, to the film. Now that’s just unheard of, but that’s the way business should be done […].
Then Leonard saw the picture, I showed it to him in New York – he was changing managers then – and he didn’t respond very much during the film, and afterwards he had to do a little guitar reef for me that we used for the entrance of the “heavies”. I said “What’s the matter?” He said, “I’m sorry but I don’t like this film very much.” My heart just sunk, I really just collapsed, and he said, “But I’ll live up to my bargain”, and he went over that night, did that guitar thing, sent it to me, and I never heard from him again. And yet he made all this arrangements… But it just broke my heart, and I tried to forget about it. And a year later I was in London and he called me on the phone and he said, “Bob, I don’t know what was the matter with me. I just saw McCabe again – I love this movie.” That was the best thing that happened to me, that he responded so well to it. That’s how that music happened to be in this film.
The other thing about it: it fits, the lyrics of these three songs fit the scenes as if they were written for them. I think truthfully what probably happened was that that music was in my head so deep, that when I shot these scenes, subconsciously I fit the scenes to the songs, in my head. Because it was like they illustrate, like they were written for it. So that was really a great experience, and a great lesson, to trust one’s instincts, because there’s a reason why you feel a certain way, and you don’t have to know the reason. If it’s there, it’s like falling in love […] you don’t have to think about those things. […] And my credo is to follow your instincts.

[Neophyte]

Interesting! What an insight into Leonard's honesty (even if it hurts!) and integrity. And a happy ending! Thanks for sharing!