Leonard Cohen Saves Lives

News about Leonard Cohen and his work, press, radio & TV programs etc.
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The Brucester
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2019 5:24 am
Location: Montreal : the land of LC

Leonard Cohen Saves Lives

Post by The Brucester »

I remember a cashier at Alex Sherman's Record Store once made a comment that Leonard Cohen albums should include a rope, razor blades, and/or some cyanide poison pills. Obviously he was being sarcastic. :cry: Not cool.

Last week, I visited a friend (Susan) at the Jewish General Hospital (Montreal) on "4 East"....otherwise known as "The Psychiatric Ward".
Susan was suffering from extreme anxiety & depression, and she had brought with her a slew of Leonard Cohen recordings on CD.... to listen to (privately with headphones) on her "Walkman".

Susan's story is quite ironic. Right now she is 35 years old, but 10 years ago she wanted to commit suicide....

Susan came home from work, and took a bottle of her Mother's sleeping pills and Gravol (a Canadian anti-nausia drug which also makes a person feel drowsy). Holding a tall glass of cold water, and with all those pills in her hand, Susan went up to her room, closed and locked the door. She told me it was much too quiet in the house, so she turned on the radio. Susan lay down on her bed when suddenly she heard this song (sung by Judy Collins) playing on some FM station:

"I loved you in the morning, your kisses deep and warm, your head upon the pillow, like a sleepy golden storm;
yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new, in city and in forest, they smiled like me and you,
but now it's come to distances, and both of us must try, your eyes are soft with sorrow....
Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye." {from LP: "Judy Collins Wildflowers"}

Susan said the song was so simple, so beautiful, and so comforting, she didn't want to die anymore.
(the word "Goodbye" also seemed so final, which affected her decision as well)

Susan later found out the song was written by Leonard Cohen, whom she vaguely heard of before.
Since then, she became a big fan of Leonard's, and bought his CDs and books of poetry.
The anxiety & depression is still there....but Leonard Cohen always comes to the rescue.

=> Without music & poetry, life would be a mistake.

- Brucester (Montreal, QC, Canada)

ps: Never under-estimate the power of MUSIC ;-)
Last edited by The Brucester on Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:07 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Andrew (Darby)
Posts: 1107
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 5:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Leonard Cohen Saves Lives

Post by Andrew (Darby) »

Hi Brucester, thanks for that poignant personal story and I sincerely hope Susan continues to cope in this way.

I’ve always felt that many outsiders to Leonard’s music, who just don't get it for whatever reason, often call it depressing and ally it with suicidal thoughts.

However, for me it’s the wonderful paradox that, whilst at times dealing with depressing subjects and dark places, Leonard’s music strikes a resonating chord that can be so uplifting. It’s like he understands what it is we’re experiencing at many bleak points in our life, reassures us that we’re not alone in this respect, and that empathy he offers can indeed come to our rescue. This does not negate the efficacy of truly supportive friendship and therapeutic strategies or other ways of coping. It’s just nice to know that it’s significantly in the mix there for some of us.

Cheers,
Andrew :)
'I cannot give the reasons
I only sing the tunes
The sadness of the seasons
The madness of the moons'
~ Mervyn Peake ~
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