2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

[Yankovic]

7 MORE DAYS

[Yankovic]

I just got slapped on the face! According to Rollingstone Magazine, Leonard Cohen will not be performing at the Rock Hall. He is still attending though and giving a speech. Or maybe he is performing and also having someone else perform for him as well. Wait, there's more!:

Rollingstone
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/i ... -ceremony/

Iggy Pop & The Stooges to Perform for Madonna at Rock Hall Ceremony
3/3/08, 2:46 pm EST

According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Iggy & The Stooges will perform for Madonna at this year’s induction ceremony. The choice of the Stooges may raise some eyebrows, but isn’t as strange as it seems: both the band and Madonna are Detroit natives, and Iggy Pop opened for Madonna at the Dublin date for her Reinvention Tour in 2004.

Other performers scheduled at the induction ceremony, which takes place next Monday, March 10th, at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel: Damien Rice (for Leonard Cohen); James Cotton (for Little Walter); Patti LaBelle (for Gamble & Huff); plus John Mellencamp and the Ventures, both of whom are being inducted.

Future Rock Hall
http://www.futurerockhall.com/blog.html ... try-id-134

Iggy & The Stooges Filling In For Madonna
03.03.08 09:11 PM | 2008 Ceremony | Permalink

Rolling Stone reports today that since Madonna won't be performing at the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Iggy & The Stooges have been enlisted to pay tribute to the Material Girl. Perhaps their performance will serve as a showcase for the 600+ members of the Rock Hall Voting Committee who have refused to vote in The Stooges so far. The Nominating Committee has put The Stooges on the final ballot a whopping six times, more than any other artist not in the Hall.

It also appears that Leonard Cohen won't be performing either; he's having Damien Rice play for him. Additionally, James Cotton will pay tribute to Little Walter, and Patti LaBelle will do the same for Gamble and Huff.

The only two inductees who are confirmed to perform at the ceremony are John Mellencamp and The Ventures.

Rollingstone
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/i ... nductions/

Justin Timberlake, Lou Reed, Billy Joel and More Recruited for Rock Hall Inductions
2/27/08, 5:30 pm EST

Justin Timberlake, Lou Reed, Billy Joel and John Fogerty are among the artists that have been recruited to induct this year’s class at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on March 10th in New York. Timberlake, who is shooting the baseball film The Open Road in Louisiana, will fly to NYC to usher Madonna into the Hall, another in a long line of collaborations (he appears on the Material Girl’s “Four Minutes to Save the World,” the first single from her new album Hard Candy). In other Hall of Fame news, the Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed will induct Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen, while Billy Joel will welcome John Mellencamp into the Hall. Additionally, Tom Hanks will introduce the Dave Clark Five, Fogerty will induct the Ventures, Ben Harper will welcome blues great Little Walter and Jerry Butler will induct the songwriting team and Philadelphia soul pioneers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

[Yankovic]

The 2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame UPDATE!! Major Last Minute Changes!

Little Walter being inducted by Ben Harper; performance by James Cotton

The Ventures being inducted by John Fogerty; performance by The Ventures

The Dave Clark Five being inducted by Tom Hanks; performance by Joan Jett

Gamble & Huff being inducted by Jerry Butler; performances by Patti LaBelle and Jerry Butler

Leonard Cohen being inducted by Lou Reed; performance by Damien Rice

John Mellencamp being inducted by Billy Joel; performance by John Mellencamp

Madonna being inducted by Justin Timberlake; performance by Iggy Pop and The Stooges


How to Watch the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
http://www.futurerockhall.com/blog.html ... try-id-131
03.03.08 09:42 PM | 2008 Ceremony | Permalink
The 2008 Rock and Roll Induction Ceremony takes place at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on Monday, March 10th at 8:30 PM EDT. Here's how you can watch it:
Live on TV: VH1 Classic or MHD (for high definition)
Live on the web: BestBuy.com. The site says you will need Windows Media Player to be able to stream the Ceremony. Let's hope they have support for the Mac.
Edited version on TV: VH1 will air an edited 2 1/2 hour "highlight edition" on Saturday, March 22nd at 11:00 PM.
Could the lack of star power at the ceremony this year have pushed the ceremony out of primetime?

Hopefully this is a wake up call for the Rock Hall!!!!

Once again, those of you who don't get VH1 Classic, VH1 has decided to replay the ceremony at 11:00 PM on March 22

[Yankovic]

Rock Hall News: Joan Jett Performing for Dave Clark Five Tribute
3/5/08, 2:03 pm EST
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/i ... e-tribute/
According to a source at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Joan Jett will be performing at the ceremony in a tribute to inductees the Dave Clark Five. Jett joins Iggy Pop, Damien Rice, Patti LaBelle, John Mellencamp and others as performers at this Monday’s event. The Dave Clark Five, who will be inducted by fan Tom Hanks, recently suffered the tragic death of singer Mike Smith, who passed away while preparing to come to New York for the show. VH-1 Classic will air the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony” live from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City this Monday, March 10 at 8:30 PM, featuring honorees Madonna, John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, the Ventures, the Dave Clark Five, Little Walter and Gamble & Huff.

Rolling Stone

[Yankovic]

5 MORE DAYS!!

[Yankovic]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces its Presenters for 2008 Induction Ceremony
New York - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation today announces the artists who will induct this year’s honorees at a ceremony on March 10, 2008, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City:
http://www.rockhall.com/pressroom/2008-presenters/


Leonard Cohen will be inducted by Lou Reed
The Dave Clark Five (Dave Clark, Lenny Davidson, Rick Huxley, Denis Payton and Mike Smith) will be inducted by Tom Hanks
Madonna will be inducted by Justin Timberlake
John Mellencamp will be inducted by Billy Joel
Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff will be inducted by Jerry Butler
The Ventures (Bob Bogle, Nokie Edwards, Gerry McGee, Mel Taylor, Don Wilson) will be inducted by John Fogerty
Little Walter will be inducted by Ben Harper

The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were chosen by the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after their first recording is released. John Mellencamp and the Ventures are among the artists slated to perform at the event which will air live on March 10th on VH1 Classic and streamed live by Best Buy on BestBuy.com.

In addition to being honored at the ceremony on March 10, 2008, each artist who is inducted is commemorated within the I.M. Pei-designed museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame displays the signature of each inductee inscribed in glass. In addition, there is an exhibit of artifacts from this year’s inductees, and a multi-media film presentation with highlights from each artist’s career. The exhibit on this year’s inductees will open in March 10, 2008 and will run for one year.

###

For more information, please contact Kate Ottenberg at ottenberg@sunshinesachs.com or Dani Lovett at Lovett@sunshinesachs.com, Sunshine Sachs & Associates, 212-691-2800

Induction Ceremony and Process
http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/induction-process/

Induction Ceremony and Process
Congratulations to the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees!

The 23nd annual induction ceremony will take place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City on March 10, 2008.

The inductees and their presenters:

Leonard Cohen inducted by Lou Reed
The Dave Clark Five inducted by Tom Hanks
Madonna inducted by Justin Timberlake
John Mellencamp inducted by Billy Joel
Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff inducted by Jerry Butler
The Ventures inducted by John Fogerty
Little Walter inducted by Ben Harper



Want to watch this year’s induction ceremony? Here’s how:
Simulcast at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland
The Museum will broadcast the 2008 Induction Ceremony from the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on several giant screens located throughout the building. There will also be a drawing for a pair of tickets to the 2009 Induction Ceremony held in Cleveland. (You must be present to win.) The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are Leonard Cohen, the Dave Clark Five, Madonna, John Mellencamp, the Ventures, Little Walter and Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. A cash bar, soft drinks and snacks will be available for purchase. The event starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 and are available through Ticketmaster and at the Museum box office. This year’s event is presented by Jim Beam and MIX 106.5 FM.
VH1 Classic
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air live in VH1 Classic. Check your local listings for times.
Live Stream on bestbuy.com
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will stream live on http://www.bestbuy.com/halloffame
Election of Inductees
Leaders in the music industry joined together in 1983 to establish the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. One of the Foundation’s many functions is to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll by inducting them into the Hall of Fame.

The Categories
Performers
Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.

The Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of more than 500 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes - and more than 50 percent of the vote - are inducted. The Foundation generally inducts five to seven performers each year.

Non-Performers
Songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on the development of rock and roll.

Early Influences
Artists whose music predated rock and roll but had an impact on the evolution of rock and roll and inspired rock’s leading artists.

The special selection committee elects the inductees in the Non-Performer and Early Influences categories.

Side Men
This category was introduced in 2000. It honors those musicians who have spent their careers out of the spotlight, performing as backup musicians for major artists on recording sessions and in concert. Though they often play a key role in the creation of memorable music, the public rarely knows them by name. A separate committee, composed primarily of producers, selects the inductees in this category.

Rock Hall Hosts Live Simulcast of the 23rd Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
http://www.rockhall.com/pressroom/simulcast/

Rock Hall Hosts Live Simulcast of the 23rd Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
A Countdown to the 2009 Induction Ceremony in Cleveland!
CLEVELAND – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum counts down to the 2009 Induction ceremony in Cleveland with a live broadcast of the 23rd Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Monday, March 10, 2008 beginning at 8:00 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.). Exhibits will be open to tour during the event. Be among the first to see the Rock Hall’s newest exhibit designed to honor the 2008 Inductees.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. At the same time, visitors to the Museum in Cleveland will be able to witness the entire length of the 2008 Induction Ceremony for only $5. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will simulcast the four-hour ceremony, including the unedited performances and all of the comments that are cut from the television broadcast. This one-time showing will be seen on several large screens throughout the Museum. Tickets go on sale Monday, February 4 and will be available through Ticketmaster and at the Museum box office.

The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are Leonard Cohen, the Dave Clark Five, Madonna, John Mellencamp, the Ventures, Little Walter and Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

A pair of tickets to the 2009 Induction Ceremony in Cleveland will be raffled off, you must be present to win.

This event is presented by Jim Beam and MIX 106.5.

Featured exhibits:
HELP! Behind the Scenes of the Beatles’ Movie (open until September 1, 2008)
Break on Through: The Lasting Legacy of the Doors (open until September 1, 2008)

About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, the Museum is open until 9 p.m. Museum admission is $22 for adults, $17 for seniors (65+), $13 for youth (9-12), $18 for adult residents of Greater Cleveland. Children under 8 and Museum members are free. The Museum is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. When you become a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the world of rock and roll becomes yours to explore. Call 216.515.1939 for information on becoming a member. For general inquiries, please call 216.781.ROCK.

###

[Yankovic]

http://www.futurerockhall.com/blog.html ... try-id-141
http://www.clapclap.org/2007/04/hallelujah.html

A History of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"
03.06.08 07:12 PM | 2008 Ceremony | Permalink
The one song that stands the best chance to be played during the final jam at the end of the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is "Hallelujah," written by inductee Leonard Cohen.
The song has become ingrained in our culture over the past 20+ years thanks to scores of cover versions (even showing up on American Idol this week). Michael Barthel over at clapclap.org broke down the history of the song in a hugely comprehensive fashion. Check out the number of cover versions by year:

[Yankovic]

BEST BUY
http://www.bestbuy.com/halloffame

VH1 CLASSIC
http://www.vh1classic.com

LEONARD COHEN / HALLS OF FAME
http://leonardcohenhallsoffame.blogspot.com/

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
http://www.rockhall.com

2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame TV Commercial
http://www.spike.com/video/2947416?cmpn ... fsite=7103

2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Official Press Release
http://www.rockhall.com/pressroom/2008- ... nouncement

2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: Leonard Cohen Biography
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/leonard-cohen

Leonard Cohen
Induction Year: 2008
Induction Category: Performer

Leonard Cohen (vocals, guitar; born September 21, 1934)

With the 1966 release of In My Life by Judy Collins, containing Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” and “Dress Rehearsal Rag,” Cohen became a folk rock icon of the singer songwriter movement. Already an acclaimed poet and novelist in his native Canada, Cohen moved to New York in 1967 and released his classic album Songs of Leonard Cohen on Columbia Records. Its music launched Leonard Cohen into the highest and most influential echelon of songwriters. Cohen’s elegiac work is widely used in film and covered by artists from Jeff Buckley to Bono to Bob Dylan to R.E.M. As Kurt Cobain said, “Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld so I can sigh eternally.”

There are few artists in the realm of popular music who can truly be called poets, in the classical, arts-and-letters sense of the word. Among them are Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell and Phil Ochs. Leonard Cohen heads this elite class. In fact, Cohen was already an established poet and novelist before he turned his attention to songwriting. His academic training in poetry and literature, and his pursuit of them as livelihood for much of the Fifties and Sixties, gave him an extraordinary advantage over his pop peers when it came to setting language to music. Along with other folk-steeped musical literati, Cohen raised the songwriting bar.

Cohen’s recording career spans 40 years, commencing with the 1967 release of his debut album, Songs of Leonard Cohen. He was in his early thirties and seven years older than Dylan, and his age set him apart from the young musicians who dominated the rock and folk worlds. Cohen was born and raised in the city of Montreal, a city whose rich history and thriving culture served to train his writer’s muse on three fundamental preoccupations: romance, religion and politics. His first musical group, the Buckskins, played traditional music at square dances. He studied poetry at Montreal’s McGill University and published his first collection, Let Us Compare Mythologies, as part of the McGill Poetry Series. His favorite literary figures included the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, the Canadian poet Irving Layton, and Beat Generation figurehead Jack Kerouac.

In 1958, Cohen lived in New York, where he briefly attended Columbia University. He received a grant for his writing that allowed him to travel the world and make the Greek island of Hydra his on-and-off home for a fertile seven-year period. Cohen relocated to the States in 1966 and tried his hand at songwriting, largely as a reaction to having experienced the starving lot of the poet and novelist. By then he’d published four books of poetry and two novels (including the celebrated Beautiful Losers). “But I found it was very difficult to pay my grocery bill,” Cohen said in 1971. “I’ve got beautiful reviews for all my books, and I’m very well thought of in the tiny circles that know me, but…I’m really starving.”

Beyond the promise of better income, his entrée into the music world greatly increased the audience for his poetry. Cohen has always been adamant about the power of words to change individual lives and even entire societies for the better. “I always feel that the world was created through words, through speech in our tradition, and I’ve always seen the enormous light in charged speech,” Cohen told interviewer Robert Sward. “That’s what I’ve tried to get to [and] that is where I squarely stand.”

Cohen found an early supporter and sponsor in Judy Collins, who introduced his songs to the world via her recordings of “Suzanne” (still his best-known song) and “Dress Rehearsal Rag” on her 1966 album In My Life. Legendary A&R man John Hammond signed Cohen to Columbia Records, and his first three albums for the label – Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs from a Room and Songs of Love and Hate - represent the fruitful first phase in an episodic recording career. The hallmarks of Cohen’s style were his plainspoken vocals, spare arrangements, deep but accessible lyrics, and an abiding preoccupation with the feminine mystique. Cohen’s tightly constructed verses served the rhyming and meter demands of pop-song form without sacrificing the higher ends of poetry.

As a songwriter, Cohen seemed somewhat less comfortable in the Seventies than he had been in the Sixties, recording only four albums of new material – Songs of Love and Hate (1971), New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974), Death of a Ladies’ Man (1977) and Recent Songs (1979) – in that decade. The first and last of these were marked by strong songwriting and sympathetic production, whereas Death of a Ladies’ Man was marked by difficulties with producer Phil Spector.

Cohen’s output was lesser still in the Eighties, but the pair of albums he did release – Various Positions (1984) and I’m Your Man (1988) – are indisputable classics. The first of these found Cohen writing about spirituality; one of its songs (“Hallelujah”) is among his best-loved and most-recorded, having been covered by Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright and Allison Krauss. The release of Various Positions was accompanied by the publication of Book of Mercy, a self-described “book of prayer.” I’m Your Man was arguably Cohen’s greatest set of songs since his 1967 debut, containing such classics as “Tower of Song,” “Everybody Knows” and “First We Take Manhattan.” In 1992, some of rock’s most respected acts, including R.E.M., the Pixies, and Nick Cave, contributed to the Leonard Cohen tribute album I’m Your Fan. Another Cohen tribute album, Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1995), included cover versions from more mainstream artists, including Don Henley, Billy Joel and Elton John.

Cohen’s most disenchanted and apocalyptic work, The Future, appeared in 1992. In the title track, he sang, “Get ready for the future, it is murder.” Not surprisingly, Cohen retreated to a mountaintop monastery in Southern California for five years, during which he studied with and served his Zen master, Joshu Sasaki-Roshi. “It was one of the many attempts I’ve made in the past 30 or 40 years to address acute clinical depression,” he acknowledged in a 2001 interview. That year, he released Ten New Songs, his first studio album in nearly a decade. He has since issued Dear Heather (2004) and produced Blue Alert (2006), an album by backup singer Anjani. Between their releases came the documentary I’m Your Man, which featured live performances of Cohen’s songs from U2, Beth Orton and others.

On his ties to Columbia Records, similar in mutual loyalty and longevity to the careers of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, Cohen told writer William Ruhlmann: “I never sold enough records to make them dependent on my next record or to make them anxious about it. On the other hand, I never lost them any money. [The records] seem to sell themselves in modest quantities with very little money necessary for promotion.”

Cohen has earned a better living as a singer-songwriter than he would have as a poet and novelist alone. Yet he’s enjoyed the poet’s advantage of not having to compromise his dignity by indulging in the often-distasteful rituals of pop celebrity. In other words, he’s drawn the best from both worlds, forging a wholly unique and remarkable niche for himself. There’s no denying that Cohen’s voice has deepened and coarsened over the years, but there’s still a marvelous musicality to his phrasing and poetical lilt to his lyrics that attests to an unquenchable spirit.

In his notes for The Essential Leonard Cohen, writer Pico Iyer noted, “The changeless is what he’s been about since the beginning…Some of the other great pilgrims of song pass through philosophies and selves as if through the stations of the cross. With Cohen, one feels he knew who he was and where he was going from the beginning, and only digs deeper, deeper, deeper.”

Cohen’s artistic outlook might best be expressed in his own words with this lyric from “Anthem”: On Anthem (1992), he wrote: “There is a crack, a crack in everything/ That’s how the light gets in.” He remarked, “That’s the closest thing I could describe to a credo. That idea is one of the fundamental positions behind a lot of the songs.”

TIMELINE

September 21, 1934: Leonard Cohen is born in Montreal, Canada.

1956: Let Us Compare Mythologies, Leonard Cohen’s first book of poetry, is published in Canada as part of the McGill Poetry Series.

1966: Beautiful Losers, Leonard Cohen’s second novel, is published.

December 1967: Songs of Leonard Cohen, the poet/novelist’s debut as a singer-songwriter, is released. It contains “Suzanne” and “Sisters of Mercy,” among his best-known songs.

April 1969: Songs from a Room, Leonard Cohen’s second album, is issued. From it comes “Bird on the Wire” and other favorites.

March 1971: Songs of Love and Hate, Leonard Cohen’s third album, is released. It is highlighted by “Famous Blue Raincoat” and “Joan of Arc.”

November 1974: New Skin for the Old Ceremony, Leonard Cohen’s fourth album of original material, is released. Its original cover is banned in the U.S.

November 1977: Leonard Cohen’s Death of a Ladies’ Man –a Phil Spector production – is released. It will be followed by Cohen’s book Death of a Lady’s Man.

September 1979: Leonard Cohen’s Recent Songs, is released. The Songs of Leonard Cohen, a documentary, is filmed in Canada and Europe the same year.

December 1984: Leonard Cohen’s Various Positions, is released abroad. PVC Records issues it in the U.S. two months later after his label, Columbia Records, passes on it.

January 1987: Jennifer Warnes, who has sung backup with Leonard Cohen as Jennifer Warren, issues Famous Blue Raincoat, an album of covers from Cohen’s songbook.

April 19, 1988: I’m Your Man, by Leonard Cohen, is released. Arguably the poet-singer’s best album since his first, it includes “Tower of Song” and “Everybody Knows.”

November 10, 1989: Songs of Leonard Cohen, the singer/poet’s 1967 debut, is certified gold by the RIAA.

November 26, 1991: The Leonard Cohen tribute album I’m Your Fan is released. It includes cover versions by R.E.M., the Pixies and other indie-rock acts.

November 24, 1992: Leonard Cohen releases The Future, a dyspeptic album reflecting a mental state that inspires a five-year retreat.

November 2, 1993: Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs, by Leonard Cohen, is published by Pantheon Books. The 432-page collection was assembled by the poet/singer himself.

September 26, 1995: Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen is released. Contributors include Don Henley, Billy Joel, Peter Gabriel, Elton John, and other stars.

October 9, 2001: Leonard Cohen releases Ten New Songs, his tenth studio album, his first new album in nine years, and his first to chart in the U.S. since 1973’s Live Songs.

October 22, 2002: The Essential Leonard Cohen, a double-disc retrospective compiled by the artist, is released.

August 31, 2004: Judy Collins, whose recordings of Leonard Cohen’s songs introduced the world to the singer/poet in the late Sixties, releases Democracy: Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen.

October 26, 2004: Dear Heather, Leonard Cohen’s second studio album of the new millennium and the 11th of his career, is released shortly after the artist turns 70.

September 2005: Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man, premieres at the Toronto Film Festival. The documentary includes tribute-concert footage from Sydney, Australia.

April 24, 2007: Leonard Cohen’s first three albums – Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs from a Room and Songs of Love and Hate – are reissued in expanded editions to mark his 40th anniversary as a recording artist.

December 11, 2007: Composer Philip Glass’ Book of Longing – a double-disc song cycle based on the poetry and images of Leonard Cohen – is released on the Orange Mountain Music label.

March 10, 2008: Leonard Cohen is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 23rd annual induction dinner. Lou Reed is his presenter.

[mnkyface]

In this article: http://blog.mlive.com/soundcheck/2008/0 ... me_pa.html
The author asks the question:
"How can Leonard Cohen be inducted into the rock 'n' roll hall ahead of Lou Reed, The Cars, Chicago, Deep Purple, Jeff Beck and Genesis?"
which is so dumb that I don't even know where to begin to answer it. Maybe some of the eloquent posters on this forum can add to the comments at the bottom of the article.

Obviously Lou Reed is ok with it since HE IS INDUCTING HIM. lol

[Yankovic]

ONE MORE DAY!!

The Associated Press: 2008 Rock Hall
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iHT9 ... wD8V8R9EO0

Ohio.com
http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/16427711.html

Leonard Cohen

Musically, the 73-year-old erudite poet/songwriter/author/ Canadian doesn't do much traditional rocking. His mournful melodies, his gravitas-heavy baritone and usually minimalist musical backing seldom detract from his always interesting lyrics.

Cohen may not be a household name, but his influence within the music world looms huge, with his songs appearing in films and being covered by artists from a variety of genres and generations, occasionally becoming bigger hits for them than for Cohen.

According to http://leonardcohenfiles.com, his songs have been covered by more than 1,300 artists around the world in 40-plus years. Many were first introduced to his music through Judy Collins' 1966 version of Suzanne, but other major artists who have recorded Cohen songs include Bird On a Wire by Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker and others, So Long Marianne recorded by John Cale and Suzanne Vega, and the cynical Everybody Knows, a minor hit for '80s alt-rock band Concrete Blonde. Hallelujah became a signature song for deceased singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley and was performed last week on American Idol by dreadlocked contestant Jason Castro.

Traditional rock factor: Nearly nil, but Cohen's longevity, influence as a songwriter and his dedicated cult following make it a moot point.

Presenter: Lou Reed is a good choice, as he is also a highly influential singer/songwriter/poet, as well as a peer/admirer/buddy of Cohen.

[hunter_child]

Just after leaving this board, some more Cohen news snuck up on me...I know, it's been posted that Damien Rice will be performing and it surely is no surprise that he'll be singing "Hallelujah"...but I'm pasting this confirmation from the Damien Rice mailing list email I just received anyway. I like the quote and can't wait to hear him give it a go. I love Damien and have an .mp3 of him covering it, he does a good job...it's very, whisper-y. I'm sure many ppl will be thinking of Jeff Buckley when he sings it...RIP.

Leonard Cohen tribute at induction into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - 10 March 2008

Damien will be singing 'hallelujah' as a tribute to one of his favourite artists, Leonard Cohen, at Cohen's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City on Monday, 10 March 2008.

"If I were to float off in a balloon and were only allowed to bring the music of one artist, I would chose Leonard Cohen. Very few things in life are this clear to me." Damien Rice

[Yankovic]

I called the Rock Hall last Friday. Apparently, the order of inductions is highly classified information, which the public can not have access to. So we won't know the actual time of Leonard's induction until it happens. There are 7 being inducted. As far as which inductee's music will be performed in the All-Star Jam at the end of the ceremony, that is not planned ahead of time. The inductees, the artists giving the induction speeches and the performers discuss it with each other on the stage during the ceremony.

[Yankovic]

Once the next issues of People, Newsweek, TIME, Rollingstone and Billboard Magazine and any other magazine are released I will scan all the 2008 Rock Hall ads they might have in them and I will post them on here.

There were no VH1 CLASSIC Rock Hall ads in any magazines this week!!

[Yankovic]

THE 2008 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME LIVE TONIGHT ON VH1 CLASSIC AND BESTBUY.COM AT 8:30 PM U.S. Canada Eastern Time

http://www.bestbuy.com/halloffame

BEST BUY STORES WILL NOT BE PLAYING IT ON THEIR TV SCREENS.

[Yankovic]

NBC
http://www.wlwt.com/entertainment/15546719/detail.html
Leonard Cohen

Canadian Leonard Cohen was one of the luminaries of the '70s singer-songwriter period, but one whose dark, romantic and literary style continues to be largely unheralded by the public at large. Songs like "Suzanne," "So Long Marianne," "Bird On A Wire" and the Jeff Buckley-covered "Hallelujah" became overlooked treasures of the pop music lexicon.

Thirty years on, Cohen's career continues to operate much as it has -- below the radar. A 2006 documentary, "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man," introduced him to a wider audience no doubt because of the appearance of U2 and other better-known fans.

While Cohen has continued to release albums, it's chiefly his '70s output that has positioned him to be inducted. Like Madonna, Cohen is using his induction as part of an effort to boost his career. He's launching a world tour in the spring. Fellow gloom-aphile Lou Reed will be inducting Cohen on Monday night.

San Diego News
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/feat ... khall.html

Hall of Fame has its own rich history of hits, misses
By George Varga
UNION-TRIBUNE POP MUSIC CRITIC

March 10, 2008

There's no lack of controversy surrounding the 22nd annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honorees, although it's unlikely much will be evident during tonight's four-hour live induction telecast and Web cast.
For starters, when did dance-pop queen Madonna and fellow inductee Leonard Cohen become rock artists? He easily ranks as one of the most profound singer-songwriters of the past 50 years, but has never claimed to be a rocker and would probably chuckle at the notion.

LEONARD COHEN

Age: 73



First recording: “Songs of Leonard Cohen” (1968)

First hit: Montreal native Cohen has never had a hit single or album in the U.S., where his most successful album, 1969's “Songs From a Room,” only rose to No. 63. But he has repeatedly topped the charts in Norway and is a favorite throughout Europe.

Still popular? Commercially, no. But Cohen's artistic influence continues unabated, as demonstrated by the 2006 concert tribute film “I'm Your Man,” which featured his songs performed by such longtime admirers as U2, Rufus Wainwright and Beth Orton.

Significance: A poet, a novelist and an ordained Buddhist monk, Cohen's intensely evocative songs include “Bird on the Wire,” “Suzanne” and the epic “Hallelujah.” They have been recorded by everyone from Tori Amos and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to Jeff Buckley and Johnny Cash.

Quote of note: “Any startling piece of work has a subversive element in it, a delicious element often.”

Will be inducted by: Lou Reed