leonardcohenforum.com

Red Poppy wrote:I thought you worked OFF Grafton St?

jesus wer,d all the tickets come from ? maybe william has decided not to go , so all his fans have pulled out too

seems like good seats their selling now.

No, fisher, I shall be there.
Couldn't let the Webb sisters down, now could I?
Perhaps it's that all the Northern Ireland people are staying in the home kingdom and coming to the Manchester & London concerts rather than going abroad and travelling to Eire?

well willie boy you do continue to talk shite. what kingdom? gone long time ago my friend long time. wat this with the webb sisters you know them or something ?

i think i will jump out of this conversation now. I will be back when the politics have gone.

I work off Grafton St.... do i have a forum friend nearby?

tinderella53 wrote:I work off Grafton St.... do i have a forum friend nearby?

i think he was being a little rude about my "business" or he got us mixed up between the 2 of us. I am in the north

fisher - if I'm talking shite it's part of my dirty protest.

God bless,
William

Not a laughing matter, and it was a no wash protest.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11194

I THOUGHT THIS FORUM WAS ABOUT LEONARD COHEN NOT 20 YEAR OLD NEWS

Thanks for that link Marcie.

I didn't know Sands was a poet.

I didn't know that McQueen made a movie. Maybe i was in retreat somewhere. I will be sure to see it.

One verse in that poem qualifies it as non-sectarian, so no one should be offended:

It is found in every light of hope,
It knows no bounds nor space
It has risen in red and black and white,
It is there in every race.

Sean

I've lived in derry through all the troubles in the north. Fair enough it was rough as hell. But a few years ago I went to Auschwitch If you want to know real hardship fear and "terrorism ", go there, spend a few days. On the headphones I usually have battles, foo fighters, biffy clyro etc, but there I had ten new songs, I've been a fan of Cohen for many years but every word the man sang during that trip made me appreciate everything wonderful about poetry, music and the solidity of the human spirit... oh and how damm lucky we are. For me it is his masterwork...Irish history although bloody and tragic, doesnt come close. Thank G-d for leonard Cohen for making music the biggest part of my life.... May he , and his music, stay forever beautiful and non political, roll on the 14th

Hello Tiggs

Thanks for your thoughtful, qualified and inspiring comments.

I have an aunt in Derry and have visited occasionally since 1980. I have smelled the horrid air of those days. I don't think it has completely cleared away yet. I don't look forward to visits to Derry.

I asked myself: Is Leonard non-political?

I looked up 'politics' in the dictionary:

Politics
Politics Pol"i*tics, n. [Cf. F. politique, Gr. ? (sc.?). See
Politic.]
1. The science of government; that part of ethics which has
to do with the regulation and government of a nation or
state, the preservation of its safety, peace, and
prosperity, the defense of its existence and rights
against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of
its strength and resources, and the protection of its
citizens in their rights, with the preservation and
improvement of their morals.
[1913 Webster]

My spontaneous response to my own question is that Leonard is very political but in an unorthodox, unorganized way.

'Are anarchists political?' ...would also be an interesting and possibly related question.

I see Leonard as a politician, I think. I see him as a protector of the world's population (all races). A Martin Luther King, a Gandhi, a Timothy Leary, (poor misguided soul that he was), a Jesus of Nazareth. If Jesus wasn't a politician would he have been crucified? Certainly the politicians in Jesus' time regarded him as a politician. I see Leonard as a Buddha. I think Buddha only avoided crucifixion because he had deep wisdom. Looking at the above definition I think a case could be made for saying that Buddha was a politician.

Perhaps Leonard is the president of the non-card-carrying, unspoken-for, party of the poetic. I think Leonard said something like this in an interview with that Norwegian angel a while back. If I find it I will post it because I think it applies.

Food for thought on a Monday morning!!

Maybe Leonard can be called the leader of the SRA (Spiritual Republican Party)?

AGT

Sean

Hi Daka, thanks for that, perhaps political was a bit strong
Im sure however, that all politicians from whatever background could learn a lot from cohen. I guess we will never know the full extent of his political views and I for one would rather not. For me leonard Cohen politician no but teacher most definately yes.
In terms of literature I would love to say hero but as Wilfred owen so rightly said, " English poetry is not yet fit to speak of them "
If I need a preacher, teacher, priest or rabbi its in his poetry and lyrics.

Derry has become slightly more mellow All we are left with now are the normal problems of a wayward society, bombed victorian buildings rebuilt in cheap red brick and a severe lack of culture. But on a sunny day like today that hardly seems to matter