leonardcohenforum.com

I feel silly asking this.

Let's put it this way: I know someone who knows someone who read an article in a Szech magazine about Lenny having something to do with Scientology.

I sure would appreciate anything you guys who know about this.

Thanks.

PS: To me it makes sense that Leonard would learn Zen on a secluded mountain but somehow I can't seem to see Leonard having anything to do with Scientology. (pov).

Hi Seadove,

as far as i know,
Leonard used to be a Member of Scientology for a short while, a Year or two, back in the seventees i believe.
But others will know better and will know more about this.

When i heard this first, it was a little strange to me too. But then i think Leonard always was broad intrested in spiritual things.
He tried out a bit, and when you try out, somtimes you make mistakes...

Florian

Seadove,
I remember a 1988 (?) interview (I think "Mitch Corber in conversation with LC for Thin Air") in which he briefly mentions to have "followed some courses" and having paid for them. I'll upload the segment and put the link here when I'm home tomorrow (at work right now and going straight to Brussels to see Adam Cohen).

Mr Cohen has shown some (minor) interest in Scientology and the line "Did you ever go clear?" in Famous Blue Raincoat (1971) might refer to it.

Maarten

Here's the link to the discussion on teh forum about the "Go Clear" line referring to Leonard's brief dabble in Scientology. Hope this helps!

kalinowt

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13349&p=260746&hili ... ar#p260746

From Carter's Page:
THE JEWISH BOOK NEWS INTERVIEW
By Arthur Kurzweil and Pamela Roth
LEONARD COHEN
Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs
This interview was originally posted to alt.music.leonard-cohen by Martin Grossman on 31 Oct 1994.

Kurzweil
Some of the articles about you over the years have indicated that you've dabbled or more than dabbled in various kinds of spiritual paths. Is the line, "Did you ever go clear?" from Famous Blue Raincoat a Scientology reference?

Cohen
It was a Scientology reference. I looked into a lot of things. Scientology was one of them. It did not last very long. But it is very interesting, as I continue my studies in these matters, to see how really good Scientology was from the point of view of their data, their information, their actual knowledge, their wisdom writings, so to speak. It wasn't bad at all. It is scorned, and I don't know what the organization is like today, but it seems to have all the political residue of any large and growing organization. Yes, I did look into that and other things. from the Communist Party to the Republican Party, from Scientology to delusions of myself as the High Priest rebuilding the Temple.

http://www.webheights.net/speakingcohen/jewish.htm

Seadove,
Here's the snippet of the interview I was referring to:
http://www.maartenmassa.be/LCdocs/Inter ... tology.mp3

"... But it was money."

Take care,
Maarten

edit

Well perhaps Lenny saw how much of a rip off organisation the Scientology crap was all about. I have proof here within my own family that these people want nothing but your money. Lots of it. And they won't leave you alone. They have their ways to suck people's blood like vampires.

Paehaps Leonard saw all this and he ran away from all this.

Maarten wrote:Seadove,
Here's the snippet of the interview I was referring to:
http://www.maartenmassa.be/LCdocs/Inter ... tology.mp3

"... But it was money."

Take care,
Maarten

Yea. "...But it was money." seem to indicate that the organisation was not the solution for a spiritual reconciliation with one's self. He might have seen this at a certain stage and then he stopped attending.

Usually they don't allow to let their pupils "go". They kind of prefer to stay on a person's skin like an acute rash until he does something more harsh for them to stop their persuit.

seadove wrote:Well perhaps Lenny saw how much of a rip off organisation the Scientology crap was all about. I have proof here within my own family that these people want nothing but your money. Lots of it. And they won't leave you alone. They have their ways to suck people's blood like vampires.

Paehaps Leonard saw all this and he ran away from all this.

Oh I do hope he saw it that way. But then it's beyond me how someone is duped by it.. it reads like bad science fiction.