leonardcohenforum.com

Anjani has now posted the second part of the interview.
Go to http://www.anjani-music.com/dearheather-interview.htm to
read about the creative process of Dear Heather. She also explains
the story behind the song "The Faith". MOST interesting reading for
all of us!!! Let's send our thank-yous to Anjani for taking the time to
shed light on their work!
Jarkko

Thank you to the questioners for their solid questions. Anjani gives such substantive, clear answers. As I read it, I imagined a conversation between Anjani and Leonard, where she asks him, "What do you want me to say or not say, Leonard," and his responding, "Say whatever you want to say, Anjani." So, Anjani does ~ and she knows instinctively what needs to be said, and she instinctively, naturally, is 'there' for Leonard. It's really beautiful to read her responses.

I like those words about the possible tour

When asked about the future, she responds "We're three songs into the new album", is this about her own solo album, or a new Cohen album?
(Fingers crossed for Cohen)

Sounds more like LC's next. But try to remember when they were three tracks into 'Dear Heather'... (pls include "Tennesse waltz"...)

Next album coming. Good news.

When?

She speaks about her own album. Leonard has written some lyrics for her.

In Part 1 on her interview she does mention there were a few Leonard songs that didn't make this album but will be on the next, which sounds great to me. Looking at his discography, he seems to make trilogies. Not so much in theme or sound, but trilogies none the less. Makes sense to me, anyway.

Yes, and Sharon confirmed in her interview that she and LC have some other songs going on. Anyway, the things changes so quickly in his case, I believe that the follow up for Dear Heather is coming (12 songs on DH were chosed from 20 nearly finished), but it seems he is concentrated on the book right now (we believe it will come later this year, doesn' we? )


I also see these new albums like a trilogy. I even call TNS and DH as "first two albums in Cohen's post-monastery trilogy"

What names would you give the Songs of-Songs of Love and Hate trilogy, New Skin-Recent Songs, and Various Positions-The Future trilogies?

The Early Years, The Mid Years, The Late Years, and The New Years.

"Sing it but don't sing it." Leonard's comment to Anjani as to being the "shipwrecked woman with nothing left to give" gives me an illuminating insight as to his working process. Seamless technique and smooth emotion mean less than a delivery that invokes that sense of being on the edge. The gut feeling of bewilderment or devastation or isolation. Even an artist who is confident and assured of their direction needs a taste of insecurity to make it real.

The interview was great reading!

Cheers, Witty Owl.

Thought I was hallucinating there for a sec, Witty Owl. Great to see you! I like the way you worded and contrasted the 'approaches' ~ I was intrigued by the "sing it but don't sing it," too, but couldn't have summed it up the way you did, with its implications. I saw it as the understated, subtle depiction of desperation. Hope you stick around awhile on this leg back.

Now I understand why Leonard is working so much with Anjani at the moment. (Apart from her having learnt the lesson of 'C'.) So many people might have taken offence at Leonard's reaction to what she thought was a perfect rendition of Undertow. Anjani not only understood what he had done and why he had done it, but was able to respond to it in just the way he had hoped.

linmag wrote:Anjani not only understood what he had done and why he had done it, but was able to respond to it in just the way he had hoped.

I'm not so sure she understood it at the moment. But Leonard succeeded in getting her into exactly the mood in which singing it the way he wanted her to sing it just happened to her. That's a bit like some of the advanced techniques of hypnosis that Milton Erickson described.

Trance, postulated Erickson, is a special learning state that occurs whenever identity is threatened, disrupted or needs to reorganize. This could happen in many situations: trauma, times of change in a personçs life, contexts of uncertainty. Trance is the natural resource state that accesses at precisely those times.

I'm not so sure I understand your response to Linmag, Tom. When I read her comment, I agree, on the basis that I felt she was referring to, ". . . Now be the shipwrecked woman who has nothing left to give. You are devastated. Sing it but don’t sing it." That's very direct and specific [in its way] feedback-description from Leonard, of which Anjani understood its essence, and responded with exactly what Leonard had in mind, hence what we hear on the record.

Now, to the trance issue. That is very interesting info ~ whether it refers in a way I don't fully understand re: Anjani, or just trance states, in general.

~ Elizabeth