leonardcohenforum.com

There is an article giving the low-down on Phil Spector in the June 2003 issue of Vanity Fair. It is entitled LEGEND WITH A BULLET and is written by Robert San Anson.

LC gets one paragraph. The story everyone knows already.

"After Greatest Hits failed to crack the Billboard Top 200 and Warner Bros. didn't even bother with a U.S. release of an album he'd produced for Dion, Spector was back to his old self. At one point during the sessions for Leonard Cohen's Death of a Ladies' Man, in 1977, Phil ordered an offending viloinist out of the studio at gunpoint. At another, he sidled up to Cohen with a jug of Manischewitz Extra Dry Concord Grape in one hand and a .45 automatic in the other. Pressing the muzzle into Cohen's neck, Spector said, "Leonard, I love you." Replied Cohen, "I sure hope you do."

One thing is certain, if Spector had not been SPECTOR, he would have been jailed long ago.


eeey

P.S. The article has interesting asides.

For instance, when Phil Spector paid a $5,000 advance for rights to an unknown act called the Righteous Brothers, he set them to work on "a three-minute 50 second epic entitled "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." Brother Bill Medley did virtually all the vocals, which led Brother Bobby Hatfield to ask what his job was. "You'll go to the bank," he was told. Bobbie made a number of trips."

"The song went to Number 1 and with over nine million spins and counting has gone on to be the most-played radio song of all time, according to the BMI licensing organization."

I've recently been wondering how his legal situation is going.

Last I heard is that he probably will not face any charge, well someone shot that poor woman. Seems like it's another case of "getting away with it"
Altinkum

Thanks for that oh-so-surprizing update, Altinkum. It is celebrity, after all.

OJ justice in the land of the free?
maybee democracy is coming to the USA?
Georges

It'll take some time, Georges (it took more'n 200 years to even realize Democracy still has to come to the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave")

Reconsidering the National Anthem, I'd say the final question still would have to be answered with a blunt "No, not yet, but there's hope..."

And if I say "Hope", i'm not talking about "just a town in Arkinsaw" (Question: How many states have their "Hope"?)

Phil Spector? Another celebrity that should be treated with the same forgiveness and punishment like all the rest, but probably won't...

After all: "this land is your land, this land is my land..." - It's up to us to make it live up to its own standards, wherever we might live (did I understand you correctly, Witty Owl?)

Just some thoughts by "a dry brain in a dry season"...

Tom

'Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game.'

'Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise'

--- Bob Dylan, Hurricane

YaY, Bob Dylan, and his thinking that went into Hurricane!

'Hurricane' is a terrific narrative song and a great movie.
BUT it is still a controversial issue and there many different sides to the real story like most things in life - not just the Hollywood + Dylan side to it.
Here is the alternative other side to the story - the link is from the Dylan site http://www.expectingrain.com.

http://graphicwitness.com/carter/song.html

I especially liked the now-dated 1975 article on that site
http://graphicwitness.com/carter/cleveland.html

I s'pose the truth is somewhere in between.