mr Leanard Cohen

[scarletghoul]

Leonard Cohen is awesome, and still exists. Are there any other Leonard Cohen fans here? I love all his music, from the 60s to the 2000s. Also read a lot of his poetry and one novel, which are very good too. Hes been touring a lot for the past year or so but its too expensive. Ah well. One day I hopefully will see him before he dies.

[which doctor]

he's coming to town in May on his new tour and tickets go on sale next week, I'm still debating whether or not I want to pay for them

[Matty_UK]

Saw him in Birmingham a couple months ago. He's amazing, still making great music as well. Check out the album Ten New Songs, released in 2001 I think; one of his best.

[JohannGE]

Long time fan here.

Recently ftp'ed full discography, what a standard he has maintained all that time!

I would like to hear him live but I can't deal with the corporate merchandising opportunity, mega-stadium, gig scene these days. My last one was Radiohead at MCC last year, music great setup stinks. First one I have bothered with for years and it will be the last.

Can't blame the artists I suppose. To big, to play small clubs anymore and too greedy to play big gigs for free. Will we ever see anything like the great free festivals of the early seventies again? Back in the day bands like, Hawkwind, Pink Faries, Edger Broughton Band, Roy Harper, Gong and many others seemed to play any free/support gig they could.

Some great memories for any other uk free festival fans here:-

(Tried to link here to www dot ukrockfestivals dot com but couldn't due to silly heirarcical rules.)

[brigadista]

Leonard Cohen is awesome, and still exists. Are there any other Leonard Cohen fans here? I love all his music, from the 60s to the 2000s. Also read a lot of his poetry and one novel, which are very good too. Hes been touring a lot for the past year or so but its too expensive. Ah well. One day I hopefully will see him before he dies.

I Lurve him...

[Picky Bugger]

Leonard Cohen is awesome, and still exists. . That part made me laugh, makes him seem like something that will one day just pop out of existence.

I am a fan, I like the fact that when he played Glastonbury he wouldn't let them record his performance because he didn't have a current record to "plug." Seems like a relatively modest guy.

[Picky Bugger]

I would like to hear him live but I can't deal with the corporate merchandising opportunity, mega-stadium, gig scene these days. My last one was Radiohead at MCC last year, music great setup stinks. First one I have bothered with for years and it will be the last.

Can't blame the artists I suppose. To big, to play small clubs anymore and too greedy to play big gigs for free.



If you are implying that Radiohead and other modern bands do not play large scale charity gigs I think you are wrong. Alright there are very few free festivals around and when they do happen they are usually crass disasters but there are many free gigs that occur throughout the UK.

The merchandising is of course bullshit but in my experience I wouldn't say it is forced upon you nor does it have a detrimental effect on the gig itself. Maybe at a U2 or Madonna concert they would act different but I will never know that world.

[JohannGE]

but there are many free gigs that occur throughout the UK..

May be so but not quite the same I don't think:-

We are entrenched on a cavalry training ground, WINDSOR, HELP?? FREEDOM = DISCIPLINE .

HERE and NOW, we are 'together , we are very happy, contrary to the suppressed monopolised mass media reports. This community is becoming more organised and more self-reliant. It takes a pebble to start a landslide, RIGHT. The pebble was rolled on Saturday 25th. The landslide has begun. The camp has supplied itself with free food and everything else to live happily.
Wednesday 29th is "Ann's OOPS', a new date for history, this cavalry training ground has been declared a liberated zone, which realises the communal tribal structure existing here and NOW. Ideas have started to be connected together for next years happening. FUCK. The community here has established itself for good. We’re here to stay.This public peoples park is now our home HQ. We've claimed our land and were not going to allow the police to evict us from our new home.

From Winsor Free Press 30/08/73

---

Ok so Thames Valley's finest kicked our collective arse the next day ;)

[Picky Bugger]

Not quite the same no, but no less relevant. In today's climate something like that will not occur but then again the manner in which people communicate and congregate has changed. There are different ways in which bands fight against the "system" such as the gigs on tube trains and in stations that have occurred over without any formal planning. This form of protest is no less relevant than the one day existence of a hippie commune in central London.

[Pawn Power]

I like this song;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OETwbVBPI1U

[JohannGE]

Not quite the same no, but no less relevant. In today's climate something like that will not occur but then again the manner in which people communicate and congregate has changed. There are different ways in which bands fight against the "system" such as the gigs on tube trains and in stations that have occurred over without any formal planning. This form of protest is no less relevant than the one day existence of a hippie commune in central London.

I am not trying to get into a row about this or putting you or todays bands down.

Just for your info though this was not a "one day existence of a hippie commune in central London".

It was a peoples takeover of an large area of Windsor Great Park by 50,000+ in defiance of the festival being declared illigal and claims from the toughest police force in the country that they would prevent it. We had to fight our way in and held out against further police attacks for a week. It was eventualy broken up after the crowds had thinned out by an early morning trunchon charge against people still in their tents and sleeping bags.

Ok so they didn't have riot gear but there was no PACE either.

I must admit to being a bit out of touch with contempory free festivals and benefit gigs and wouldn't want to disparage anyones commitment and work. But you would be grossly mistaken to write off the counter culture of the 60's-70's as just a load of weekend hippies.

Peace man :D

Sorry for taking this off topic.

Yes Pawn Broker, great track.

[Picky Bugger]

I was actually being facetious with my "one day existence of a hippie commune in central London". remark but that doesn't matter.

As for the counter culture of the 60s - 70s there was of course a core level of commitment etc and it would be narrow minded to disregard this but from what i've seen there was another level of "weekend hippie" I dunno, I wasn't there but much of it does seem slightly shallow.

Anyway, enough of that, I will leave now never to return :tt1: